Why Aluminum Gates Make Good Sense for BusinessesSeptember 13th, 2020

You have so many choices when it comes to security gates for your business:

• • Bi-fold
• • Swing
• • Manual
• • Electric
• • Wrought iron
• • Chain link
• • Wood
• • Dual swing
• • Vertical lift
• • Rolling

And there’s even more types and options than that!

So if you’ve made the decision to install security gates, but don’t know which ones make the most sense for your company, take a minute to learn about aluminum gates.

Just like anything else in business, they have various benefits. And they certainly work well for many businesses. Other types of gates can make sense too.

But for now, learn why you’d install aluminum security gates:

1) Keep Your Premises Secure

This is the main reason for getting any security gate, right? Aluminum gates keep your premises secure.

Compare them to chain link gates. If a crook really wants to get through those, they can. They simply use a bolt cutter to chop down the chain links and they’re in quick and easy.

While you may think of aluminum as a weak metal used for beverage cans, it’s actually made to be quite strong when used to make a security gate. In fact, aluminum gates have a strength per pound even greater than steel.

So, if crooks want to enter your property, aluminum gates make their job difficult. And that means they’re highly likely to move on.

2) Preserve the Life of Your Gate Operator, A Costly Mechanism

Though strong when made for security gates, aluminum remains light. And much lighter than other metals used to make security gates, like steel and iron.

Compared to iron, aluminum is actually around 2.5 times lighter.

The gate operator, which opens and closes your gate all day long, has to do less work to open and close aluminum gates.

This saves you money in three ways:

Your electric bill will be slightly lower Your gate operator, which costs thousands of dollars, will last much longer before it needs replacement Moving parts in aluminum gates also experience less stress and last longer, which means they require less repair, maintenance, and replacement

3) Almost Maintenance-Free

Compared to other security gate types, aluminum gates require almost no maintenance over time.

Aluminum can’t rust. Rust is iron oxide. Because aluminum contains no iron, it can’t possibly rust.

Wood rots. So you need to seal it to protect it from the rain.

If you have any plastic on your security gate, it cracks over time because the sun increases its temperature.

And wrought iron rusts.

With steel gates, you run the risk of welded areas falling apart over time. That’s because those areas are usually covered with galvanized paint. Though the paint improves the lifespan of those areas, it still can’t get them to last as long as the rest of the gate (and especially so if you experience extreme temperatures of any kind), and they fall apart and require maintenance.

For aluminum gates, all you need to do is wash them off with a hose and a bucket of soapy water.

And that’s it. That’s all the maintenance you’ll ever need to do.

Aluminum gates do not need repainting. They don’t rust. And they don’t fall apart.

It’s because of aluminum oxide, which protects the underlying metal from the potential damage oxygen causes. And aluminum gates usually have a thick outer powder coat to fend off scratching and color fading.

Yes. You can count on practically no maintenance with aluminum security gates.

4) More Design Options

With a chain-link security gate, you get a cheap, ugly look. That’s it. And the metal, even if painted different colors, still doesn’t look all that attractive.

Aluminum, however, gives you so many design options you’re sure to find a look you like.

For example, you can have decorative spikes and spear tips on aluminum gates, just like the ones you see on wrought iron gates.

Aluminum can also be repainted with practically any color you want, and that includes the colors that match your company’s branding.

The metal itself can also be easily shaped however you’d like. This allows for curves and rounding, or whatever look you want.

You can do the same with steel and wrought iron, but since the work is so much harder to do, it costs a lot more.

5) Reduced Installation Costs

Aluminum gates are fast and easy to install because of the lower weight of aluminum. The framing doesn’t require intensive engineering, unlike other metals.

This means less sophisticated equipment is required for installation (as compared to steel, for example).

And because aluminum bends more easily, it’s easier to install if your security gates follow a slope of some kind.

Lesser labor means lower installation costs for you.

A Quick Comparison of Aluminum Gates to Chain Link, Wrought Iron, and Wood

Chain link security gates may cost less upfront. But they don’t keep your property very secure and they’re not maintenance-free. They also don’t have the longest lifespan.

Wood gates look beautiful. They also give you great privacy. But they can rot. Animals can chew through. They require maintenance. And they can catch on fire.

Wrought iron is strong and looks gorgeous. But it rusts. And it requires maintenance. It’s also expensive to install because of the difficulty in working with the material. And it can show the effects of weather over time.

Finally, after understanding the pros and cons of aluminum and the various security gate types, you have to make the best decision for your company.

Make a list of what’s most important to you. Prioritize it. Choose the gate that fits your needs best.

And with this information, you can now easily do just that.