Free on-site gate assessment - hinges, posts, and your LiftMaster or Nice gate operator checked before anything is quoted
The assessment is free and the quote is the invoice.
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AfterFast, Reliable Gate Parts & Welding Across Mercer Island
Gate parts and welding in Mercer Island usually means one of two things: a hinge post that has rotted out of a wet footing, or a wrought-iron gate that has cracked at a saddle joint from decades of soil movement. We handle both on site. Hal Gatewood has been welding and rebuilding gates since 2001, and the crew knows Mercer Island’s older estates and newer custom builds well enough to quote the work honestly before any torch gets lit. Call (877) 610-2993 and a live person answers, day or night.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Mercer Island’s Preferred Gate Parts & Welding Company
Mercer Island homeowners tend to ask harder questions, and we’re fine with that. Hal’s name is on the shop and on every invoice, and his address is published where anyone can look it up. That matters on an island where word travels fast and a bad gate repair gets mentioned at the hardware store by noon. We’ve been at this over 29 years, owner-operated the whole time, and the person who shows up in your driveway is background-checked and uniformed, not a mystery subcontractor.
Reviews from Mercer Island customers keep pointing to the same things: the quote matched the bill, the welds looked clean, and the gate actually closed square when we left. The 90-Day Done Right Promise is written on the paperwork, not hidden in a warranty booklet. If something’s not right, one call brings Hal back. He’d rather fix a hinge than dodge a phone call.
We also carry parts for Mercer Island jobs instead of ordering everything from a warehouse two states away. Gate rollers, heavy hinges, weld plates, sealed operators, control boards for legacy LiftMaster and DoorKing units. If it’s common on the island, we probably have it on the truck or at the shop. When we don’t, we tell you the real lead time before the job starts.
Our Gate Parts & Welding Services in Mercer Island
Hinge Replacement
A gate sags in the hinge post, not in the middle, and that is where we start. On Mercer Island, the original 1950s through 1970s gates were often hung on steel posts set in concrete that has since cracked and taken on water. We cut out the old hinge, weld a reinforced plate to the frame, and reset the geometry so the gate hangs square again. If the post itself is sound, we replace just the hinge and save you the cost of a full post job.
Post Replacement
Post replacement is the most common big repair we do on Mercer Island. Decades of wet Pacific Northwest winters and subtle soil movement from frost-heave shift post footings out of plumb, which twists the gate and makes auto-close reverse mid-cycle. On a 1960s rambler off West Mercer Way, we found an original swing gate whose hinge post had rotted at the footing, pulling the gate far enough out of square to trip the safety photocell every afternoon. We set a galvanized footing below frost depth, welded a reinforced hinge plate onto the existing iron gate, and re-hung it so the FAAC operator stopped reversing at the close limit. The keypad entry armed cleanly again and the loop detector stopped hunting.
Rail Repair
Slide gates on Mercer Island take a beating from two directions: the lake-driven humidity eats at the rail fasteners, and the wet winters leave grit and debris in the track that abrades the rail surface. We straighten and reinforce bent rails, replace worn sections, and re-level the track so the rollers stop binding. When the rack and pinion teeth are chewed up after a wet winter, we address the alignment issue that caused it before welding in a new rack section. Fix the panel without the post and you’ll fix it twice.
Custom Welding
Custom welding is where a repair gets interesting. Mercer Island has a lot of ornate wrought-iron and powder-coated steel gates from the teardown-and-rebuild wave of the 2000s through 2020s, and the frames crack at welded saddle joints as the soil shifts. We weld on site in your driveway, so the gate never leaves the property. Before striking an arc, we correct the sag, brace the frame, and weld with the gate under load. A good weld on a gate that’s still sagging just moves the failure to the next joint.
What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Mercer Island
We’re certified to service nine major gate brands, and on Mercer Island we see a lot of DoorKing, Viking, and Ghost Controls on the newer estates, with older LiftMaster and FAAC units on the mid-century homes. When you call about a dead operator, we’ll ask for the model number before we drive out, so the truck leaves with the right control board or limit switch already on board. That shortens the repair time and means you’re not paying for a second trip. Our Gate Parts & Welding team stocks common boards, hinges, rollers, and weld consumables for these brands locally.
Common Gate Parts & Welding Problems We See in Mercer Island Homes
- Rotted hinge posts on original 1950s-70s gates. The posts pull out of wet footings after decades of frost-heave, twisting the gate and causing auto-close to reverse. We reset the post with a galvanized footing below frost depth and re-hang the gate square.
- Corroded control boards on legacy operators. Lake-driven humidity gets inside the enclosures and eats at circuit boards faster than the mechanical parts wear out. An older LiftMaster or DoorKing unit often dies from board corrosion, not motor failure. We replace obsolete boards with modern sealed equivalents when available.
- Cracked saddle joints on ornate wrought-iron gates. The frames shift with the soil, and welded joints crack. DIY re-welding without correcting the sag just moves the failure to the next joint. We brace, align, then weld.
- Worn gate rollers and track hardware on slide gates. Grit from wet winters grinds down rollers and wears flat spots into the rail. We replace rollers, re-level the track, and check the rack alignment so the next wet winter doesn’t chew through a new set.
Pricing for Gate Parts & Welding in Mercer Island, WA
In Mercer Island, a hinge replacement on a standard swing gate typically runs $280-$520 per hinge, including on-site welding and alignment. Full post replacement with a galvanized footing set below frost depth usually lands between $650 and $1,400 depending on the gate size and access. Custom welding for a cracked wrought-iron frame starts around $300 for small repairs and climbs from there for structural re-alignment work. Rail repair on slide gates runs $350-$900, and a new rack section installed and aligned is typically $450-$1,100.
Every price is quoted and agreed in writing before any work starts. That’s not a promise we hedge. The number you approve is the number on the invoice. Estimates are free, there’s no trip charge inside the county, and we take $40 off any repair over $200. Seniors and veterans get a permanent 10% discount. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll walk you through a real number for your gate.
We Also Serve Cities Near Mercer Island
Our crews serve Mercer Island and the surrounding Eastside communities regularly. If you’re in Newcastle, Bellevue, Bryn Mawr-Skyway, or Boulevard Park, the same owner-operated crew covers your area with hourly dispatch supported from the brand’s Seattle office. Same upfront pricing, same 90-Day Done Right Promise.
Serving Mercer Island, WA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Mercer Island area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs - Gate Parts & Welding in Mercer Island
Yes. We regularly retrofit photo eyes, safety edges, and updated operator logic onto older swing gates around Mercer Island, and the upgrade is usually straightforward on a gate that’s still square. The work brings the gate up to current UL 325 standards without replacing the whole frame or operator. If your gate has original 1970s hardware and no modern entrapment protection, call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll tell you what the retrofit will take and what it costs.
Because the wet season shifts your track or post alignment just enough to change the gear mesh, and the rack teeth take the damage. The fix is re-leveling the track and re-aligning the rack before welding in a new section, not just bolting on another rack. On Mercer Island’s lake-humidity lots, we also switch fasteners to marine-grade stainless so they don’t seize or snap. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll inspect the alignment before you buy another rack.
On Mercer Island, it’s almost always worth repairing if the gate frame itself is still sound. A rusted hinge post can be replaced with a galvanized footing set below frost depth, and the existing iron gate can be re-hung with welded hinge plates for less than half the cost of a full replacement. We only recommend replacement when the frame has cracked in multiple places or rust has thinned the structural members. Call (877) 610-2993 for a free assessment and a straight answer.
Yes. Obsolete control boards are one of the most common service calls we handle on Mercer Island, because the island’s lake-driven humidity corrodes board contacts and seals years before the mechanical parts fail. We replace dead boards with sealed modern equivalents that fit the existing enclosure, or upgrade the entire operator when the board is no longer manufactured. Call (877) 610-2993 with the model number and we’ll check availability before we drive out.
Welding alone almost never fixes a sag for long. The gate usually sags because the hinge post has moved or rotted, and welding the cracked frame without correcting the post means the next crack happens somewhere else. On Mercer Island’s older estates, we usually weld the frame and address the post in the same visit. The fix lasts because the geometry is right again. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll tell you honestly what your gate needs.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Mercer Island and the Eastside since 2001.