GDO Narrow Rib Vertical Pedestrian Gate (32 Colour Options) garage door Steel GDO

GDO Standard Rib Vertical Pedestrian Gate

When you are choosing a side gate for your home, the material makes more difference than most people realise. Timber can look good on day one, but it needs regular painting or staining and is prone to swelling, shrinking and eventually sagging. Aluminium is lighter and low maintenance, but it can flex and dent more easily, and often does not give the same door-like solidity you want on a side entrance.

A double skinned steel gate like this GDO Standard Rib Vertical Pedestrian Gate behaves more like an external door than a garden gate. The rigid steel construction helps it stay straight, secure and properly aligned over time, with no warping in hot weather or softening in the rain. Combined with a durable powder coated finish available in 32 colours, it offers the security and stability of steel with the kind of finish and choice usually associated with front doors, making it a very practical upgrade over most timber or aluminium side gates.

Modern Vertical Rib Styling

This steel pedestrian side gate has a narrow vertical rib design that gives a neat, modern look without being over the top. It works well beside garages, garden walls and side paths where you want something smart and unobtrusive rather than decorative ironwork. The matching steel posts and clean edges help the gate sit comfortably against brickwork or blockwork for a tidy framed finish.

Strong Rigid Steel Construction

This gate is manufactured from steel throughout, including both the gate leaf and the side posts, giving it a much more solid and secure feel than many lighter alternatives. The double skinned steel gate leaf adds further rigidity, helping the gate hold its shape well in regular use and giving a more robust overall construction.

Compared with timber gates, steel is far less likely to warp, twist, swell or shrink with changes in the weather. It is also more resistant to knocks, impacts and attempted forced entry than many timber, PVC or lighter framed gate options, making it a practical choice where security and long-term stability are important.

32 Colour Options

One of the big advantages of this gate is the wide choice of 32 colours. Many garden side gates available online are limited to just black, white or a small number of standard shades, but this range gives far more flexibility when trying to match garage doors, windows, entrance doors or exterior trims.

The steel frame and panels are finished in a durable powder coated finish, giving you a low maintenance surface that keeps its appearance far better than timber that needs ongoing painting or staining. Whether you want a subtle colour match or a stronger contrast, the wider colour range gives you far more choice than many comparable gate options.

Made to Measure Sizes

Each gate is made to measure to suit the opening, helping achieve a neater and more professional fit. Sizes are available from 800mm up to 1300mm overall width, including the gate posts, making it suitable for many typical pedestrian side access openings.

Two standard heights are available at 1200mm and 1800mm. This gives the option of a lower, more open style gate or a taller version where privacy and security are more of a priority.

Hardware and Everyday Practicality

The gate is supplied with hardware suited to the weight of the double skinned steel leaf, helping it operate smoothly and reliably in day to day use. A black lever handle provides a neat modern finish, while the locking arrangement gives practical security for side passageways, gardens and access points around the property.

Installation Requirements

This gate is designed to be fitted against a solid supporting structure on both sides, such as brickwork, blockwork or another suitable structural opening. A sound fixing structure is important for correct installation, long-term alignment and the best overall result from a rigid steel gate of this type.

Understanding Your GDO Steel Pedestrian Gate Options

Choosing one of these steel side gates is straightforward once you understand the few key decisions you need to make: size, colour, handing and opening direction. The gates are made to measure, so you end up with something that looks and feels more like an external door than a loose-fitting garden gate.

1. Working Out Your Gate Size

Everything starts with measuring the opening where the gate will go.

• Measure the clear width between your walls or posts in millimetres.
• Measure the clear height from finished floor level up to the underside of any lintel or top structure.
• Check the opening is reasonably square and plumb, as large variations may need correcting before you order.

On the product page you will see drop-down boxes for width and height.

• Choose your gate model first, whether that is Narrow Rib Vertical, Narrow Rib Horizontal, Medium Rib Vertical or Medium Rib Horizontal.
• In the width drop-down, select the next size up from your actual opening width.
• Then choose the height from the drop-down that best suits your opening and the look you want.

At checkout there will be a box where you enter the exact ordering width you require.

• Type in the precise overall width you want the gate and posts made to.
• This dimension includes both posts and the gate leaf.
• No fitting tolerances are added, so what you enter is what is manufactured.

This means you must allow your own fitting tolerances when deciding the final size. For example, if your brick-to-brick width is 1000mm and you want 5mm clearance each side, you would order a 990mm overall gate and post width.

2. Choosing Your Colour

All four designs share the same generous colour palette, which is one of the main advantages over many standard off-the-shelf gates.

• You can choose from 32 powder coated colours.
• The colour you pick is applied to the entire visible gate, including both sides of the gate leaf and both posts.
• This makes it much easier to coordinate with garage doors, windows, front doors and cladding.

If you are unsure which finish to choose, a close match to the garage door or front door usually gives the most coordinated look. A darker neutral shade can also work well where you want the gate to sit quietly against brickwork rather than stand out.

3. Handing - Left or Right

You will be asked to choose a handing for the gate. This simply tells the factory which side the hinges will be on and which side the handle will sit.

For these gates, handing is always taken from the non-hinged side, which is assumed to be the external face of the gate.

• Stand outside your property on the side you normally approach the gate from.
• Face the gate from the handle side, not the hinge side.
• Then decide which side you want the hinges to be on.

• Left hand means the hinges are on your left and the handle is on your right.
• Right hand means the hinges are on your right and the handle is on your left.

The outside face gives the cleaner appearance, while the inside face will show the hinges once the gate is fitted.

4. Opening Direction

You also need to decide whether the gate should open inwards or outwards.

• Inward opening is the standard option and means the gate swings into your property.
• Outward opening is available where you have an obstruction inside or limited room for the gate to swing inwards.

Before choosing, it is worth checking the full swing of the gate so it does not foul walls, steps, bins, pipework or a sloping drive. If the gate opens towards a shared path or public access route, you should also make sure it will not create an obstruction.

5. Picking Your Design

Once the practical choices are sorted, it is simply a case of choosing the panel style that best suits the property.

• Narrow Rib Vertical - slim, closely spaced vertical ribs for a neat, modern look.
• Narrow Rib Horizontal - slim horizontal lines for a more contemporary appearance.
• Medium Rib Vertical - usually three broader vertical grooves for a minimalist, door-like design.
• Medium Rib Horizontal - fewer, wider horizontal ribs for a stronger and more architectural look.

All four designs share the same core specification, so the decision here is mainly about appearance rather than build quality.

• Fully steel construction with a double skinned gate leaf.
• Matching steel posts included.
• Choice of 32 colours.
• Made to measure from 800mm to 1300mm overall width.
• Two practical height options at 1200mm and 1800mm.

6. Delivery and Basic Fitting

Once you have chosen your size, colour, handing and opening direction, your new gate will be manufactured to order and delivered ready for installation.

• The gate posts are supplied separate from the gate leaf.
• The posts are fixed first, making sure they are plumb and correctly spaced.
• The gate leaf is then hung onto the posts and aligned.
• The standard black lever/lever handle is supplied for simple assembly once the gate is hanging correctly.

As with any made to measure steel gate, careful measuring and a sound fixing structure are essential. Taking the time to get the ordering size right will give you a better fit, a neater finish and smoother operation once the gate is installed.

Specification – GDO Standard Rib Vertical Pedestrian Gate

• Gate leaf construction: Double skinned pressed galvanised steel, standard vertical rib design on both sides.
• Frame and chassis: Aluminium chassis providing a stable, corrosion resistant structure.
• Hinges: Black finish aluminium hinges with up to 15mm adjustment to help accommodate out of square openings.
• Handle and lock: Black aluminium lever/lever handle set with stainless steel single point deadbolt lock, operable from both sides.
• Opening direction: Can be specified to open inwards or outwards to suit the site conditions.
• Sizes: Made to measure overall gate and post widths from 800mm to 1300mm.
• Heights: Two standard gate leaf heights – 4ft (1200mm) or 6ft (1800mm).

What You Get

• Double skinned galvanised steel gate leaf with standard vertical rib design, factory finished in your chosen colour.
• Pair of galvanised steel box section gate posts, including profiled closing edge on the latching side.
• Adjustable black aluminium hinges, allowing fine tuning of alignment (up to 15mm adjustment).
• Black aluminium lever/lever handle and stainless steel single-point deadlocking system.

Installing Your GDO Steel Pedestrian Gate

These pedestrian gates are designed so that a competent DIYer or general tradesperson can install them without anything too specialist. The main part of the job is fixing the two steel box section posts accurately, as once they are level, plumb and aligned to each other, hanging the gate itself is quite straightforward.

Prepare the Opening

Before starting, check that the structure you are fixing to is sound and suitable for taking the gate posts.

• Make sure the brickwork, blockwork or other supporting structure is solid.
• Check the floor level and allow for the gate swing and any ground clearance needed.
• Confirm the hinge side, latch side and opening direction before fixing anything in place.
• Have a spirit level, drill, suitable fixings, packers and hand tools ready before you begin.

Fixing the Steel Posts

The first and most important stage is fitting the two galvanised steel box section posts. If the posts are set correctly, the rest of the installation becomes much easier.

• Offer the posts into position and check the overall width matches the ordered size.
• Fix each post securely to the supporting structure.
• Use a level to make sure both posts are perfectly upright.
• Check that the posts are aligned with each other and that the spacing is consistent from top to bottom.

Taking a little extra time here is well worth it. Dead level, properly aligned posts will make the hanging and final adjustment of the gate far simpler.

Hanging the Gate Leaf

Once the posts are fixed correctly, the gate leaf can be positioned and hung onto the hinge side post.

• Support the gate leaf in the opening using packers or wedges at the correct height.
• Line the gate up so that the clearances look even around the leaf.
• Fix the hinges to the gate post and check the gate swings cleanly.
• Open and close the gate carefully to make sure there is no rubbing or binding.

At this stage you are aiming for a smooth initial fit. Final tuning can then be carried out using the adjustable hinges.

Adjusting the Hinges

The black aluminium hinges are adjustable by up to 15mm each, which helps when the opening is not perfectly square or when small corrections are needed during fitting.

• Use the hinge adjustment to even up the gaps around the gate leaf.
• Make small changes gradually rather than over-adjusting in one go.
• Recheck the gate swing after each adjustment.
• Continue until the gate opens, closes and latches neatly.

This adjustment feature is particularly useful in real-world openings where walls and reveals are not always perfectly true.

Handle and Lock Fitting

Once the gate is hanging correctly, the handle and lock can be assembled.

• The gate is supplied with a standard black lever/lever handle system.
• The handle set is fitted once the gate is in place and hanging correctly.
• The stainless steel single-point deadlocking system should then be checked for smooth engagement.
• Make sure the latch and lock line up properly with the closing edge before final tightening.

Final Checks

Before finishing the job, it is worth running through a few final checks to make sure everything is operating as it should.

• Check the posts are secure and all fixings are tightened properly.
• Make sure the gate opens fully in the chosen direction without obstruction.
• Confirm the handle operates smoothly and the lock engages cleanly from both sides.
• Check the gaps around the gate are tidy and consistent.

In simple terms, if you are comfortable fixing two steel posts accurately to a solid structure and setting them level and true, you are already most of the way through the installation. Once that is done, hanging the gate and adjusting it into position is a very manageable job for most practical homeowners or installers.