GDO Mid Rib Horizontal Pedestrian Gate (32 Colour Options) garage door Steel GDO

GDO Medium Rib Horizontal Pedestrian Gate

Choosing the right material and style for a side gate can quietly improve both the security and day to day feel of your home. Timber has its appeal but brings regular maintenance and can quickly suffer from swelling, shrinking and general movement. Aluminium avoids much of the upkeep, yet it often lacks the solid, weighty feel you want at a main access point and can be more vulnerable to dents and knocks.

The GDO Medium Rib Horizontal Pedestrian Gate uses a fully steel construction with a double skinned leaf, so it behaves far more like a proper external door than a lightweight garden gate. The rigid build helps it stay square and correctly aligned over time, rather than drifting out of adjustment with the seasons. Combined with a tough, powder coated finish available in 32 colours, it offers the strength and stability of steel with the sort of finish choice you would normally associate with entrance doors.

Modern Medium Rib Horizontal Styling

This design uses broader horizontal ribs with fewer lines across the face of the gate, giving a cleaner, more architectural look than closely spaced boarding. The wider panels create a calm, streamlined appearance that pairs particularly well with contemporary properties, modern cladding and minimalist landscaping. With matching steel posts and crisp framing, the gate sits neatly between brick or block piers and gives a well-finished, built-in feel.

Solid Double Skinned Steel Construction

The gate leaf and posts are all manufactured from steel, giving a noticeably firm and reassuring operation each time the gate is used. A double skinned leaf, with steel on both sides, significantly increases rigidity and reduces flex, which is especially useful on wider openings or more exposed locations. This construction is much more resistant to impact and tampering than single-skin or lightweight framed alternatives, making it a sensible option where security is a priority.

Unlike timber, steel is not affected by changes in moisture in the same way, so there is no swelling after rain or excessive shrinking in hot weather. The medium ribbed design maintains its shape and alignment, avoiding the sticking, dragging or gapping that often affects wooden gates as they age. For a busy side access, this gives a smoother, more predictable everyday use.

32 Powder Coated Colour Options

A major strength of this gate range is the extensive choice of 32 powder coated colours. Many metal gates are sold in a very limited palette, often just black or one grey, which makes proper matching to existing doors and windows difficult. Here you have far greater freedom to pick a close match to your garage door, front door or window frames, or to create a deliberate contrast that still looks coordinated.

The factory-applied powder coating gives a hard-wearing surface that needs very little upkeep. There is no requirement for regular painting or staining, so routine care is generally limited to a simple wash down to remove dirt. For homeowners who prefer to fit once and not worry about ongoing treatment, this finish is a practical step up from painted or stained timber.

Made to Measure for a Neat Finish

Each Medium Rib Horizontal gate is produced to the dimensions you specify, rather than forcing a standard panel into an awkward gap. Overall widths from 800mm up to 1300mm, including the posts, cover most typical pedestrian side entrances and pathways. This allows for even clearances and a more professional-looking result, particularly when working between existing masonry openings.

Two straightforward heights are offered, 1200mm and 1800mm, so you can choose a lower gate where visibility and an open feel are preferred, or a taller version where privacy and security are more important. The broader horizontal ribs run consistently across the leaf at either height, preserving the clean, modern look.

Hardware and Day-to-Day Operation

The hardware package is chosen to match the weight and rigidity of the steel construction, with sturdy hinges designed for stable, smooth movement over long-term use. A sleek black lever handle complements the wider horizontal rib pattern and is easy to operate for all users. The key-operated locking system provides sensible everyday security for side paths, rear garden access and shared passageways around the property.

Installation Considerations

This gate is designed to be fixed to solid structures on both sides, such as brickwork, blockwork or appropriate steel posts. A firm, well-built opening is essential to support the rigid steel frame and to maintain correct alignment over time, ensuring the gate continues to open and close cleanly after installation.

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 Medium Rib Horizontal Pedestrian Gate

• Gate leaf construction: Double skinned pressed galvanised steel, medium width horizontal ribs on both inside and outside faces.
• Frame and chassis: Aluminium chassis providing a rigid, corrosion resistant support around the steel infill.
• Hinges: Black aluminium hinges with up to 15mm of adjustment to help take up minor irregularities in the brickwork or posts.
• Handle and lock: Black aluminium lever/lever handle arrangement with stainless steel single-point deadbolt, key operated from both sides.
• Opening direction: Can be configured for inward opening (standard) or outward opening to clear internal obstructions.
• Sizes: Made to measure overall widths, including posts, from 800mm up to 1300mm.
• Heights: Offered in two standard heights – 4ft (1200mm) and 6ft (1800mm).

What You Get

• Medium ribbed horizontal double skinned galvanised steel gate leaf, fully finished in your chosen colour.
• Galvanised steel box section posts supplied as a pair, one with profiled closing edge on the latching side.
• Black aluminium adjustable hinges, allowing up to 15mm adjustment for a precise final fit.
• Black aluminium lever/lever handle and stainless steel deadlocking single-point lock assembly.

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.