How to Build a Dog Gate

By: Jennifer Stimpson, This Old House magazine

Shopping List

Supplies You Will Need

1. Oak 1x2 Get at least eight 6-footers—enough to make legs, crosspieces, spindles, stiles, rails, and feet for the two-section gate shown

2. ½-inch oak veneer plywood Get enough to make two 12-by-22½-inch panels

3. Oak panel molding Get at least two 6-foot pieces to trim the panels

4. 1½-inch finish screws to assemble the legs, crosspieces, and spindles

5. 1½-inch pin nails to attach the panel, rails, and stiles to the crosspieces and legs

6. 1-inch pin nails to attach the trim to the panels

7. ¼-20 40 mm threaded insert nuts Get four, or enough to insert one into the bottom of each leg

8. ¼-20 40 mm hex-head joint connector bolt Get four, or enough to attach one foot to each leg

9. 1½-by-¾-inch butt hinges Get three per pair of gates

10. Medium-grit and fine-grit sandpaper

11. Stainable wood glue

12. Stainable wood filler

13. Finish of your choice (could be tung oil; sanding sealer with stain and shellac and acrylic clear-coat; or primer and paint)

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Tools List
Tools You Will Need
- Miter saw
- Circular saw
  to cut the plywood panel
- Combination square
- 24- to 36-inch bar clamp
- Pneumatic pin nailer
- Drill/driver
  fitted with an 11/32-inch drill bit, a 3/32-inch drill bit, and a 1-inch paddle bit for installing the gate's feet
- 1-inch paintbrush to apply glue
- Allen key or wrench
  sized to the insert nut and hex-head bolt for attaching the feet
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small dog standing up on a dog gate set up between two rooms

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Photo: Laura Moss

Introduction
Overview
Steps:
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13

5 hours
About $60

Difficulty: Easy to moderate The pieces assemble easily, but the trim must be custom-cut

Whether it keeps his muzzle away from the dinner table or stops him from getting underfoot during parties, a dog gate is a handy tool for setting proper boundaries for your pooch. And it certainly doesn't have to look like a dreary chain-link fence. This handsome piece, made from oak and finished with nontoxic tung oil, can stand proudly in any room in the house. (You can also paint, stain, or shellac yours, if you prefer.) Check out the full instructions to see how senior technical editor Mark Powers put it together.

Plan to make one of these? Show us the finished project and you could be featured in This Old House magazine