timber gate

rebelden

Whats the best considered timber for a wooden gates?. Teak, Oak, or iroka.

slowburner

All good and durable. Oak is the least stable of the three. Teak is the most expensive.

1chippy

the traditional (real teak) may be more expensive but iroko (relacement teak) is far cheaper than white oak. personally iroko is the best option for durability and price. oak will move a fair bit in the irish climate and also gets a lot of black staining if not regularly treated. iroko actually can look better if left untreated. (only in some circumstances)

Juniorhurler

Try cedar either. Excellent natural weather resistance

slowburner

Juniorhurler wrote: »

Try cedar either. Excellent natural weather resistance

But not as strong as Oak, Teak or Iroko. A nice timber all the same.

rebelden

The problem with teak is that it tends to turn very dark in colour. I like the lighter shiny colour when its first put up. Does iroko retain its lighter colour better? Opinions greatly appreciated

slowburner

If Oak, Teak or Iroko are exposed to rain and sun and have no finish applied, all three will develop a silvery patina. None of these timbers actually need a finish to protect them - they contain oils and acids which do this by making them unpalatable to moulds, fungus and insects. This patina is not to everyone's taste though.
So if you want to preserve the colour of the wood then you will have to varnish it. You will probably need to apply a coat every couple of years. Yacht varnish would be good for this.
As to which of the three would stay the lightest, probably Oak but they will all darken eventually. Wood is kind of the opposite of human skin; it gets darker in shade and lighter in the sun. In all probability, Ireland's climate will only make wood darken.