How to fit a gate latch

Video by Wickes. This guide is supported by "How to Lay a Patio | Wickes" from the Wickes YouTube channel. While the video focuses on patio laying, Wickes produce a broad range of garden DIY guides covering fencing, gates, and outdoor hardware — worth browsing their channel for related gate and fencing content.

1. Choose the right type of gate latch

There are three main types you will come across on timber garden gates in the UK. A Suffolk latch (sometimes called a thumb latch) is the traditional choice — it has a bar on the outside and a lift handle on the inside, and gives a classic look that suits older properties. A ring latch uses a ring handle to operate a spring-loaded tongue and is popular on cottage-style gates. An automatic latch closes itself when the gate swings shut, which is handy if you have children or pets and do not want to rely on people remembering to push it closed.

For heavier gates or exposed positions — seafront properties in Sandwich and Pegwell Bay get a decent amount of wind — look for stainless steel or galvanised ironmongery rather than chrome-plated mild steel, which will rust through in a couple of seasons.

2. Check which way the gate opens and mark the latch position

Before drilling anything, open and close the gate a few times and decide where the latch should sit. Eye-height is the practical guide for most people — somewhere between 900 mm and 1,050 mm from the ground, which you can comfortably operate without stooping. Mark the position with a pencil.

For a Suffolk latch, the handle with the thumb lever goes on the side of the gate that swings away from you as you open it. The latch bar and keeper go on the post side. It sounds obvious, but fitting it the wrong way round is surprisingly common, and you notice immediately when you try to use it from the outside. Check the manufacturer's leaflet if you are unsure — it takes thirty seconds and saves a lot of head-scratching.

3. Mark out and drill the fixing holes

Hold the latch body against the gate in position and mark the screw holes with a pencil. Remove the latch and centre-punch each mark if you have one, or make a small indent with a bradawl — this stops the drill bit wandering when you start. Use a drill bit that is slightly narrower than your screw shank for pilot holes: in softwood, 2.5 mm for a No. 8 screw is about right.

For a Suffolk latch you also need to cut a slot through the gate face for the bar to pass through. The typical slot is about 30 mm high and 10 mm wide, positioned 50 mm in from the gate edge. Drill a hole at each end of the slot to the full width, then cut between them with a jigsaw or sharp chisel. Keep the slot clean — if it is too ragged the bar will catch going in.

4. Fix the latch to the gate

With your pilot holes drilled and the slot cut, offer the latch back up and drive the screws home. Do not overtighten — you want the fixings firm but not stripped. Stainless steel screws with a posidrive head are the best choice for outdoor use; slotted screws in a garden setting are harder to drive cleanly and tend to rust at the slot first.

For a ring latch, you will need to trim the spindle if it protrudes too far on the inside. Most latches come with a spindle that is deliberately a bit long and can be cut with a junior hacksaw. File any burr off the end before fitting the back plate. It is a small detail but it stops the back plate sitting proud and the latch rattling.

5. Position and fit the keeper on the post

This is the step most people get slightly wrong. Close the gate to its natural resting position — not forced, just where it naturally wants to sit — and hold the keeper against the post so the latch bar or tongue engages it cleanly. Mark the keeper position with a pencil, then open the gate fully and fix the keeper to the post using the same pilot-hole method as before.

Close the gate and test the action. The latch should engage with a positive click and release without sticking or lifting awkwardly. If the bar is catching the top or bottom of the keeper rather than the middle, adjust the keeper position by one fixing hole. Most keepers have slotted holes for exactly this reason. It depends on how square and true your gate post is, but a few minutes of fine adjustment here is much better than a year of a gate that feels wrong every time.

6. Test, adjust, and add a drop bolt if needed

Open and close the gate a dozen times from both sides. Make sure the latch engages consistently, that the gate does not lift or sag on its hinges enough to affect the alignment, and that the action feels smooth. A light smear of silicone grease on the moving parts will keep it quiet and prevent corrosion at the bearing surfaces.

If the gate is a double gate or an entrance gate that needs more security, fit a drop bolt on the inside of the secondary leaf. This drops into a socket buried in the ground (or a socket plate on a post) and holds that leaf steady while the main leaf operates normally. For gated driveways or side entrances — common in the older properties around the Sandwich town centre and nearby villages — this is usually worth doing even on relatively lightweight gates.

When to call a handyman

Call Richard if the gate post has moved and the latch position no longer lines up, if the gate itself has dropped or swollen and is dragging on the ground before you even get to the latch, or if you want a new gate and latch fitted from scratch. Gate hardware is one of those jobs that is quick when everything is square and straightforward, and rather more involved when the post has been standing since the 1960s and has a 15 mm lean on it.