All the gates and fences for our backyard are made of chain link. While this provides excellent structure and security it leaves much to be desired from an aesthetic perspective. We rent, and I didn’t want to fully replace the gate with wood because I’d need to store the chain link one. I decided I could cover the gate with thin slats which would upgrade the look without compromising the strength.

Process

I ripped a 2×12 into long thin boards, about .25 of an inch thick.  These would serve as the  wood face. The biggest problem was how to attach the thin boards to the gate. I tried screws through the chain to a board on the other side, but it split the thin boards and didn’t secure easily. The second solution worked. I fashioned custom “staples” that would thread through two drilled holes in the board. Once the staple was past the chain link it could be twisted around itself to cinch it to the cross wire. I intentionally left a ragged edge across the top as an aesthetic choice.

Results

The boards served not only to improve the aesthetics of the gate but to give privacy. In spite of the functional wear and tear that a gate receives the custom fasteners have proved to do a great job of holding the boards to the chain-links.