Gates and boundary work
Swing and sliding gates, wicket gates, boundary railings and driveway gates for villas and compounds.
Aluminium & Metal Works
Metal Works & Steel Fabrication
Mild steel and mixed-metal fabrication — gates, grilles, frames, supports and structures cut, welded and finished in our own workshop, then installed and made good on site.
- Cut & welded in-house
- Galvanised or powder coated
- Site-measured to fit
Who this work is for
- Villa owners needing gates, grilles or security bars
- Main contractors requiring secondary steelwork
- Facility managers replacing corroded metalwork
- Warehouse and industrial units
- Interior fit-out contractors needing hidden support steel
Metal Works — project photograph required
Real Al Makan photography goes here. No stock imagery is used on this site.
In practice
The weld is the easy part. The coating decides how long it lasts.
Almost every piece of mild steel that fails in the UAE fails at the finish rather than at the joint. The weld itself is usually sound years after it rusts through, because what actually attacks the steel is the combination of coastal chloride, high humidity and a coating that was applied over mill scale, over grease, or over a cut edge nobody bothered to prepare. Preparation is the whole job: shot blast or mechanically abrade back to clean metal, degrease, prime while it is still clean, and only then apply the finish. A gate finished properly this way will outlast three gates finished badly.
Galvanising is the honest answer for anything exposed. Hot-dip galvanising puts a zinc layer through every surface — including the inside of hollow sections, which is precisely where corrosion starts on a gate frame and where paint never reaches. It also protects sacrificially, so a scratch that goes through to the steel does not immediately start a rust bloom underneath. Where a specific colour is wanted, we galvanise first and powder coat over it, which costs more than powder coat alone and lasts several times longer.
The second thing that separates good metalwork from bad is what happens at the cut ends and the drilled holes. Hollow section is normally supplied with an open end; if it is left open, the section fills with rainwater and washdown, holds it, and rusts outward from the inside where nobody can see it until the wall perforates. Ends should be capped and welded closed, or deliberately drained at the low point. The same applies to any hole drilled after coating — it exposes bare steel and needs touching in.
On site, the fixing detail matters as much as the fabrication. Steel bolted directly against aluminium or stainless without an isolating washer sets up a galvanic cell that eats the less noble metal, and in a humid coastal environment it does so quickly. We specify fixings and isolation to suit whatever the steel is meeting, and we check what the anchor is actually going into — a heavy gate hung off a block wall with no core-filled cell or steel post will eventually pull the wall apart, whatever the gate is made of.
Almost every piece of mild steel that fails here fails at the finish, not at the weld.
Where it is used
Metal Works — typical applications
The situations this work most often solves. If yours is not listed, it is still worth asking.
Window grilles and security bars
Fixed and openable grilles, made to the opening and finished to match the joinery.
Structural and secondary steel
Support frames, brackets, lintels, goalpost frames and back-steel for glazing and cladding systems.
Staircases and platforms
Steel stringers, landings, access platforms and mezzanine framing.
Enclosures and screens
Plant enclosures, generator screens, bin stores and AC condenser cages.
Repairs and replacement
Cutting out corroded sections and replacing them, rather than coating over a failing member.
Design possibilities
Options you can choose from
Finishes, configurations and specification choices available on this work. Samples can be provided before anything is committed.
Hot-dip galvanised
Zinc through every surface including hollow interiors. The default for anything permanently outside.
Galvanised then powder coated
Colour over galvanising — the longest-lasting combination we offer for exposed metalwork.
Powder coat direct
Suitable for sheltered and internal work, in the full RAL range including textured and matt finishes.
Section profiles
Square and rectangular hollow section, solid bar, flat bar, angle and channel — sized to the span, not to habit.
Infill choices
Vertical bar, mesh, perforated sheet, expanded metal, laser-cut panel or solid sheet.
Laser-cut panels
Pattern work cut into sheet for gates and screens, from geometric designs to bespoke artwork.
Why it matters
What you get
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Made in our own workshop
Cutting, welding and assembly under one roof, so tolerances are ours to control rather than a subcontractor’s.
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Prepared before it is coated
Abraded back to clean metal and degreased first. Coating over mill scale is why metalwork fails early.
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Measured on site
Openings surveyed before fabrication, because a gate made to a drawing rarely matches the opening that was actually built.
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Fixings checked, not assumed
We confirm what the steel can be anchored into before it is priced — heavy metalwork needs something real to hold it.
Technical
Specification notes
- Materials
- Mild steel hollow section, flat, angle, channel and plate; galvanised sheet; aluminium and stainless where the application calls for it.
- Welding
- MIG for general fabrication, TIG where the joint is visible or the material is stainless. Welds ground back where they will be seen.
- Corrosion protection
- Hot-dip galvanising, zinc-rich primer systems, or galvanise-plus-powder-coat for exposed work.
- Finishes
- Polyester powder coating in RAL colours, gloss, satin, matt and textured; wet paint systems where a site touch-up finish is required.
- Fixings
- Chemical and mechanical anchors selected for the substrate, with isolation washers where dissimilar metals meet.
- Drainage
- Hollow sections capped or drained at low points, so water cannot sit inside the member.
Final specification is confirmed at survey, against the actual opening, exposure and use.
How we do it
Our process for metal works
The steps specific to this work — not a generic checklist.
- 01
Survey and check the substrate
Opening sizes taken on site and the fixing substrate assessed — block, concrete or steel changes the whole fixing approach.
- 02
Agree section sizes and finish
Span and load decide the section; exposure decides the coating. Both confirmed in writing before cutting.
- 03
Fabricate in the workshop
Cut, drilled, assembled and welded on a bench where things can be held square, not held square by hand on site.
- 04
Prepare and coat
Abraded, degreased and finished — galvanised, primed or powder coated depending on where the piece will live.
- 05
Install and touch in
Set, aligned and anchored on site, with any drilled or cut faces touched in before we leave.
Get a price for metal works
Send drawings, dimensions or a photograph of the space. For anything beyond a straightforward replacement we will arrange a survey, because measuring it ourselves is the only way to quote a price that will not move.
Questions
Metal Works — frequently asked
If it lives outside, galvanised. Paint or powder coat alone sits on the surface, and the first scratch or the first cut end starts a rust line that spreads under the coating. Galvanising protects sacrificially and reaches inside hollow sections, which is where gates actually rot from.
Yes, and sometimes we will recommend it. Near the coast, or where the piece will be hard to maintain, stainless or aluminium can be the cheaper answer over ten years even though it costs more on day one. We will tell you which we think applies.
Almost always open-ended hollow section. Rainwater and washdown get in, sit at the bottom, and corrode outward until the wall perforates. It is invisible until it is severe. Capping or draining the ends at fabrication stage prevents it entirely.
Usually. Send photographs and one or two measurements. Section sizes, bar spacing and pattern can normally be identified from good photographs, and we can splice in new sections where the existing frame is still sound.
We fabricate secondary and support steelwork — frames, brackets, platforms and back-steel. For primary structural steel that requires a structural engineer’s design and certification, we will tell you plainly that it needs an engineer rather than quoting around it.
Related work
Often needed alongside this
Stainless Steel Works
Stainless balustrades, handrails, staircases, glass railing systems and architectural metalwork.
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Car Parking Works
Car parking shades, canopies and covered walkways in steel and aluminium, engineered for UAE wind and sun.
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Cladding Works
ACP and solid aluminium cladding for elevations, fascias, soffits and column casings, on drained and ventilated subframes.
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Custom Works
Bespoke glass, aluminium and metal pieces for non-standard sizes, unusual details and existing buildings that are not square.
Explore service
Get in touch
Tell us about the job
Drawings, dimensions or just a photo of the space — whatever you have is enough to start.
- Call us +971 56 436 9675
- WhatsApp +971 56 436 9675
- Email almakan.uae@gmail.com
- Workshop & office Ajman Industrial Area 1, Ajman, United Arab Emirates
- Opening hours Open daily · 08:00 AM – 11:59 PM