Unfortunately the mounting pieces were too wide to fit into the doorway at my sisters place (without having to remove the existing door stops, in place from a previous door), and then have to repair/repaint the door jamb. If it were my own home, I definitely would have made the necessary alterations to the doorway, for it to work.

The bannister posts at my parents home also had an issue accommodating the generously sized mounting pieces. I would have needed to make modifications to the bannister first, by drilling and securing additional pieces of lumber, to create a larger surface area suitable for mounting the pieces. Again, if it were my own home I probably would have made the necessary alterations, but as it was not my place, I decided against it.

I found that in both situations, it would be beneficial if the mounting pieces were a bit slimmer / more compact. Never the less, that meant that I could swap out the gate I currently had installed at my own home, to try out this new Munchkin BRICA Extending Metal Gate (and very glad that I did! Their loss = my gain).

The gates width adjustment pieces were very straightforward and easy to assemble. There aren’t a lot of finicky pieces to be screwed on, so it has a nice clean look without visible adjustment holes & hardware, when everything is in place.

It is very easy to open and close with one hand, which is super convenient when you have a little one on your hip. The gate can swing in both directions, or be locked to only open one way (especially important for top of stairs, and to not to open outwards into small hallways).

I love that it has built in tilting mechanisms, so there isn’t additional pressure on the walls. The last gate I had was much more difficult to open and close, and one of the mounts was starting to come loose from all the additional pressure that was applied (another reason this safety gate upgrade was so welcome).

I didn’t do the final mounting of the gate myself, but my husband said he found it took a bit more time to decipher the instructions (as diagrams only), rather than if they also included written directions.

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The Extending Metal safety gate by Munchkin has no unsightly adjustment holes along the bars, and is equipped with a unique tilting spring mechanism to reduce stress on walls every time it’s used. The spring mechanism allows the gate to tilt open or close, which minimizes pressure applied on walls. Handy quick-release settings allow for quick and easy removal when needed, too. Safe for use anywhere in the home (especially in the stairway), this hardware-mounted baby gate stands 29″ tall and fits openings 28″-40″ wide.