Low Maint. Deck Railing

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btuser

Minister of Fire
Jan 15, 2009
2,069
Principality of Pontinha
I started pressure washing the deck and came to the quick conclusion I never, ever wanted to re-stain the railings around this deck. To make it worse The design of the deck is a festering water hole for hornets (of which my daughter has a vertiable phobia, and yes they scare me too) and the posts were only lagged instead carriage bolts. The structure/size is satisfactory and the deck boards have some life in them but I've made up my mind the railing has to go. I hate composite. Paying top dollar for low-grade swag and ground up plastic bottles is not going to happen. Maybe if I re-framed for 12" OC but I see too much of that stuff sag. I also don't trust if for a railing. I've got a big white vinyl house so a white vinyl railing would look OK.

Does anyone have any recommendations on a good vinyl railing product? Mortised vs brackets? There seem to be a lot of products. What is it like living with this type of product? I need a 20 year life span, I don't want to worry about a soccer ball bouncing off it after 5 years of moderate sun exposure, and although I'm a big fan of wood I don't have the time (or the money for a rot-free product) available. I've got other hunny-dew projects for the next 5 years.
 
Vinal sags too. Stainless steel is best, Aluminum is good also and far cheeper than stainless. For a large white house, Black color -galvanise wrought iron would be a beautiful, economical, long life span choice. P.M. me if you are interested in metal and I will link you to my website.
 
I built my deck about 10 years ago. The support structure is regular pressure treated lumber. For the decking I used Ipe (Brazilian walnut, same fire rating as concrete and steel, one of the only woods that sink in water immediately, life is excepted to be 50 years, the pressure treated lumber will rot out from under it before it goes bad, so hard you have to use carbide tools to cut and drill it, and you have to drill it to screw it....really amazing stuff....they are using it on the boardwalk in Atlantic City these days...just goolge Ipe). The Ipe only added about $700 to the cost of the deck. The Ipe weathers to a silver color but if you pressure wash it reverts to the brown for a couple of months before the UV weathers it back to silver....so I usually just leave it silver. For the railing I decided to go with this vinyl, it's internaly lined with galvnized steel, I can't remember the name but it was the standard stuff they were selling at Home Depot. I have to pressure wash it about every one to two years because of mold growth (I'm close to the woods) depending on if I treat it with an anti-fungicide spray. HAve had zero problems with it.........
 

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I used Fiberon railings on my back deck about 6-7 years ago. It has held up beautifully. The posts are sleeves that go over pt posts. I plan on doing the front porch rails in the next year or so. I love to work with wood, but railings and decks are never ending work. Here is a link to their page. I bought mine at Moynihan Lumber in Plaistow. If samples are available, you will see the cross section is very rugged and not at all flimsy like vinyl. I have the horizon style with brackets. No issues. Aluminum rails are extremely durable but there is a higher price that goes along with them.





http://www.fiberondecking.com/products/inspirationsRailing
 
I forget the brand of railings I got but i just ordered them by length and they delivered them. Put the brackets up, cut rail to fit and done.

I have 6"PT posts holding up the roof - wrapped with some post wrap - and the plastic railing. Does not really give me any comfort level that it will hold my weight if i fall but all i have to do now is hose down the front porch.
 
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