Being a Suffolk County Deck builder, I have had a great amount of experience installing several different types of railing systems. The most important thing about a railing is that it keeps your guests and children safe from falling off the deck. It is also important to make sure people have a stable railing to grab onto in case of a slip, trip or fall. In order to ensure a railing has the proper strength the rail posts must be bolted to the decking frame using (at the smallest in diameter) 3/8 x 6 inch carriage bolts with washers and nuts. You should use at least 2 bolts per post. Be sure that the hardware are galvanized to prevent rust and corrosion. After all rail posts have been attached, you would now want to add 2 x 6 or 2 x 8 supports pieces in between your frame joints (depending on the size of your joists) that the rail posts are attached to and the adjacent joist to create support so it eliminates a week and wobbly railing. A support piece should be put in place next to every rail post that is bolted to the joist. This simple addition will greatly improve the strength of your railing.
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AuthorI have been building decks for 15 years and have used most materials and techniques. I want to share my experience with my future costumers to ensure you do your project the right way. Archives
March 2016
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