Railing FAQ page
....Return to "Home Page"....
Listed below are Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about deck railings that we have shown in the
"Aluminum Railing Thumbnail" page. We have made an unordered list with links to this same page. You
may simply scroll down to the question(s) or use the list to link to the questions and answers further down
the page as the list grows. Click on the questions below and the question with answer will pop to the
top of the page.
List of FAQ's on this page.
The top rail is 36" for residential and 42" for commercial use. The max. opening allowed between
pickets or glass and post or between bottom horizontal and deck surface is 4" in most jurisdictions. Some
have codes for 5" and 6". Some even have a requirement for something at 2" above the deck. Cable is generally
another issue.
Grip railings on a stairway are supposed to be 34" to 38" above the "Nose" or edge of the step or deck and in the same
fall line (slope) of the stairs and continuous from landing to landing so the hand can slide smoothly without
having to let loose and re-gripping below the obstruction. With that in mind on residential projects the grip
rail can be the top of the railing system. On commercial projects the stairway railings have to be 42" just
as the level deck or walkway, but the "Grip Rail" still needs to be in the 34" to 38" range. We shoot for 36".
That is the reason on commercial projects that you see a grip rail inboard and slightly below the upper member
of the stairway railing system. Keep in mind that UBC states that the actual grip rail should be 1-1/2" to 2"
diameter and have at least 1-1/2" of clearance between the edge of the grip rail and the side of the building,
fascia, etc. Without that clearance you might loose some skin while going down the stairs with your hand on
the grip rail.
The posts need to be anchored to the deck securely so they do not pull out within the design and code
load requirements. This means anchoring to the rim joists or std. joists (major structural members) using
the proper anchors. Posts can be mounted on the top with a standard 4 bolt base,
set into holes in concrete, build through (most prevalent with wooden posts) or
side mounted which work well with almost all types of posts and is used most
often on waterproof decks. Both top mounts and side mounts will probably need
some sort of blocking (wooden decks) to serve as anchoring points for the
mounting hardware. Sounds simple, but lots of contractors or homeowners will
put up a deck with little regard for what is needed when railings need to go up
making installing railings more difficult.
We use and supply stainless anchors from the base to the deck. Depending on the brand of railing and the
area you are attaching the base to (could be a side mount also) the anchors will vary from 1/4" to 3/8".
Number 10 stainless screws are common for clips on the aluminum systems and several brands use a lot of # 8 Tek screws
to attach some of the parts to the posts.
Almost of the aluminum railing systems are being powder coated, a sprayed powder which is then baked
into a smooth durable finish. Some are wet coated and both systems look nice.
Steel can be powder coated also, but some consideration should be given to
sealing the inside such as galvanizing. Weep holes are a must with all systems.
1. Drill motor and possible rotohammer
2. Drill index with bits and some longer drill bits called taper length (approx. 6" long).
3. Post level ( a plastic 90 deg. item that fastens with a rubber band, works great)
4. Chalk line (blue is best, red can make paint bleed)
5. String line
6. Normal hand wrenches for tightening the hex style hardware.
7. Drivers for the hex head hardware make the job go much easier.
8. A chop saw to cut the aluminum using a good carbide blade. We stock a good "Triple Chip" 80 tooth blade
for use on a 10" saw with 5/8" arbor. Our own private label from Germany. Our lube stick really helps
and keeps the cuts very smooth.
1. Installed in our service area.
2. As a kit in or out of our area. Have shipped aluminum frames to Alaska, Florida and Maryland.
3. Cable only with fittings and all hardware for those doing their own project.
4. With stainless posts drilled for cable with top and or bottom mounting plate welded in place. We
are seeing more use of stainless posts with wooden top rail
We price by project as a package including stainless posts or aluminum system as seen on web site, cable, hdw. and tools.
Cable is sold as a package for any railing system and it very common to sell a cable package without posts to someone who
is building their own wooden framing system. The framing could be wood, aluminum, regular steel or stainless. Wood is
very popular for residences since the carpenter or homeowner can fairly easily install them. Steel is usually more of a
commercial application for both external and internal uses. Stainless is an additional accent for either interior or
exterior applications to enhance the look of a particular application. Stainless in a buffed, but not polished finish
takes on a neutral look since it doesn't reflect light and blends in to the background. Stainless posts and a wooden top
rail look very elegant. Some photos on the web site.
1. Cable spaced vertically 1" less than local code. 4" code would be spaced at 3" and a 5" code at 4" etc.
or close)
2. Unsupported cable no more than 4 ft. (Means a post or cable spreader at around 4 ft. or less)
3. Tension adequate to keep a "Code Ball" from easily being pushed through the cable. This is a little vague.
4. End posts off the wall. (For use of studs going through the posts and using a nut to tighten the cable)
5. Two (2) post corners where ever possible with no more than a 4" gap between them. (You can then go on around
the corner in most cases instead of starting and stopping and resulting increased costs in fittings.)
6. Adequate top rail to handle the compressive loads of the combined cable loads on end posts.
7. Post system to handle cable loads. Is a little different than working with normal railing systems.
8. Plan post placement with an understanding of how cable should be run. (Really tricky part.)
9. Think things through, measure twice, cut once.
10.Remember, a little more cable is always better than being too short.
Return to top of the page