Deck.....Be not Proud. Part 3

Welcome back my inquisitive readers! I apologize for the delay in my posting, but the busy season is upon us. OK, so here we are, part 3 in our deck series. So far you have learned about the different types of decking available to you, and now we have moved on, to railings. On the surface, railings seem like a pretty boring and straightforward aspect to your project, but trust me, nothing could be further from the truth.

There are some very appealing options for the homeowner looking for the perfect rail to compliment their deck. Pressure Treated, Cedar, and Vinyl Composite are the three most widely used railing options.

So lets dive right into it.

Pressure Treated Rails

Basic Pressure Treated Rails

Pressure treated railings are the most common choice for the deck buying public. PT rails are readily available, economical and customizable. In terms of railings, these are going to put the smallest dent in your wallet. Perhaps the most convenient thing about PT rails is how easily they can be customized. Any respectable lumber dealer will have at least 2 options for pre fabricated PT Spindles. Also, if you have hired a talented and experienced deck builder, chances are he will be able to fabricate a rail to suit whatever your needs may be. Always keep in mind though, that with extra fabrication time, comes a premium charge. The one drawback with PT rails is the maintenance. Much like PT decks they will need staining at least every other year. However, if correctly maintained you will still get many many years of enjoyment out of them.

Example of Fabricated Colonial Rails

Cedar Rails

An example of Cedar Rails we recently installed

Cedar Rails are a little bit of an upgrade from traditional PT rails. While cedar shares many of the characteristics of PT (customizable, high maintenance etc) there are some differences. Generally Cedar is priced at a mild premium, and is a very affordable upgrade. What is great about cedar is its ability to take a satin. Generally cedar takes on stain color better than PT wood and requires a little less work for upkeep. 

Vinyl Composite

An example of Xpanse Vinyl Composite rails with colonial spindles.

 

For the homeowner looking for an upgraded rail selection I have to suggest a vinyl composite rail system. These rails have all the benefits of both vinyl and composite rails, without any of the weaknesses. They are like vampires that can walk around in the daytime. (corny? probably) One of the biggest drawbacks about going with a vinyl rail in the past is that they often cracked, they couldnt support anyone leaning on them, and they were creaky and noisy. With the advent of vinyl composite, these problems are a thing of the past. The core of these rails is crafted out of composite material and that is wrapped in vinyl. This process gives us a strong rail, that doesnt crack or creek. Another added feature is that many vinyl composite rails have as much as a 25 year warranty which protects the homeowner from any defect. 

Well folks....there ya have it. Im not going to lie, there are other rail options out there, but for the sake of brevity I chose to highlight the most popular. 

If anyone reading this has any questions or comments, feel free to post them.

Until next time.....