There are two main types of railing systems that you can buy: cable and glass. While the systems are popular, many people don’t know their differences. The cool thing is that I’m here to shed light on the topic. Here is how the two compare:
View
Cable railing does a good job at preserving the view. While this is the case, you need to focus beyond the rail for the cables to disappear from your focus. Glass is designed to be seen through; therefore, you won’t have a hard time having a great view.
Maintenance
Since the cables and fittings are made from stainless steel, they don’t require a lot of maintenance and can last for a long time. To maintain them you only need to regularly clean them.
Glass also requires minimal maintenance, but it’s maintenance is more than that of cable. One of the major things that you need to do is to clean the railing.
Safety
While the cable is safe for adults, it’s not for children as the children can easily climb over them. Due to this, you should be cautious when you have small children.
Studies have shown that there are some jurisdictions that don’t allow horizontal cable railings; therefore, before installing them always check with your jurisdiction and ensure that the railing is allowed.
Glass railings have minimized corners and spaces; therefore, it’s hard for children and animals to climb over them. It’s also hard for the animals and children to get stuck between the rail panels.
Cost
Since cable railings are made from stainless steel, they are less expensive than glass railings.
Glass railings are expensive and block air from flowing freely. The cool thing with them is that you can easily customize them.
Installation
Cable railing is very easy to install compared to glass railing. Glass railing is not only difficult to install, it’s also expensive.
Conclusion
Both cable and glass railings are great and you should go ahead and install them in your home or office.
If you want to get the benefits that come with each railing, you should install both of them. For example, if you want to install the railing on your home deck, you can install the semi-transparent glass on the sides of the deck to provide you with privacy. You should then install the cable railing at the front of the deck.
To avoid law suits, always ensure that the railing system combination is allowed by the local authorities.