For a front porch, deck, balcony, or gazebo the porch railing has long been considered a must have. Important for many architectural designs, these railings add additional beauty to your home, as well as provide a measure of safety and convenience. Over the years, a variety of materials have been used for the railings. Here are some of the current materials being used to make porch railroads.
Wood railing has been around a long time. The Victorian styles of turn of the century homes used these types of elaborate wooden rails. There is no doubt that a wood porch railing adds something special to any home's appearance. Wood railing does require maintenance, either painting or varnishing over time, so that is something to consider when making your purchase. Many different types of wood are used in making wood railings, which offers a lot of choices to the homeowner. Wood does offer some designs that have not been able to be fully replicated in other materials, and does cost more over the long term.
Becoming very popular in use for porch railroads is the vinyl railing. With the designs of the traditional wood railings now becoming available in vinyl, such as different accent patterns like rose scroll or victorian scroll, many homeowners are opting for the vinyl railroads. Vinyl does not require the maintenance of the wood railings and is much easier to install, thereby costing less than wood. Many people prefer the use of vinyl because there are not splinters, nails, or sharp edges. This can be a plus if you have young children. Vinyl railing is also the choice of the do-it-yourself types, and can be purchased as a kit or in individual pieces either from your local home improvement store or an online speciality store.
Another option in porch railings is to choose a material which is a composite. The base material is made out of a wood composite that is encased in polymer. This gives the porch railing the look of wood, combined with the durability and ease of maintenance as the vinyl railroads. Some of the available designs are more detailed and the price is a bit more as well.