How To Install A Porch Railing

Installing a porch railing for the first time is a tricky job; it needs a lot of planning and proper designing to get it right the very first time. Proper planning here means, accurate measurements and maintaining adequate supply of equipments required for the installation. A lot of parts are required to put together a well-designed railing; some of the parts required are finials, balusters, posts and rails for the top and bottom of the structure. The best place to find these equipments is the lumberyard or any local home improvement supply store, surfing online is also a good option.

Important characteristics of Professional looking Railings.

All professionally designed deck railings have common features; they usually have a lot of decorative details, which makes the appearance of your home very classic and cozy. Woodwork forms a very important feature and is available in vide variety of designs. The incorporation of woodwork in construction of a balustrade gives it the professional and finished look.

Proper installation is also one of the main components that contribute in giving the railing a professionally designed look, and the key factor that determines proper installation is accurate measurement of the space available for installation. Following are the must have items for proper installation, porch finishing nails, a drill, wood files, possibly a saw and a good quality paint if required.

Tips of proper installation

Railings installation is not a complicated task; it hardly takes two to four hours depending on its size and length. Following these simple tips will definitely help in expediting the process of installation.

  • Wear protective goggles while cutting and sawing to avoid any kind of injury to the eyes.
  • Accurate measurement is the key criteria for installing a porch railing properly. Make sure you take the accurate measurement of the surface area available for the porch including the space between nailing points and also the space earmarked for installing the porch.
  • Make sure that the filler strips are cut of exact required length and from the top and not the bottom.
  • Specifically mark the spots on the strips where you intend to position the balusters.

If you are not confident enough to construct the porch railing by yourself, you can always opt to get one custom made to fit the size and style of your home. A variety of custom-made porch railings are available in the market, a handcrafted porch railing will be the best choice for a Victorian styled house, and a wooden porch railings and posts will definitely go well with contemporary, modern styled homes, and to make these wooden porch railings last long make sure to get water proofing treatment done on them.