Even though the main purpose of stair railings is to prevent accidental falls, it can also contribute to the ambiance of your home by being stylish and beautiful. From a legal perspective, stair railings are seen as indispensable features of stairs either in a home or those that lead up to the deck. You do not, however, have to restrict their functionality to the component of safety but can unwind your imagination and think of different ways to make the stair railings an artistic feature of your house.
There is no dearth of designs when it comes to railings for deck stairs and other staircases. Based on your aesthetic preferences, you could either opt for a simple and sober design or choose one that is innovative and brings in a breath of fresh air to your home. If you have a railing design that is elaborate, you can be sure of drawing a lot of praise from your friends and other guests who visit you. If the railing that you plan to install is for the backyard deck, then do make sure that you choose a material that does not catch rust easily and can last a long time despite being exposed to the weather.
As the primary reason for installing stairs is the consideration of safety, adequate thought needs to be given to features like the handrails and balustrades. In case of slipping accidentally on the stairs, the instinctive reaction of a person is to grab the handrails to break the fall. This being the case, the handrails and balustrade should have the strength to support the weight of an adult without any mishaps. The baluster spacing should also be restricted to four inches so that there is no possibility of small children getting stuck between them.
Finally, you have to devote some thought to the material that you will use for the construction of the stair railings. A wide variety of materials like metal, vinyl, wood and composites can be used here. If you opt for metal railings you again have a wide range to choose from. Cast iron, brass, bronze, wrought iron, aluminum etc. are some of the metals that are normally used for this purpose. Aluminum enjoys a high degree of popularity and you can either go for a powder coated finish or a brightly polished look based on what you think will go with the look of your house.
Another idea is to try out a combination of materials for the stair railing. In this case, if you use wood for the posts, you can have brass/aluminum balusters and tubular metal designs for the cap rail. This will give a unique and charming look to your stair railing. If you are installing the railing for your outdoor deck, wrought iron material would be a sensible choice to make as it is durable, highly rust-resistant and relatively immune to harsh weather conditions. Painting wrought iron railings with a new coat of paint also poses no difficulty.