Installing a New Deck Railing

The large back deck was one of the things that attracted us to the house. However, it was was not built properly and our inspector warned us that the railing was not up to code. The deck is attached to the family room addition, which is also in need of a tear-down and rebuild, so any work on the deck is temporary The railing, however, needed to be replaced.

The deck railing was obviously not close to being up to code. The previous owner kept it low to take advantage of the views of the sloping backyard and surrounding woodlots. Once our daughter grew taller than the two foot high railing, we were no longer willing to compromise safety.

The demolition was rather fun. I knocked out all the deck boards forming the wall, and then used a reciprocating saw to cut the posts down level with the deck. With no railing in the way, I was able to easily wash the deck to give it a new lease on life.

The tops of the posts were coated with an end cut preservative, since they would not be covered. Ideally, they would be covered with the deck boards, but I was not about to start restructuring the rest of the deck. As it was, the railing was expensive enough, and we were only looking to buy a couple more years out of the deck.

Some of the deck structure was suspect, so I ended up removing part of it. The picture to the left shows how the deck was supported at one end by a 4x4 resting on a retaining wall made of railroad ties that were rotting and falling over.

Safety aside, another advantage to removing this section of deck is that it saved me quite a bit of money on materials. Smaller deck means equals less railing.

I kept the design of my new railing simple and affordable. I wanted the railing to be 44 inches high as the drop from the deck to the ground measures as much as four feet.

I used galvanized carriage bolts to attach 2x4 "posts" to the 4x4 deck posts. Deck screws held the post in place while I drilled the holes for the bolts. I used four screws and two bolts for each post.

All the posts were cut the same length. I did not worry about getting the railing level, as the deck was not level. At all points, the railing is the same height around the deck.

The next step was to install a two by four rail which I attached to the posts using deck screws. The top rail is attached on the inside.

The top cap was installed next. I left a one and a half inch overhang on the outside, the same thickness as the balusters. A small overhang on the inside creates a nice character shadow.

The balusters are the common ones found at any lumber store-- 2x2s with tapered ends. These are attached to the top rail and to the deck skirt using deck screws (two at the top and two at the bottom). While I took my chances and ended up splitting a number of balusters, pilot holes should be drilled. I used a spacer block to keep the balusters even. For each section, I started in the middle between the posts, making sure the center baluster was vertical. Then I worked my way to either side of the section using the spacer. The last baluster on each side is centered between the previous one and the post. Because each section is a different size, this was the best technique I could think of to keep things as simple as possible.

Making the transition to an existing railing at the side of the house wasn't too difficult. I simply cut off the balusters using the reciprocating saw. The funky angles for the top rail and capping were achieved through trial and error and whole lot of tweaking. It would have been a lot more difficult to miter the angles. Although it doesn't look as nice, a simple trim with the reciprocating saw made my life easier.

The finished railing looks a lot better than the solid two foot high wall that it replaces. We have a better view of our yard through the railing (as opposed to over a wall) and the structure is sturdy and safe.

Installing a New Deck Railing

Ranch Projects:

Cape Cod Projects

Some DIY Basics

Articles

Real Estate