Everybody loves having a beautiful deck to enjoy year round, don’t you think?! Now is the perfect time to renovate your deck and porch, and that’s why I brought you today everything you need to know about material types and railing styles to inspire you to come up with a beautiful project.
Of course, your deck railing plans will also depend on the style your home already has, so be sure to pick something that will match your home. Scroll down to see more about the best deck railing ideas!
“Words are often seen hunting for an idea, but ideas are never seen hunting for words. - Josh Billings
Materials
Wood
Depending on the type of wood, you can get more budget-friendly options than most types of material. Pressure-treated, for example, is one of the cheapest on the market.
Besides, wood is easy to create a stylish railing since it’s easy to get it cut into a wide variety of sizes and shapes. The only downside to wood railings is that you’ll need to get it stained regularly to prevent water damage.
Metal
Metal decks include both aluminum and steel, though aluminum is more advantageous for you since it’s rustproof. But there’s a downside to it: you can’t really create many styles with it since they’re limited - much like the colors of metal railing don’t have variation as well.
Still, you can create something simple and cool with stainless steel wire, check this out:
Glass
Glass is great if you want to create a higher railing, that way you add safety, style, and can still enjoy the view from the other side. For this type of project, you will need to check the local building codes, but if you hire a professional, they will already do that for you. The best type of glass you can use is tempered, shatterproof, but tinted glass is also a good pick.
More than that, glass allows you to combine more than one railing material. It’s beautiful to make a combination with wood, for example! It adds a modern look and it’s so easy to customize.
What’s the downside, you might be wondering? Well, you will need to have it cleaned regularly and be careful not to scratch. You may also have some issues with birds running into the clear glass since they can’t really see what’s happening over there.
Galvanized pipe
Pipe railings are one of the easiest options to install, especially because depending on the area, there are no permits required for the project. It’s a durable and versatile material too, it can be cut and adapted to pretty much any type of design for the style you want to create. Sounds good, doesn’t it?
Rope
Rope is another material that can be combined to create a special look and style to your deck railing. For instance, rope and wood are perfect for a rustic, nautical look. Not to mention it gives your home a super unique look! The good thing about it is that you can vary the style according to the thickness level of the rope.
However, it’s easy for rope to come apart due to weather conditions - which is probably why they’re not so popular. But if you want to add style, they’re a great pick!
Styles
Criss cross
The idea behind this deck railing style is pretty simple: you just create an X shape in between every two vertical sections of wood. I say wood because it is the most popular material for this style of railing. However, if you’re worried about safety issues with pets, for example, this style might not be the most adequate.
Sunburst
Sunburst is my favorite style of all, it imitates this sort of fan-like look that’s so unique, beautiful, and inviting! The details may look really elaborated, but they’re actually quite simple and you can even find many DIY tutorials over the internet. The only thing that might bother you with this type of railing is the cleaning part. But you can always hire a professional service to take care of that for you!
Chippendale
Like the criss-cross style, chippendale uses an X pattern to achieve the desired look. Although this one has a series of lines, like it’s a lot of Xs meeting up. It provides this amazing, intricate look like you’re seeing in the photo above.
Even though it can be tricky to stain and clean, the design beauty is definitely worth it!
Craftsman
A pairing of vertical symmetrical slabs and a few horizontal patterns (usually just the one horizontal wood near the top of the railing) creates what we call the craftsman style. It’s probably the best option to add safety to your deck or porch, depending on how close the posts are to one another.
Get a free quote to add your deck railing as soon as possible!
