![]() This deck railing is now nearly 20 years old and I can’t see one place where the paint is peeling. Water that enters wood through the end grain or is allowed to hide where pieces of wood overlap can start the rotting process quickly. Once the deck railing was built, the painter had to come and do the final coat.īy applying the paint over every square inch of wood surface, we were able to stop water from soaking into the wood deck-railing parts. The end grain of each piece really soaked up the paint, and the painter coated many of these places three times. Each piece of redwood was primed and second-coated with paint on all surfaces and cut edges. I instructed my neighbor to have his painter come and pre-paint all of the deck lumber, including the longer pieces that I still needed to cut. It was easy to predetermine the length of all of the posts, pickets and horizontal railing components. The pieces that needed to be cut at the last moment were minimal. To prevent the same thing from happening again, I took the time to precut as many of the pieces of the new railing as possible. My guess is that your railing suffered the same fate. It was impossible for the painters to coat these areas once the railing had been assembled. ![]() There were countless cut ends of the wood and hidden areas where one piece of bare wood touched up against another. The railing had been assembled by the carpenters before the painters had applied the white paint. But even redwood can rot.Īs I demolished the old deck railing, I readily saw why the railing could never hold paint well, and why it had rotted. Redwood is a fantastic material for outdoor projects as it contains natural preservatives. The railing had been painted numerous times and was constructed with redwood. Years ago my neighbor hired me to replace a porch deck railing that surrounded a flat roof that they could access. A well-built wood deck railing can last decades. Combine them both on the same job and you will have a mess in short order. Poor deck railing design is one reason, and poor workmanship is the other. In almost all cases the wood rot was caused by one or two problems. I have installed new deck railings on homes just like yours where excellent lumber failed. What is the secret? – Kate M., Bean Station, Tenn.ĭear Kate: What a shame your deck railing gave up the ghost before its time. I have been on other decks that are old, but the railings are in excellent shape. How long should deck railings last? I love mine but wonder if I should replace it with a vinyl deck railing or even an aluminum one. ![]() But if you turn a lag bolt in wood too much, you can strip the wood, resulting in greatly diminished holding power.ĭear Tim: The wood deck railing at my home rotted prematurely and needs to be replaced. If you have a rookie carpenter, he may feel that tighter is better. One issue with lag bolts is over-tightening. These fasteners, when installed correctly, will not fail as easily as a lag bolt. The better fastener to use are through bolts that have a nut and large washer on the backside. The railing wobbles back and forth, and is a safety hazard. ![]() I just purchased a home where the carpenters used lag bolts. ![]() Think twice about using lag bolts to attach deck posts to the deck as you assemble your railing. If you decide to use redwood, be aware that the California Redwood Association has literature that tells you all of the approved nails, screws, bolts and connectors to use. This is vitally important if you construct a deck railing that is exposed to salt-water spray. To extend the life of your deck railing, pay attention to the fasteners and metal connectors. ![]()
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