How to Install an Outdoor Aluminum Railing | The Home Depot

installing a railing around your outdoor living space helps define the area and make it more attractive wood installed around a raised deck it provides a safe environment in fact most local building codes require a railing be installed around decks and stairs built above a certain height now aluminum railings are a great choice because they are weather resistant and require a little maintenance other than periodic cleaning in this video we'll be installing a product from peak that allows for either pickets or glass panels to be inserted between the rails the rails are available in four and six foot links installation techniques may vary depending on the product you select so always follow the manufacturer's instructions for your particular railing product good luck with your project and thanks for shopping at the Home Depot begin by measuring and marking the location for all the posts it looks best if the posts are spaced equally there are corner posts mid posts and posts and stair posts but they all install the same way begin by pre-drilling the holes needed for the post your railing product will come with two and a half inch lag bolts to secure the posts to the surface of the deck each post should be positioned flush with the decks frame if you install it flush with the edge of the deck boards the lag bolts will poke through the decking apply a bead of exterior silicone caulk to the threads of the lag bolt to create a waterproof seal check that the post is plumb if it's not you can make adjustments using galvanized washers the lag bolts can be driven in using a nut driver or with a socket wrench once the first post is plumb and secured to the deck temporarily place the second post into position place the hand and base rails between the two posts and mark where they need to be cut to fit between the posts cut through the rails using a miter saw fitted with a blade designed to cut metal slide a base rail support into the narrow track on the bottom of the base rail then insert the base rail into the posts mounting bracket with a narrow track down then the hand rail can be inserted into the slot at the top of the posts remove the second post and slide the base support out to temporarily hold the base rail in position insert spacers into the channels on both rails and slide them toward the first post insert the first picket into the base rail slide it up against the spacer and snap the top part of the picket into the hand rail to secure it into position against the spacer slide two more spacers into the rails and insert the next picot continue until the end of the section when you insert the last two spacers they may overhang the rails you can either cut them to length or divide the overhang by two and split the distance between the spacers on opposite ends of the picket section remove the pickets and spacers and slide the two cut-down spacers against the first post reassemble the section as before leaving the last spacers to align flush with the hand and base rail this will ensure the to end pickets are spaced equally secure the base and handrail to the posts with screws and fasten the posts to the deck with lag bolts lastly adjust the base support to the center of the base rail and secure it to the deck with the supplied screws the process for installing a railing section with glass panels is similar to building a section with pickets the top and bottom rails are secured to the first post the same way and the base rail support and spacers are inserted into the rail channels as before insert both ends of the panel into a rubber gasket be sure to install the shallow gasket piece into the base rail and the deeper gasket into the handrail these panels are made with shatter resistant tempered glass check that the logo on each panel is facing out from the deck and that each panel is installed with the logo on the bottom these glass panels are six inches wide so several panels will be installed into each railing section again wait to secure the second post to the deck until all the panels have been inserted the end spacers may need to be trimmed so that the panels are equally spaced within the section continue inserting the pickets or glass panels into the railing sections until the railing is complete when installing a railing on stairs use the specially designed stair connectors this will allow you to adjust the angle to suit the angle needed for your particular stairs there are also wall brackets that allow you to attach the railing directly to an existing wall rather than installing an end post and universal connectors that allow you to adjust to any horizontal or vertical angle when needed temporarily mount the stair post to the bottom step align the bottom rail between the top and bottom stair posts allowing for at least two inches of clearance from the steps mark the location of the stair brackets for the base and handrails on each post drill pilot holes into the posts and attach the brackets with the supplied screws trim the rails to length and temporarily attach them to the posts slide spacers into the top and bottom rails install pickets and divide the overhanging spacer by two reassemble the section to have equal spacing of the end pickets within the stair posts and tighten all connections drive the lag bolts into the lower stair post to finish the installation if you're ready to take on this project here are the tools and materials you'll need to complete the job

Channel: The Home Depot

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Keywords: The Home Depot, Home Depot stores, DIY, Home Improvement, DIY Ideas, Renovation, Renovation Ideas, How To, How To FIx, Fixing, Building, Rebuilding, aluminum railing, metal railing, outdoor railing

Id: cqWb5xBDHqY

Length: 5min 59sec (359 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 29 2016