Aluminum Railing

Okay. Big difference. Some decks are very high. Whatever fits, and you like is the thing to put there.

Steve

Thank you Steve.

Powder coatings are very durable. Basically a plastic dust sprayed on to the metal, the stuff is then baked on in an oven.

Thank you Bob for all this good info. I am definitely going with the aluminum.

I would recommend you examine a similar "bolted in place" installation before you comment to that approach. The connection from the railing to the concrete is key. It is possible to embed appropriate hardware in the concrete such that the railing is easy to install & replace as needed.

A pure bolt-on, after the fact may not be as sturdy are you expect or want.

cheers Bob

Be sure to report back in 10 or 20 years as to how it worked out:-))

Lou

When I bought my house it had a steel railing that the paint flaked off of and it rusted within about 6 years.Examination of the paint flakes showed that the metal had not been primed. It was at that time I decided to take off the rear deck and replace it with a concrete patio. I liked the looks of the steel so I checked to see if I could get more of it and see about other coatings to put on it. I knew it should have held up better than what it did. I managed to get a good deal on with an upstart company that was doing powder coating. They agreed to do the job for $150 if I would wait a few weeks for them to get an oven full. Well that was 14 years ago and they still look like the day they were installed. I suspect powder coated aluminum would do as well. I'm not sure of how well the vinyl holds up but I know several people who have put it up and taken it back out. Here in this neighborhood it seems like it always gets ripped out by the new owners whenever a house sales. I think its mostly because a lot of people just don't like the appearance of it.

Jimmie

Thank you Jimmie. I am sold on powdered brushed aluminum. I have not received any bad info. on that product.

I should have mentioned, my table and chairs on the deck are powder coated aluminum. Over 20 years and still looks pretty good.