Tag Archive 'deck railings'

Dec 14 2009

Minimize Maintenance With Cedar Railings

Published by under General Contracting

Give your home a natural color with use of cedar. The cedar wood is available in red and white wood. It is used for railing extensively where natural wood is preferred. Read about cedar wood in this article.

Colored Railings, Cedar Railings

Cedar is the type of wood that requires the least maintenance. The only maintenance that you might require with cedar is application of lacquer every three years and this application just takes just 15 to 20 minutes per 1000 square feet. The cedar wood keeps looking at its best with minimum maintenance for a long time.

Some Information About Cedar

Cedar trees are similar to fir trees and are grown in many areas of the world. Native to the Himalayan range, they are also found in the Mediterranean region. Trees grow to a height of 50 meter with evergreen leaves up to 3 feet long. The leaves are similar to fir tree leaves and the trunk of the tree may grow from 1 to 2 feet in diameter occasionally bigger. The varieties of cedar wood are, Deodar Cedar, Lebanese Cedar, Turkish Cedar, Cyprus Cedar, Or Atlas Cedar.

DIY Cedar Railings

There are many suppliers of Cedar wood if you wish to do a DIY railing of Cedar. These railings come pre cut and all you have to do is to install them at the desired place. The supplier will have to be given a map showing the dimensions of the area to be enclosed with railings and other information so that the railings can be manufactured and shipped to your house in knocked down condition.

All that you will have to do to make a nice looking railing is to assemble it as per manufacturer’s recommendation. Some trimming may be necessary here and there and since it is wood that can be easily worked, cedar does not present problem for a DIY enthusiast who has some experience in woodworking. You can easily make nice looking cedar railings.

Care of Cedar Railings

The beauty of cedar railings can be maintained if you take the precaution of keeping the moisture from cedar wood. The cedar wood offers not just the beauty and fine-grained wood finish but it also gives you a sweet smell.

The most famous place where scented cedar is used extensively is King Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem. It was built in 1000 BC, so the durability of cedar wood is established beyond doubt. You only have to take minimal care to see that the moisture is kept out of the area.

Choices in Cedar Railings

Popular cedar railings are milled cedar and hand peeled cedar. The peeled cedar gives you the natural feeling and it retains the natural characteristics and is more resistant to decay. During the season, the bark starts peeing off naturally and at this time the bark is peeled off by hand completely and the trunk of cedar tree is used for making railings. This way the natural look and scent of cedar tree is retained. The other variety is the milled cedar. Because of milling the look is smoother compared to the hand peeled cedar.

Cedar is available in white and red cedar variety. While there is some discoloration of the red cedar, there white cedar generally remains true to its color over the life of railings. Cedar can have a good life if used properly and moisture kept out of the vicinity of cedar wood.

Adam Peters contributes adding DIY articles to some online resources. Adam publishes designs and ideas for succesful porch railing plans. Visit http://www.deck-porch-railings.com to find more articles of Adam about cedar railings.

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Sep 15 2009

Everything You Need to Know About Deck Railing Patterns

Published by under Patios & Decks

Deck railing patterns are extremely important when it comes to deciding how you want your deck railings to look. There are literally hundreds of designs to choose from so really it all depends upon your own personal preference. Do you want to make your garden look modern or would you prefer to make it look a little more contemporary? Whatever your style there is a deck railing pattern to suit you.

Keeping the Same Pattern

Whilst there is plenty of different deck railing patterns to choose from, it is important to remember to stick with the same design once you have made your mind up. It might well seem like a good idea at the time to choose more than one design, but generally when you actually get them installed, they tend to look quite odd together.

It is important to also remember that the pattern you choose will depend entirely upon the materials you are using for the railings. All materials give a different look to a garden and they can even sometimes improve the value of your home too.

So, if you are going for a Western look, stick with a Western themed pattern. Or if you would prefer a contemporary look, stick with a contemporary style pattern and do not mix it with modern. If you stick with the same pattern throughout the railings, you will end up with a good result.

Why Location is Important

Whilst you may not think about it, the location in which your railings will be does actually have an effect on the pattern you will be using. This is because the size of the home determines how many deck railings you can have and what size and that in turn affects the size of the patterns.

Also the climate of your location is another important factor to consider. Do you live in a particularly moist area? Is the sun constantly blaring? Each different material reacts differently to the weather so be sure that you get a material which suits your location.

Knowing the Rules

Finally, when choosing the right deck railing patterns for you, ensure that you are not breaking any laws with the designs that you choose. It doesn’t always enter people’s heads that they might have to check with their local city officials, as they think that they can generally do what they want when it comes to decking their own garden. However, it is important to check what the rules are, if any! If you don’t you may well end up will some pretty hefty fines and that is really something you will want to avoid as much as possible!

Overall deck railing patterns do come in an unlimited range of both size and shapes so be sure to thoroughly do your research and shop around before deciding upon a final design.

Andrew Caxton is the author and editor of many resources published at http://www.deck-porch-railings.com . For additional information regarding deck plans or deck ideas go to deck railing plans

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