Where to Buy Wood Porch Railing??

[LeftyTom]

I have about 29' of wood railing, which includes about 87 balusters. Replacing this with aluminum will cost me a cool $2400. Two sections of the railing are over 7' long, which rules out the selection at Lowes and Home Depot (all I want in only 6' sections).

Can anyone suggest shops in the Triad area who stock or do this type of woodwork?

 

[DaveO]

What does the profile of the railing look like? It might be something that you could make yourself.
Dave

 

[LeftyTom]

Dave, I am considering doing it myself. The original rails have the profile of "off the rack" lumber, which doesn't hold paint well. So I am guessing they did the railings with PT lumber, and balusters with a square profile.

I can get some poplar for the rails, and round-over or ogee the edges. I may spring for more decorative balusters. Then sand, prime, and paint all the new parts before I dismantle the present railings

 

[DaveO]

If you do decide to DIY, you might consider using #1 grade KDAT (kiln dried after treatment) pine as it holds paint much better and is a better grade of lumber. Also priming with a shellac based primer would help also.

Dave

 

[LeftyTom]

I will make a note about the #1 KDAT pine. Thanks Dave. There is a small lumber yard about 3 miles from my home, and another one about 8 miles away.

I can use an oil-based paint over the shellac-based primer, correct?

 

[DaveO]

I can use an oil-based paint over the shellac-based primer, correct?

Yes, you are correct. A primer like Zinsser B-I-N is great for sealing Pine and completely compatable with oil-based finishes. I don't know how well it or any painted finish will hold up to a power washer though 8-O 8-O


Dave

 

[wilkesland]

Hey Tom

I'm not too far away from you and I will be in the market for porch railing as well as decking in the future. Was going to build our porch this summer, but bypass surgery has delayed that a year. Soooo, would you mind sharing your source when you make your purchase?

Thanks

Barry

 

[junquecol]

Forget the idea of using popular for railings, unless you want to do it again in a couple of years. Popular basically has no rot resistance. First choice would be redryed treated pine, second redwood, and third would be straight grained fir. Also go to Lowes/ HD and look at the treated 2 X 8's, 2 X 10's, and pick the cleanest ones that were sawn from the center of the log (basically quartersawn). Dry them , stickered in garage/ shed, for a couple months, and then cut sizes needed from them.

 

[LeftyTom]

Barry, I will let you know how my search turns out.

Roaring River? Do you know Keith Briand?

 

[LeftyTom]

Bruce, I am a man of strong discipline, but patience is not one of my virtues. I would prefer to get it completed before July.

 

[wilkesland]

Tom

Nope - don't know Keith - actually don't know too many folks here other than in our immediate neighborhood, which is actually Shepherd's Crossroads, about 8 miles away from Roaring River

Barry

 

[Gofor]

I'll second Bruce's (junquecol's) recommendation. The treated lumber after it has dried is pretty stable for a finished surface. I coat mine with one or two coats of Kilz 2 (waterbased), before topcoating. If the 4x s split when drying, I fill the cracks with Elmers Exterior wood putty. After machining (ie running the router to round over the edges, etc), give it another couple weeks to dry before coating. If you have any resinous knots, the ACQ treatment will not penetrate, so bleeds out into the coating. Wipe with some DNA and let dry before coating. For a porch rail, I would recommend a semi-gloss or full gloss topcoat, as it will last longer under a rain/sun exposure than flat.
After coating, and when subsequent pressure washing, I would recommend using the spray tip, not the rotating tip. The rotating tip is too aggressive for most coatings.

Go

 

[benzor]

With the new chemicals used on the PT pine, I would recommend you use SS nails, screws. A company called Wilder's Inc 2406 Alwin Ct, Raleigh 919-833-2761 has the complete selection of nuts, bolts, screws (I don't think nails). I have always found their stock to have what ever you need and good prices. Good luck with you rails, they are a tricky one.

 

[LeftyTom]

Barry, you've been PM'ed.

benzor, I will use SS screws. I've some 2 1/4" SS screws left over from last summer's composite decking expedition, and a pound of 2 1/2" SS screws (I bent a bunch, company sent me some as a consolation prize, but I tole them the wrong length :BangHead: )

gofor, what is ACQ? DNA (as related to wood)?

 

[jerrye]

gofor, what is ACQ? Ammonia Quaternary Compound, a pressure treating chemical

DNA (as related to wood)? Denatured Alcohol

Both terms are in the Lexicon. Top task bar click "NCWW Info" and select "NCWW Lexicon"

 

[LeftyTom]

Jerry, will there be a test on Monday? :eusa_thin

 

[Gofor]

Tom: I apologize for the acronyms. Any treated lumber you get from the Borg now will be treated with the ACQ (Ammonia Quaternary Compound) type treatment. It is considered safer than the old copper arsenic which actually really protected the wood for many years. Everything now is going biodegradable, which means mother nature will have her way much quicker.
Its really all a conspiracy between our elected representatives and the building contractors to ensure they both have plenty of our income in future years. It all started when they outlawed chlordane for termite treatment. Of course, that was a conspiracy, too, 'cause old motor oil works just as well if you don't have water flowing under the foundation. Not to worry, tho. The Aztecs determined all human life on earth would be wiped out in 2012 by a big meteor, so that is when they ended their calendar, so you really only need to worry about that porch rail lasting about 6 more years.:rolf::rolf:

Go

(wonder what response this post will bring:eusa_thin)

 

[Mark Anderson]

if the aztec calader last untill 2012 we need to find out what they treated it with, and use that.

 

[LeftyTom]

Gofor, no ned for apologies. I found the ACQ mentioned on a few Web pages. After my trip to BORG, I was searching the reaches of the info hwy. I was curious about the difference between KDHT and KDAT, but didn't find a clue.

 

[GregSmith]

I made a 10' railing for my front porch a couple of years ago. I used treated deck parts from the borg. I dressed it up a bit with some router bits so it wouldn't look like 2x4's nailed together (like the original that I replaced). I used deck screws to hold it together. I cut a dado on the bottom of the top rail to keep the pickets from twisting. Painted with some latex and it's done OK so far (didn't realize how dirty it was underneath until I took this photo ;-)).