Aluminum Decking Railing

The environment harbors conditions that weather the appearance of materials on any building. Whether it is on the roof, the wall or on the window, the material used will not have the same sparkle and strength in a few years’ time. These conditions may coat the surface or penetrate to affect the composition of the material. The most prominent of these destructors is water. When it rains or there is water running along the structure, the moisture penetrates upward affecting the walls and finally causing humid conditions in the house. Before it gets to that level, water and other environmental conditions change the appearance of the aluminum decking railing on the deck.  You need to counter these effects or prevent them before they take their course.

Preparation for aluminum decking railing

The basic step is removing the dirt on the surface of the rails. You need water and detergent. Wash the rails before rinsing them with plenty of water to get rid of any traces of detergent. Let the rails dry preferably for a day depending with the amount of sunlight in your area. Since you do not want to paint beyond the aluminum decking railing, swathe the deck board around with newspapers or polythene papers. Though you washed the rails, mop them with a fabric to remove any dust that would affect the application process.

Next, apply the base coat or the primer to prepare the surface. It is ideal to use an oxidized primer suitable for this material. The application process should be even without any bumps or lumps that can trap air. Since this is the preparation for the paint to settle nicely, lumps will leave uneven areas on the rails. In addition, the primer may not stick to the rails if applied when they are wet.

An oil-based paint is appropriate so that you can be cleaning the rails for maintenance purposes without affecting the appearance of the paint. The choice of color depends with the desire of the homeowner and the prevalent colors on the walls or the rest of the house. Once the primer has dried for at least 2 hours, paint the rails. The strokes should be long and level from the top to the bottom. Do not pick the brush when it has a lot of paint on it such that you spray the area with drops of paint. One coat is enough before you give it time to dry. If you want a thicker coating on the aluminum decking railing, you can paint another coat after the first dries. However, you mist give the rails at least two and a half hours to dry completely. Otherwise, the first coat will form sticky lumps. When you complete this process, clear the area and clean any traces of paint on the ground using turpentine. Wash the brush and other applicators as well.

Next, fix the balusters while maintaining four inches between one and the next. To save time, measure the space from one post to the next and then mark after every four inches. Make sure that all the spaces are even. Fix them around the area you want to install the composite decking railing. Finally, screw the rail cap on the upper end of the posts. This will give them support in line with the support from the beck board. Place it on top of the rails to check whether you need to cut its ends.

Why you should consider aluminum decking railing

This type of deck rail can withstand most of the weather conditions. For that reason, the maintenance work needed is less than for other materials. It does not need repainting unless you need to change the color of the deck for aesthetic value.