In the last two blog posts, I walked you through how we framed our deck and installed stairs. This post is all about how to install railing on deck and adding fascia. These two steps may seem less daunting that building a deck from the ground up, but they gave us a run for our money (literally!). Let me give you a run-down of what happened during this part of the deck build and how we fixed our rookie mistakes.
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What is the best, low-maintenance railing for a deck?
Before I jump into the build, you may be wondering what kind railing we chose. Vinyl, glass, stainless steel are all good options for deck railing and come in different styles and pricing. We picked AFCO Series 100 aluminum railing in black, because most of the other options available to us were too traditional or bulky and didn’t fit our style. This line of product is lightweight, low-maintenance, and at a reasonable price point ($3500 for our 12×14 deck).
As it was getting closer to the install day though, I came across a blog post by my friend Lisa on DYI cable railing. She installed cable railing with wood posts in her living room for right under $500, much cheaper than high-end cable railing systems, which can cost close to 10 grand. When I saw it’s possible to DIY cable railing for a fraction of the cost, I went down the rabbit hole to find the least expensive option possible for my deck.
Aluminum Railing vs. Cable Railing
Both aluminum railing and cable railing are low-maintenance, quality options for deck railing, but cable railing has surged in popularity in recent years. Cable railing utilizes stainless steel cables stretched between posts, providing a more minimalist aesthetic and unobstructed views. On the other hand, aluminum railing consists of aluminum balusters that have a more defined, grid-like pattern and may look more traditional.
Via One King Design
Finding affordable cable railing products was not easy. But I managed to get a few estimates.
| Option | Cost | Pros | Cons |
| AFCO Series 175 | $8,000 | Good Design & Quality | Pricey |
| AFCO Series 175 on Facebook | $1,000 (plus cable and hardware) | I happened to find someone reselling his railing system 50% off | But the cable and hardware need add’l money |
| Custom Aluminum Cable Railing on Etsy | $4,900 ($4,000 parts + $900 aluminum top rail) | Sleek, modern design Good customer service Local shop | |
| Muzata Cable Railing on Amazon | $1,000 (plus handrail and posts) | Competitive pricing Modern design DIY friendly | Handrail and posts need add’l money |
| AFCO Series 100 | $3,500 | Reasonable pricing Already have all the parts | Not my favorite design |
Muzata cable railing would have been my first choice, if I had not bought AFCO Series 100. Not knowing if I could recoup the $3,500 purchasing price, I was hesitant to add an additional $2,000 to the project cost. So we went back to our original plan—vertical black aluminum railing.
If you’re interested in cable railing, I recommend checking out Muzata. I found a few tutorial online (here, here and here). People like how well they hold up and the ease of installation.
How to cut aluminum railing? Do I need a special saw blade?
You can cut aluminum railing with a miter saw.
Our miter saw sliced through the aluminum easily. When the saw blade cut through the metal, there were some piercing sounds. But that was it. I didn’t need a special metal cutting blade or any fancy tools.
Make sure to hold the railing tight against the fence and bring the blade to full speed before lowing it. Go slowly and steadily.
How to install railing on deck?
Start by deciding the locations of the posts.
A sketch of where the posts and rail sections would be for our deck.
Building codes mandate that there should be no more than 4-inch gap between balusters or between the end post and the house. This is to prevent anyone, especially little kids, from falling through the gaps. In Minnesota, handrails must be at least 34 inches and no more than 38 inches tall. We have 38-inch posts on the deck and 44-inch posts on the stairs, which will be trimmed off after the handrails are in place.
Since our deck board has a 1” overhang. We placed the post 1 ½” away from the edge. So the screws can go into the blocking we put in ahead of time (in part 1 of the build).
With the post (temporarily) placed on the right spot, we first used a pen to mark the center of the screw holes, removed the post, pre-drilled on 4 corners, added the post back on, used shims to level the post, then tightened the aluminum post with screws.
Make sure the post is plumb on all 4 sides.
After the posts were in placed, we measured and installed the handrails and balusters.
At first, it took us three hours to finish one section. But after we’ve gotten used to the steps, it went a lot faster.
Tip: Use blocking to support the bottom rail during the install. Gravity pulls the balusters down, separating them from the top rail. The blocking keep everything tight together, and you can more accurately measure the height of the support piece.
We made an expensive mistake 🙁
For each of the railing sections, we had to cut the top rail and bottom rail to fit our deck. I don’t know what happened. Somehow, we forgot to double check there is enough clearance to install the metal bracket and cut the top rail a bit too short.
This mistake ended up costing us $200, because we had to get a new box of 6’ rail section. Seriously, guys. Don’t forget the age-old adage. Measure Twice, Cut Once.
How to install railing on stairs?
Installing railing on stairs was a lot harder than on deck.
We followed the instructions on the manual, but were stumped by the different angles between the slope of our stairs and the railing. We had to bend the railing down, so they would not look too far off from the stairs.
We also broke a few screws in the process.
If it’s in your budget, it is worthwhile to use adjustable railing brackets. So you can account for the variation in the angles.
Now that we’ve covered deck railing, let’s talk about fascia boards. For composite decks, adding fascia boards can bring the overall look and feel to the next level, make the deck look a lot more professional.
Should deck fascia be mitered?
Miter joints can conceal end grain and give a more polished look. However, if you’re using 12-inch-wide fascia boards, this is not the best option. Because composite deck boards contract and expand length wise, miter joints would open up and can look really ugly really quickly.
After failing to make a straight bevel cut with my jig saw (more on that in the next section), I was relieved to read that even deck builders liked to use butt joints nowadays. It’s foolproof and much easier to get right!
Corner guards like the one above also works.
How to make bevel cuts without a sliding miter saw or a table saw?
Some jigsaws allow you to adjust the base plate at an angle. But for the life of me I couldn’t figure out how to cut at an angle while holding a jig saw.
Look at that wiggly edge. A giant face palm.
Circular saw is the best tool for making straight cuts. I didn’t think of this at the time. But I can tilt the base plate at 45 degree and use a guide (e.g. 12” speed square) to assist with the cut. This cordless, compact circular saw from DeWalt is a handy tool in all my DIY projects. I highly recommend it.
How to install deck fascia?
When screwing fascia boards, check the manufacturer’s specs for the optimal spacing, where to drill from the edge and the type of screws to use.
These 12-inch-wide composite deck boards are long and floppy. If you’re working alone like I did, support them with clamps (I LOVE these 12 in. Irwin Quick-Grip clamps). They are like a second pair of hands and make the install a lot easier. Here is a short video for you.
The 1/2″ thick fascia board looked wavy around the perimeter of the deck. So I added shims and wood blocks behind the boards to help them stay plumb.
Another tip I want to share is to make sure all the screws are on a straight line. You can pre-drill the hole while laying the fascia board on the workbench, or use painter’s tape as guide. The finished deck will look a lot more polished this way.
How to install stair fascia?
To cover the exposed 2×12 stair stringers, the most common approach is to attach fascia boards. There are different ways to do it.
Via Joinery and Design Co., DIY Playbook, BrePurposed
What we decided was to keep the straight edge intact and cut both ends of the fascia board at an angle. Similar to DIY Playbook’s design (the middle picture).
If I had saved the stringer as a template, it’d have been easy to figure out the right angles to cut. But…I didn’t. Let this be a reminder to you to save a template before installing the stringers. It’d have saved so much headache.
I try drawing the outline of the stairs on a notebook and figure out the math that way. Sadly, I’d pretty much forgotten geometry. So this was to no avail.
Then I came up with a brilliant idea to use fabric scrap and trace the outline of the stringer onto the fabric.
And it worked!
The 2×12 board wasn’t wide enough to cover the entire surface. We added a thin stripe at the bottom to finish it off. It looks like a great fit!
Finally the finish line
We color matched the fascia board at Home Depot and painted the 6×6 posts in the same color. This really tied the space together.
Last step, we trimmed off the metal posts and sprayed painted the exposed aluminum. This will hopefully prolong the life of the aluminum posts and prevent rust.
Well, there you have it—your comprehensive guide on how to install railing on deck like a pro. Go back and read part 1 and part 2, if you haven’t done so. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day, so don’t be afraid to take your time and enjoy the process.
Until next time!
Wow, your deck turned out lovely.
We have to finish our deck this summer. I have been searching, trying to figure this out, and maybe you can help? May I asked what kind of wood you used for the fascia to skirt the deck? Our decknis pressure treated wood.
Kind regards
Thank you Julie! We used composite fascia boards from Dekoratoras to cover the rim joists and support beams. Since we have the same color composite deck boards on the deck and the stairs, we wanted to carry the same color scheme over. If you use pressure treated lumber as decking, you don’t really need to cover the fascia. Just keep it all wood.