I completely finished the handrails on the deck this weekend. I am very pleased with the look and cost.
Just a little close up so you can see the details better. Now, I need some outdoor furniture and a grill!
This is a cross section of how we ran the cap. That is just a five-quarter deck board on the top. All of this is fastened down with galvanized screws or spiral nails. You could use stainless steel fasteners but they are very expensive. Either one will not cause a discolored spot on your lumber and of course, won't rust.
I love the shadows that the rebar casts.I did not get a whole lot accomplished this weekend but did get some much needed landscaping done. I'll show you that later.
*Lyle Lovett/ Joshua Judges Ruth album
15 comments:
So the deck will eventually be the dogtrot, right? What are you doing about preserving the wood of the decking? Some sort of sealer or stain? Will those planks be easy to replace when they rot (especially if they are enclosed by walls)?
Maybe you could get that grill by posting a wanted ad on Birmingham's freecycle (a yahoo group) There are also groups you can sign up with in the Blount County area.
Linda
Hey Pablo! Yes, the deck will become the dogtrot (hopefully). The lumber is PT and then I applied linseed oil to everything. It is a wonderful preservative and it turns the wood a nice, light brown. You need to reapply about every year though. It should be no problem to replace any boards as they just screw straight down and the ends of the deck/dogtrot will always be open.
Hey Linda! Hey, that's a good idea. I'm not sure what kind I want but you can get a decent gas grill with a side burner for a little over $100. I don't want one of those mega, stainless jobs like they have at Lowe's!
That is a truly beautiful deck, Annie. I was thinking in my pole barn today, taking apart pallets, about why it makes such a statement to use alternative / throw away materials to create something beautiful... I think it is because, in so doing, you are really saying: I respect this rebar for its strength and straightness, I respect the woods so I will do something different to avoid blocking them, I respect myself enough to do the best job I can. So what if others consider it garbage.
Anyway, I think your deck looks awesome, and I really like that you were able to use some leftover materials to do it. Very cool. :)
Take care,
Ron
just beautiful.
Hey Ron! Thanks so much and I agree. I hope it also says, let's all not be so greedy to insist on everything new. Let's not just discard everything unconventional and see that it all can be used and be beautiful. In fact, I saw some photos of a barn that had shingle type siding that had been made from old pallets. I mean, they were not real old but they had disassembled the pallets and then cut each plank up similar to cedar shakes and installed them in the same manner. It looked great! A lot of work but free material. I may do that on my garden shed.
Thanks karl! Haven't forgotten about your mug you want.
Yeah, all that too. :)
Of course, sometimes it's hard to find materials, and there is always ways to do better... but it is hard to believe the amount of good usable materials that are thrown out and then repurchased as new. I really like the pallet shingle idea... I'm contemplating that for my chicken coop...
Ron
It is a formidable porch railing. It would keep my pigs contained!
I trust the rebar is close enough some child can't stick his head through.
Hey Philip! I had not thought of "formidable" as a description but you are right. I just hope it keeps the piggies from work contained when we have a cookout! The rebar is on 4" centers, which is code, so hopefully no child can get through that.
what is the diameter of the rebar, 1/2". You did a really noce job. Awesome use of corner rebar.
Hey Anon! thank you! this is #5 rebar so the actual diameter is 5/8". Half inch seemed just a little too small to me.
Thanks - Best work I have ever seen doing this.
Did you drill a 5/8 hole and push the bar in? Does the rust stain the wood a bit but manageable? I am in the process of doing this and I don't want to paint them. I am not worried about some rust bleed cause its on redwood stained cedar.
Brian
Regina, Saskatchewan
Canada
Hey Brian! thank you! Oh goodness, it's been so long since I built this I'm not quite sure but I think I probably drilled a 3/4" hole and threaded the rebar through. I think a 5/8" would be a tad tight. If you read this, http://edificerex.blogspot.com/2008/03/dont-fence-me-in.html, entry (if you haven't already) it may give you a little more info on how I did it.
After getting it all together I sprayed the rebar with a good exterior polyurethane, but you could spray it beforehand too. I have had very little staining on the wood from rust. If your rebar is very new it's going to have that oily coating on it though, so I'd clean that off before spraying so you get a good adhesion. I have heard that a 50/50 mixture of wax and linseed oil (applied warm) can be brushed on metal and makes a very good sealant, even for outside.
I love your railing! I was wondering if you needed to do anything to lock the rebar in place?
Thank you,
Christina
Hey Christina! The only place you would need to do something like that is on the very ends, where the rebar does not pass all the way through the post. In that instance, just drill the hole only halfway through, so that the undrilled half becomes the stop or cap. In no other part of the handrail would you need to do anything to lock it in.
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