Thursday, February 4, 2010

Bolt A Wrought Iron Railing Into A Porch

Secure iron railing with masonry anchors.


Wrought iron railings are sturdy, durable structures often used for exterior porch stairs. They attach directly to the porch via bolts, with additional bolts secured to the wall of the home. When installing a new wrought iron rail on a porch, it might seem daunting to attach it, especially if the porch is concrete or brick. Although the process does require a bit of drilling, the actual bolting process is no different from installing other rails. Does this Spark an idea?


Instructions


1. Pick up the wrought iron railing at one end, and have another person pick up the other end. Move the railing into position on the porch until the legs are at least 1/2 inch from the side of the porch or stairs. Insert a pencil into each of the bolt holes at the base of the legs, and draw a line on the concrete underneath them.


2. Set the railing out of the way, and put on safety glasses. Insert a 1/4-inch diameter drill bit into a drill if the porch is masonry and a 1/4-inch bit if it is wood. Drill a 1 5/8-inch deep hole in the locations of each pencil mark.


3. Pick up the wrought iron railing, and set it back into the installation location. Examine the bolt holes in the bottom of the rail, and align them perfectly over the holes in the porch floor.


4. Insert a nut over the threaded end of a masonry anchor bolt, and push it up as far as possible without forcing it. Insert the threaded end of the bolt into one of the holes in the rail. If the porch is wood, simply insert the end of a lag bolt into the rail hole.


5. Hit the top of the masonry anchor bolt head firmly, using a hammer to drive it down into the porch floor and expand the sleeve at the bottom of it. Secure lag bolts, using a wrench to tighten them until they no longer turn.

Tags: iron railing, anchor bolt, bolt holes, bolt into, masonry anchor, masonry anchor bolt