Wooden porch railings add architectural detail to your porch.
The front porch is a quintessential American symbol of community. The wooden porch rail is a classic element that speaks to a simpler time when homes were handcrafted by their owners. Today's homeowners have the advantage of a shortcut in the form of prefabricated rail pieces. The main elements of a porch rail are the banister, or top rail, the vertical spindles and a bottom rail that sandwiches the spindles and provides support. Rails are built in sections that are cut to fit between the main porch columns.
Instructions
1. Buy enough prefabricated banister to line the porch between the columns at the top and bottom of the rail. Choose banister spindles that match the style of the other moldings on the porch. You will need one for every 4 inches of rail to meet building code.
2. Sand the banister rails with a random orbit sander and 100-grit paper to remove the rough edges. Sand the entire surface of the each rail section. Make a second pass with 150-grit paper to give a smooth finish. Do the same for each spindle. Sand details by hand.
3. Prime the rails and spindles with oil-bonding primer if the rail is to be painted. This ensures adequate coverage to prolong the life of the rail. Apply a coat of stain if the wood grain is to be left natural.
4. Lay two sections of banister between a pair of sawhorses with the flat top facing out and the spindle mortises facing in. Mortises are the square holes that the ends of the spindles fit into for strength and easier construction.
5. Use a tape measure to mark the flat face of the rail on the outside above every mortise. Drill pilot holes, centered over each mortise, with a pilot bit. Countersink the holes lightly so that the screw heads are flush with the surface of the rail.
6. Glue and screw a spindle into each mortise in the bottom rail using 1 5/8-inch treated deck screws and wood glue. Run the screws in until the head is just below the surface of the rail. Apply glue to each mortise in the top rail and align the top rail with the top ends of the spindles. Drive one screw into the end of each spindle through the top rail as for the bottom.
7. Fill the screw holes with wood grain colored filler for stained rails and two part body filler putty for stained rails. Allow the filler to harden, and sand the rail smooth. Use an art brush to apply primer or stain to the screw head filler.
8. Apply two coats of matching paint, or clear finish to the rails with a soft-bristle brush. Allow the label recommended time between coats for drying to get the best results out of your finish.
9. Cut the rail sections to length to fit between the porch columns. Use a wood spacer to lift the rail the proper height off the porch deck, and attach the top and bottom rails to the inside faces of the columns with 2-inch L brackets and 3/4-inch exterior wood screws.
Tags: bottom rail, each mortise, each spindle, ends spindles, into each, porch columns
