Wrought iron handrails come in a variety of colors, including white, green, gray and black.
Whether you're remodeling a staircase with wrought iron or building a railing for your deck, most parts of an iron handrail are the same. Wrought iron rails today aren't actually wrought iron. True wrought iron was created through a metal process that is no longer used. Most wrought iron rails today are made from other metals like steel. Does this Spark an idea?
Handrail
The topmost part of a wrought iron handrail or railing is also called the handrail. The term handrail can refer to an entire large section of railing or the smaller bar that runs across the top of the fence. The handrail component of the larger wrought iron piece is the rail where your hand rests.
Posts
Most wrought iron railings feature posts, which are the vertical pieces between each section of wrought iron railing. The posts serve to connect a section of the railing and make it into one large piece. Wrought iron railing posts today are often simple and modern in their design. Historically, wrought iron posts were frequently elaborate, decorative pieces and were often far larger than standard posts today.
Pickets
When it comes to a wrought iron railing, the vertical rods that make up the railing itself are called balusters or pickets. The term baluster is most often used when it comes to rods in railings with a flat upper handrail due to the lack of a point on the rods. Traditionally, the pointed rods used in wrought iron fencing are called pickets, but, in some cases, the words are used interchangeably.
Scrollwork
Wrought iron railings are often highly decorative affairs that often include scrollwork, which is a type of decorative design typically featuring many curlicues and other decorative twists and turns in the design. A simple scroll is often used at the end of wrought iron railings, or more elaborate designs are used to create large panels to form the body of the railing.
Hardware
Wrought iron railings often require a wide range of hardware to set them in place. Shoes, or flanges--squares of round metal pieces that attach the railing to the ground--are one of the most common pieces of hardware on a wrought iron railing. Finials form the points at the tops of the rods, and brackets connect the railing to the wall. Connectors are used to bring together two separate sections of railing.
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