Securing Rail Posts On Rim Joist Parallel to Other Joists

If you are building a deck railing and plan to use traditional post to joist carpentry techniques, you should familiarize yourself with the many scenarios you may face in terms of framing.

Here is a very typical framing scenario when building deck railings. This shows some helpful construction tips and the hardware you will need. The post is located along the rim joist that runs parallel to the main joists.

You will notice that to build the deck properly you have to block between two pairs of joists to make the rail post connection stiff enough.

Otherwise you would have a post mounted on a single joist with only the deck boards connected above it offering any resistance to moment forces created when the post is under load.

Click Image For Larger View

Required Hardware And Cost

This will give you a really secure wood post for your deck railing so long as you don't mind all the extra blocking and hardware.

Some people however don't have the ability to build a deck rail this way or desire to install all this hardware, or notch the decking boards around each post.

And some people are concerned about their posts remaining vulnerable to moisture over the years because of direct wood on wood contact.

If you fall into this camp, there are railing solutions for decks available to get you a high quality and beautiful looking railing.

What you may wish to consider is to build deck railing with posts that are connected to the deck boards by a low profile surface mount anchor.

Take for example this low profile internal wood railing post anchor shown here.

At less than twenty bucks, it can be used in code compliant residential rail applications when installed according to the manufacuturer's engineering guidelines.

A Simple And Cost Effective Option

This is a potential solution for building new wood deck railings, replacing rotted railing posts, or as support posts for pergolas, gazebos, decks, etc.

Then watch this video of a surface mount wood post anchor that has been tested for use with wood deck railings and costs less than $20 with all the hardware you will ever need and it covers all the possible situations described above.

So there you have it.

A thorough explanation of building traditional wood railing for decks and alternative solutions for great looking deck railing. You decide which is right for your specific project.

Find out more about this innovative post anchoring solution.