Deck Railing Posts

How To Install Posts For Wood Deck Railings - Part 3

Note: You can use three 1/2 inch lag, carriage or hex bolts and install them in a formation as shown in Figure 7.

Note: You should check the tightness of the bolts at least once a year.

Note: If you have a single rather than a double rim joist, for added strength you should add a piece of lumber between the floor joists at the point where the deck posts are being secured, as shown in Figure 8.

Figure 8 - Railing post reinforcement

You can angle cut or round of the bottom of the outside deck post for aesthetic purposes, as shown in Figures 9 & 10.

Corner posts should be bolted on both faces, through the rim joist and the floor joist.

2. Inside Mounted Deck Posts:

Many homeowners feel that the appearance of an inside mounted deck post is superior to that of an outside mounted deck post.

The installation of an inside mounted deck post is similar to that of an outside post. The differences are:

• The deck post rests on the rim joist as the deck flooring material will butt up against the deck post rather than go underneath it.
• If the rim joist is a single peice of lumber, you cannot add an additional piece of lumber to the rim joist in order to reinforce it. You should add the additional piece of lumber to the outside of the deck post base, on the opposite side of the notch. The bolts used should go through the face of the rim joist, the notch of the deck post and through or into the second piece of lumber, depending on the type of bolt you are using, as shown in Figure 11.

Figure 11 - Inside railing post reinforcement - looking down

Continued......