Over the past 15 years, railings and stairs, and not the deck boards, have become the focal point of a deck. It stands to reason that the vertical sections of the deck (rails and stairs) are what people notice first. After arranging the deck furniture with umbrella, grill and various other accessories on the deck, the rails and stairs are all what’s left. Rail manufacturers have commissioned marketing companies to hold focus groups as to customer preferences and here are the results:
- Customers believe that spending a little more on more attractive railings is worth the extra money. Years ago we would build a deck and put horizontal 2 X 4’s 8 inches apart and that was it. Customers want a sophisticated and uniquely different look to their decks.
- Customers don't like the "shinny" look of PVC rails. They lose most of that luster anyway and look dull or yellow in a few years.
- Customers like a "painted wood look" with some wood-like grain.
- Customers also like the option of mixing different colors, not just white, to achieve a unique & personal look. Whether it’s all the same color, like gray, cedar or brown, customers like being able to mix colors. See above photo.
- Customers dislike large hardware or connectors where the rail meets the post. The clean look has always been more attractive.
- Safety is always a concern and rails are now tested and approved by an engineering firm for strength. The days of making a rail anyway you like are long gone.
At No Maintenance Decking and Trim we carry the Tandeck Decking System's two styles of railings and Trex Artisan and Designer series railings to provide our customers enough choices for a “custom design”.
Tandeck Series 5 Railing
These moderate priced rails have a true 4 X 4 with custom post cap. The top and bottom rails sport unique detail. Shown here in white with gray caps.
Tandeck Standard Railings
These classic style rails are priced comparable to value priced PVC rails and come in 6 colors.
Tandeck Rail Pricing
These prices are calculated for a 6 foot rail section. We will be using 1, 48" post, 1, 72" top rail, 1,72" bottom rail, 1 post cap, 1 trim collar and stainless steel rail hardware kit.
| Profile | Series 5 Regular Price |
Standard Rail Regular Price |
| 4 X 4 Post | $40.47 | $29.66 |
| Top Rail | $35.70 | $23.00 |
| Bottom Rail | $17.33 | $23.00 |
| Trim Nailer | $6.82 | $7.00 |
| Balusters 12/sec | $50.28 | $50.28 |
| Post Cap | $19.99 | $8.90 |
| Trim Collar | $7.75 | $6.75 |
| Rail Hardware | $11.00 | $11.00 |
| $31.55/ln.ft. | $26.59/ln.ft. | |
| Other Rail Components | ||
| Turned Balusters | White only | $8.75 |
| Ball Top | White only | $13.00 |