The All-Purpose Railing System
Here’s a sturdy, straightforward, and easy way to build railings that you can easily adapt for square balusters, turned balusters, solid or cut boards, or even lattice panels. Its advantage is that rather than landing the balusters, boards, or lattice on a single bottom rail, you sandwich them between two side bands. This feature is particularly helpful if you live in a rainy location – water that collects on bottom rails can wick into the bottom of the balusters and potentially cause rot.
I’ll start by showing you how to build this basic system using square or turned 2 x 2 balusters. Then I’ll explain how you can adapt it for boards and for lattice.
You can make this railing in units, using side boards as previously described, or you can build it in place as described here. If you like, you can use trim-head screws for all the exposed connections.
Building with Balusters
1 Bevel and install the end balusters. The two end balusters in each railing are fastened directly to the posts. After cutting all the 2 x 2 balusters to the lengths you need, select two for each railing and rip a bevel along one edge to meet the angle of the posts. Determine whether you want the front or back of the cap rail to be flush to the post and position the end balusters accordingly (see figure 2). Make sure they are at the proper height, and fasten them every 6 inches using 3-inch screws.
2 Assemble the subrail to the balusters. Make a spacer block by cutting a piece of 2 x 2 to a length equal to the space between balusters. Cut the subrails to fit directly over the end balusters. Use your spacer block when attaching the subrail to the baluster tops. Use 3-inch screws to screw the subrail down onto the end balusters.
3 Cut the bands and install the bottom bands. Each railing has two ¾- x 2-inch top bands and two 2 ½ -inch bottom bands. You can rip one of each from a 1 x 6. Cut the bands in sets of four to the length and angles you need to fit between posts. Remember, if you have angled posts, the outside bands will be a little longer than the inside bands. Now position the bottom rails to extend ½-inch screws, screw them to the end balusters. Use your spacer block when fastening each baluster to the bottom bands.
4 Install the cap rail and the top bands. Cut the cap rails to the lengths and angles you need. Attach them, using 2 ½-inch screws that you drive up through the subrail. Finally, put the top bands in place, and attach them to the end balusters and the subrail with 2-inch screws.
