How to Find the Right Stainless Steel Cable Railing?
How to Find the Right Stainless Steel Cable Railing?
The choices can seem endless when selecting a stainless steel cable railing. Use this guide to make narrowing down your options easier.
Select a Post Type: Posts bear the tension of cables while supporting a top rail. They offer both form and function, making the choice between aesthetics and application challenging.
1. Engineered Aluminum: This type of post is manufactured to withstand the pressure of stainless steel cable infill without bending. These metal posts are resistant to pests, come in a variety of colors, and are usually on the lower end of the cost spectrum.
2. Stainless Round: This post is ideal for carrying the modern stainless cable railing look all the way through the design with its brushed finish and round shape. Stainless posts are ideal in outdoor, maritime installations as they are resistant to corrosion.
3. Stainless Square: If industrial is your desired look, then a stainless square post does the job. The brushed finish offers a bright, modern look while being anti-pest, anti-corrosion, and anti-bland.
4. Engineered Wood: Lower cost and flexibility are the benefits to using an engineered wood post. They can be painted or stained to fit almost any design and offer a softer finish than stainless or metal.
Select a Top Rail: A top rail can simply be a finishing piece or serve the functionality of handrails or supports.
1. Aluminum Rectangle: The squared off edges and flat surface make this top rail an attractive option for decks, overlooks, and balconies. Ideally paired with aluminum posts.
2. Aluminum Shaped: Great for railings to be used as handrails on steps and stairways. The shaping can offer a nice break from the industrial look of stainless steel cable railing.
3. Stainless Steel: This selection is ideal for those hoping for the best quality anti-corrosive materials. Stainless steel also carries the true industrial look through the design and is perfect for maritime settings.
4. Premium Wood: Wood top rails offer flexibility in design and are a comfortable finish for top rail use. Wood also softens the sometimes harsh, industrial look of stainless steel cable infill.
Select Your Cable: There are a variety of stainless steel cable types with the most common being 1x19 and 7x7.
1. Stainless 1x19: 1 bundle of 19 strands twisted together. This option offers a clean, relatively low cost look that is popular for interior residential designs.
2. Stainless 7x7: 7 bundles of 7 strands twisted together. This option offers an industrial look that is ideal for uses where flexibility is important (like runs with bends, turns, or corners.)
Select Your Hardware: Fittings are the pieces that secure the cable to posts and assemblies are two fittings that make up the two ends of the cable.
1. Thru-Post Fitting: This fitting is used on the first and last posts in a run. The thru-post fitting hides some of the hardware inside the post itself for a clean, attractive finished look.
2. Swageless Fitting: Swageless fittings do not require specialized crimping tools, making them ideal for DIY installations. Most swageless fittings are only offered for small diameter cables and are used in specific installations.
3. To-Post Assembly: These fittings attach inside the post, offering a clean finish and a unique look with exposed hardware.
Select Add-Ons: Add-ons finish your stainless steel cable railing off, serving as statement finishes or functional pieces like gates.
1. Gates: Gates are often made of the same materials as the post and top rails, however, you can mix-and-match for a unique design (stainless posts with a wood gate, for example.)
2. Handrails: Handrails are often added as a top rail but can be secured separately adjacent to the top rail or to a wall opposite the cable railing.
Stainless steel cable railings offer a modern, industrial aesthetic coupled with a strong, durable structure. The selection of variables is robust, making it possible to use stainless steel cable railings in myriad architectural and functional designs.