Installing Porch Railings

The key design details of porch railings are posts, finials, balusters, and top and bottom rails. Most home centers don't carry a wide selection of this millwork; millwork catalogs at your local lumberyard will offer a far better selection. There, you should be able to find many varieties of rails and balusters, but you'll have to special-order them, and some assembly may be required.

You also can choose decorative detailing, sometimes referred to as "gingerbread," which gives a porch a cozy, homey appearance. Gingerbread woodwork looks best on Victorian-style homes and is installed with finishing nails, similar to regular trim. Installing gingerbread can be a fun woodworking project if you have the proper tools, which include a saber saw, drill, and wood files.

Before ordering balusters and rails, make sure you have the exact measurements of your porch. If you're installing a stairway railing, measure between the nailing points on the posts and add a few inches to the handrail measurement to allow extra length for cutting.

1) Attach filler strips to the balusters
An easy way to lay out balusters is to install intermediate top and bottom filler strips which will be hidden by the finished rails.

Cut the filler strips to length and attach the balusters. (Fig. 1)