Aluminum and Cable Railing

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ALUMINUM RAILING WITH CABLE GLASS OR PICKET INFILL

Commercial grade railing at affordable prices and exceptional technical support.

Seattle Deck Supply has the area’s largest selection of in-stock aluminum railing. Available in anodized and several powder-coated finishes. Our railing can adapt to many types of surfaces with fascia mount and surface mount options and embedment too.

SDS only provides railing products with robust engineering packages. Unfortunately, most railings sold through box stores and even most lumber yards contain phrases like “attachment by others” or “check your local building codes”.  These are red flags that something is amiss. A proper railing will have all attachments and fasteners specified and even what must be done to the structure for a code-legal and safe installation. Many times the “check your local” is a dead-end where the rail does not meet code under any conditions. Cheap railings use this stratagem to bring railing to market that actually will not pass scrutiny. All of our products meet the current versions of the International Building Code and will deflect any analysis by any building department or application.

Our manufacturers can, at request, provide all the site-specific documents you need for your permitting or provide generic engineering for less demanding permit types.

Below you will find an exploration of some of the key features of the railing products we carry

sections of black powder coated railing

COATINGS

All of the SDS commercial-grade railing options have superior coatings. One of the key attributes of a coating is “gloss=retention”. Gloss-retention does not necessarily imply a shiny surface it is important to matte finishes too. The attribute assures the tone and depth of the color is preserved and free from “crazing”, a degrading to a milky tone. Powder coatings are notorious for low gloss retention, this is why you do not see it on cars. However for architectural applications powder coats with high-gloss retention are available. The powders contain the AAMA rating 2605. A 2605 powder is applied to chromate treated aluminum. The cost of chromate treatment is why you will not see a 2605 coating on any big box product and infrequently on most any railing. SDS is proud to offer a full line of 2605 options to ensure even salt-exposed coastal applications will see decades of trouble free service.

Another option is baked-on enamel. This is a better option than a lower-grade powder-coat you’ll find on consumer products. Enamels have good color retention and durability, much better than a cheap powder coat.

You can learn more about AAMA standards by following the link below.

Understanding AAMA Standards
fascia mount brackets allow the mounting of railing on the outside of a deck.

ATTACHMENT

A variety of attachment methods are provided. Surface-mount, direct mount on fascia, bracket mount for fascia, concrete or other forms of embedment and bayonet mounting are all available.

All fascia bracket assemblies provide a 1 1/4″ standoff from the structure to accommodate drip edge or bullnose of the walking surface. This is an essential feature for roof decks or decks with a dryspace beneath them. Fascia mount brackets are available in a wide variety of styles. End/line post, Single corner post, Double corner post, 45 degree corner, inside 90 degree corner and custom applications as well. These are all available to match any of the railing colors or anodized finishes.

All of our non-boxed rail offerings are based around 3/8″ diameter lag-bolts, bolts, or masonry anchors. In all cases these are stainless steel. Bayonet mounts for aggregate embedment are heavy-gauge rectangular steel pipe.

A metal cable rail with a cedar top rail

CABLE

SDS exclusively provides Ultra-Tec cable and fittings. This product range is manufactured in Carson City, Nevada. The machining is beautiful, and the tolerances are exceptionally tight. The Ultra-Tec cable fitting range is expansive and covers a multitude of substrate types, typically with more than one option for each. For every application, there are preferred and default options for swedgeless installation, no special tools or crimpers are required. Swedge on-site options are available for special situations or cost-control on very large projects where deployment of a portable hydraulic press can save thousands on material costs.

A notable feature of Ultra-Tec is the speed of installation with the swedgeless options. A typical residential deck rail can be cabled in a few hours start to finish rather than a full day of hand-swedging and the inevitable crimp failures. The speed of this system more than covers its premium cost with labor savings. Its reliability and lack of call-backs only deepens the cost divide between systems with low up-front cost.

All Ultra-Tec cables are pre-assembled with  a 10k pound hydraulic press. This is many orders stronger than a hand crimp and we have yet to see a failed cable after over twenty years specifying these cables.

The typical SDS specification is the Invisiware products. These fittings have discrete tensioning. There is no tension apparatus visible outside of the post, it is contained inside of the post. Amazingly, these are also the most cost effective option as well.

You can learn more about the complete range of Ultra-Tec products by clicking the link button below.

Ultra-Tec Cable and Fittings
an aluminum and glass railing installed on a deck

GLASS

All glass specified for railings provided by SDS is exclusively custom-made in the USA to order. This is an important detail for your railing as often glass provided is of inferior Chinese or other foreign manufacture. Because these are not made to order it is usually sized to the nearest inch which creates fit and finish compromises. Any glass we provide is to the nearest 1/8′ and custom shapes are gladly made. In the case of roof decks, stairs, or other situations the option to create parallelograms, trapezoids or irregular shapes can enable a perfect negotiation of slopes or other challenging features. These railings solve problems that are intractable within the confines of lessor systems.

An eclectic railing design combines wood slats and cable for an original look.

VARIETY

SDS railing systems eschew a formulaic approach. Seldom are the structures being railed of a cookie-cutter design. There exists deep flexibility within the product range. Our customers never encounter unsolvable site-conditions. Even imperfections of the existing structure such as sags in a deck or un-level conditions are easily solvable within the standard railing packages.

SDS furnishes railing with glass, cable, picket, hogwire panel, water-jet cut panels and, exotic hardwood infills. Imagination is the only limit.

There are several top-rail options including an adapter for typical deck board types including hardwoods. A code legal graspable rail for stairs or custom double top-rail designs is available in three styles.

SDS also carries a scrutinized line of boxed railing kits. These kits have been vetted for strength and quality. Only boxed railing kits that meet our standards are offered, there are far too many poor-quality kits being sold today.

Publish Publish NEED RESOURCES TO PLAN YOUR RAILING?

Here is a selection of aluminum railing pictures for your information and planning.

If you don’t see what you are looking for please ask and it will be added

Cable railing photos

Cable railing can be configured in a wide variety of ways. SDS has access to an extensive catalog of parts to achieve a unique look for your home.

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Glass railing photos

All railing glass is tempered. Glass is available in frosted, smoked, and ultra-clear low-iron Starfire glass. Standard thickness is 1/4″ but, 3/8″ and 7/16″ are available. Topless glass rail is always thicker and sometimes laminated.

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Picket railing photos

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