How To Replace Deck Handrails (Easy Tips For Replacing Deck/Porch Handrails + Railings!)
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- Опубликовано: 5 окт 2024
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Check out our other DECK-RELATED VIDEOS linked below!
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Replace Deck Boards:
• How To Replace Deck Bo...
Deck handrails can get weathered and damaged faster than other deck components. This video from The Honest Carpenter will show you how to replace your deck handrails with new, treated lumber.
Tools:
Hammer
Large Screwdriver
Cat's Paw
Miter Saw
Router
3/8" Roundover Bit
Drill
Driver
Materials:
3" Exterior Screws
Treated 2x? Lumber (match existing)
How-To:
1) Remove existing handrails by hitting from below with hammer to loosen nails. Pull nails, or back out screws.
2) Pull measurements for replacement pieces. It can be easier to replace one board at a time, so miters and positioning will be easier to match.
3) Cut replacement boards. If necessary, round over edges with a router.
4) Install replacement boards by pre-drilling holes into horizontal rail and support posts. Drive exterior-grade screws through pre-drilled holes.
Thanks for watching the video!
For more tips, videos and articles, visit The Honest Carpenter at:
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thanks! I'm off to do a little job tomorrow and got the idea of counter-sinking the screws from you. Just watching the video makes me feel a bit more ready.
Great to hear, Samuel. Good luck with the job!
Dude this is gold. Thank you, i just did my treads with help from your video and now i plan to do the same for the handeails.
Can’t tell you enough how helpful your videos are. Excellent video wish you taught wood shop in my high school. Always appreciate your videos.
Bryan Rodriguez Thanks so much! I really appreciate the positive feedback, and I’m very glad they’re helpful. I’ll keep making them 🙂
Thank you for posting this. Very helpful.
Good carpenter tips in the video but I would suggest several other steps.
Paint or otherwise protect all that unpainted wood under the deck hand rail pieces before installing the new pieces.
If the new pieces are dry enough to router I assume they're dry enough to paint; consider painting the entire new pieces before installation, but at least paint the underside (to avoid painting upside-down after installation, easier to use a roller or broad brush) and the cut edges.
Consider a thin layer of caulk in the corner joint and the scarf joint; looked like the old scarf joint channeled water down to the post top.
I would even cut a line under so that the water doesn’t seep back and stay there! A water break line, I guess.
I always use vinyl gutter upside down as the top cap. It protects the wood, looks better and will never rot. It will in most cases snap right on a 2x4 without the use of any screws
Great idea might try that
Beautiful job. Thank you for a tight concise video. Lots of good information.
I'm going to do this exact job tomorrow, thanks for this video
Finally found exactly what I needed. Thank you!
Great video. Reminded me to attach the angles with screws to keep them tight.
Awesome. Thanks for sharing exactly what I was looking for.
On any project I like to put the lumber printed information/markings on an unseen side. If this isn't possible do you sand the ink off or have a better solution? On a deck, the stain or water proofing doesn't cover the printing. Any tips? Love your stuff, you're a genius and you add great things as you go through the job.
A WONDER BAR IS REALLY HELPFUL
A small flat pry bar would work better and safer than prying using a screwdriver. It's good you use the treated screws as fasteners instead of nails. A wide, flat railing like this is the case here retains surface moisture and will wear out or rot without a lot of care. Isn't there some way to add a slope or bevel to the railing so rain and snow don't just sit on the surface? Since you're selling a consulting service, I was hoping to see a more creative solution than just slapping some new treated flat lumber where the previous railing rotted.
Love your videos … wondering if you have any videos on how to replace notched railing post with inside mount railing post ??
thank you sooooo much for this video this was good advice. I have some really bad miter joints on my deck hand rails i have to splice in some new rails and cut some rotted sections but im going to do instead of miters half lap joints if they separate like my existing miter joints they wont look as ugly.
Thank you for your incredibly helpful videos, Ethan -- I've learned so much from you, and I really appreciate your no-gimmicks style. I have a question about figuring out the lengths of railings when the corners are mitered. I have a horseshoe-shaped deck and I'm redoing the posts, balusters and railing caps. One of the railing caps (the "middle" section of the hotshot) will have two 45o mitered ends, while the other two railing caps (let's call them the legs) will have a 90o square cut at one end (that meets the house) and a 45o miter cut at the other end that meets the 45o cut of the middle section. Do you have any tips for calculating the lengths of the inside and outside measurements of the miter cuts? Thanks again for the great information.
Incredible helpful thank you! However with HOA community, they are delaying on my fixing patio handrails. At the meantime, anything I can do to preventing rotting gets worse, specially rain season is coming!! One visible open cavity corner, can I cover it with plastic when it’s poring rain?
Will you be doing a video on replacing rotted wooden drip edge at the bottom of the siding?
What type and size board did you use across the top? Was that a 5/4 x 6" deck board?
When removing long boards, cut them into shorter pieces. It's easier to remove short pieces. I like to leave the screws flush so it's easier for the next person to remove them if the board rots again.
Thank you for sharing your skills. Great videos. Greetings from Houston, TX.
Sturdy Doors Thanks so much! I looked up the Sturdy Doors website-you guys do amazing work down there in Houston! Refinishing has always been a mystery to me, and it’s a topic that seriously frustrates homeowners. Maybe we can collaborate on some content in the future??
@@TheHonestCarpenter
I'll be more than happy to share with you some of my knowledge and experience we don't really create any video content besides some before and after pictures but if there's anything I can do to help let me know
@Sturdy Doors That's perfect, thank you so much! No problem about the limited footage. If I think of someway for us to collaborate I'll most definitely get in touch, even if it's just for an article instead of a video. I'm really eager to know more about this topic myself!
I’m in the middle of doing exactly the same thing. Only thing is, I’m treating the fresh cuts with preservatives
That’s a good idea, Martin! I’ll probably do a video on it soon 🙂
I was this many years old when I was told to cut the mitre first and THEN cut the board down. /facepalm. Thanks for the tips!
Can you please make a video about how to cut top board? What angle in your saw is it?
45 degree miter
Love it from Texas
I had a so called professional, put a new top railing on my wood deck. It was pressure treated, and after a month it separated where the joints meet Can you show us how to fix this issue? Do not want to call him back because he did a terrible job on the rest of the deck
Love your video. I want to replace mine. Question though would it be easier to rotor the long edges once the handrail is in place. Exception would be the edge nearest the house.
If you had it to do over would you choose pvc and if so how would you fasten it?
Why not use a scarf joint in the corners?
Well done.
Thank you!!!
Why aren’t abutting deck floor board “scarf-jointed” like abutting top handrail boards ?
It looks like the new wood has knots in it. Do you recommend filling them in before painting them?
@The Blade Runner If the knots are dense and more or less healthy, I just leave them be. If they’re corroded and falling apart, I’ll sometimes gouge them out and fill them with adhesive or even epoxy
Great video!
Looking to replace my deck handrails this Spring. A lot of erosion on those boards. I was contemplating the idea of putting some angled shims underneath to allow for water runoff. I'm a beginner at all of this, so I don't really know if that's possible or advisable.
I’ve got a 4x4 that’s only rotten at the top. I’m dreading having to replace the hole post and I’m here looking for ideas.
I had a similar problem. The rot extended down about six inches. I carefully cut the post back to good wood, cut a fresh piece to replace the rotten part, drilled through the replacement part with a 8-inch bit. I then put Gorilla Glue on the two joining pieces and ran two 10 inch lag screws to hold the glue joint in place. I let this set, shaved of the extra glue and painted it. The glue is stronger than the wood so I could have removed the lag screws but didn’t. I replaced 8 post tops this way and all are fine after a year.
@@oldmanandthesea3763
My post was rotten in the center. I decided to run a new piece of treated 2x4 from deck surface to the post top. Then I topped off with a 2x4 on top. Painted to match. So far so good.
Shouldn't the cap be slightly elevated on one side so it sheds rainwater? I put a flat cap on mine and regretted not giving it a pitch. That's why I have to do this same job.
This is a problem I have! MY cap just get's NASTY with algae and stuff. How is the best way to cut or build a slope on the cap so rain water runs off?
Wish I saw this before changing out my deck rail tops. I didn’t think to add extra screws from the sides at the corners and one board warped so bad that it pulled up and the screws’ tops popped right off. Is it possible to get that board to flatten back and still use it or do I need to toss it and buy a new board to replace it?
No real way to unwarp boards I’m afraid, Denise. Best to just start with a new board 😕
I see some decks have spindles on the inside some on outside, what is the thinking on either way?
Would have been a good thing to primer or seal that bare wood before fastening.
Thank you!
What size are your boards, 2 X 6?
How thick should bed slats be?
If someone did this same kind of project but stopped halfway in replacing all the rails and now I am trying to finish, should I redo their work if they fastened with nails and not screws?
Eh, leave the nails in until they start to lift out on their own Chris. Then replace them with 3” screws right through the old nail holes.
You’re the best! Thank you for such a quick response. Appreciate the content. Keep it up and good luck.
Can I stain the deck a month after? Replacement. It’s pressure treated
When trimming out a door or window do you ever have problems with tight miters. When I trim a door starting on left side, then trim the top the trim piece always slopes down so then I have to cut like a wider miter. What's your secret ??
Hey Rick, sometimes minutely different miter angles are necessary to get tight corners, though this can create problems with the length of the actual miters too. But sometimes, if the case opening is out of square, I'll just cheat and leave a bigger reveal on one side than the other to keep my trim miters right at 45. So, one leg of trim will be longer than the other, and the reveal on that corner bigger. But in my experience extremely few people notice minor differences in reveal size--and in older houses, EVERY case opening is out of square so it's often necessary!
@@TheHonestCarpenter ....Thanks I just thought it was me.......
How did that treated wood rot so soon? And why did they put that little piece at the end? Shoddy work.
Problem I have is my deck railing are not 90 degrees. Heck if a time trying to mitre the corners.
Use two pieces of scrap. Cut both at the same time (and same angle) on your miter saw (flip them face to face or back to back so you can cut both simultaneously). Check if they fit together properly on the finished corner. If not, take them back and nudge the angle a little and cut again. Repeat until you find the exact angle for a perfect joint. Then keep the saw in that position and cut your final pieces of wood at that same angle.
@@j10001 done. I did see it on this ol house, thanks for the reply
What type of wood did you use?
I think treated 2x6, MAP.
@@TheHonestCarpenter Thanks for getting back to me. Excuse my ignorance but I tried looking up 2x6 MAP and can't figure out what MAP means. When you say treated is it some sprayed on treatment that protects against mold or termites? Can I find this in my local Home Depot or Lowes or is it some kind of specialty lumber. I had to replace a 2x6:section on my deck a while back and used redwood but I'm wondering if there is something better. The redwood seemed soft. I used the same for the vertical 2x2 railing pieces.
@@map7463 Use “pressure treated lumber.” Ask someone in your Home Depot or Lowes for help if you cannot find it.
I think he said MAP because that’s your username. The wood you need is “pressure treated” for outdoor usage. The treatment is not sprayed on - it is infused into the wood under pressure.
what do you use to fill screw heads or any gaps between the wood joints? thanks
A painter ;-)
Great 👍🏽
Derrick Stinoski Thank you!
what angle was the scarf joint?
From the looks of it, probably a 45 degree cut. If you don’t have a miter saw, use the bevel adjustment on your circular saw - but don’t trust that the “45 degree” mark on the saw is accurate. Take a combination square, remove the ruler, and use the precision-made body to set the base to a 45 degree angle with the blade. Take a couple of test cuts to make sure it is accurate (fine tune if needed) then lock it in. Mark the final adjustment with an extra fine Sharpie or a file. Cut your scarf joint first , then cut it to length. It’s is much easier to adjust the length of a 90 degree cut than a bevel cut. And if you have more than one bevel joint, cut them all at once so you don’t have to constantly reset your saw.
👍👍👍
Just use a crowbar haha
With the screws allowing moisture through from the top, this won't last as long as it would if you had fixed from underneath. It also doesn't look as neat. I would expect this from a handyman, not from a professional.
A very bad idea to drive screws into the wood like that. The screw head should be lat with wood.
Never trust anyone who calls themselves honest…
Never listen to anyone who calls themselves kaka 😏
@@TheHonestCarpenter you proved my point, and have zero creativity so have to copy. You are not to be trusted. Only here in the states do I see mechanics , plumbers carpenters calling themselves honest yet always rip people off. Nowhere else on earth do people give themselves such names
got dizzy watching this video
use a 3 inch screw not a 2 1/2 screw