Our new house has great vinyl railing on the front porch.  Unfortunately, the back deck didn’t have railing and it was a bit of a hazard, especially for Harrison.

We decided we wanted the railing to match the front of the house, even though it is pricey.  We waited until it was on sale and then about $600 later had a great looking back deck too.  The installation was incredibly quick and easy (much better than installing a wood railing with all of those spindles).

We started with a corner post and screwed it right into the deck.  We had to beef up the support under the deck so that we had wood to screw into, but that was as simple as adding a block of 4×4 to the support that was already in place.

The railing went together really easy but needed to be cut to length in a few sections.  It was as easy as using a hacksaw, even for the steel inserts.

The most difficult part was climbing into these thorny bushes to screw in the extra support.  (Guess who was lucky enough to get that job?)

We had the option of putting an extra post next to the house or using a pre-cut plate to fit the vinyl siding.  We chose the plate and saved an extra $60 in posts.  What can I say?  We’re cheap and it looks good.  They are not completely centered because they are already fitted to the siding, but the color matches out trim and it is barely noticeable.

It took us 2 evenings after work to complete the job for a fairly large deck and we love the results!

I would definitely recommend the vinyl railing if it is in your budget.  It looks great and is so easy to install.  Here is the before and after from the backyard:

The after picture was taken later in the evening, hence the color differences.  The deck actually feels bigger now that the space is defined, and it is safe for Harrison too!  We are also working on several other outdoor projects at the moment.  Thanks for reading and check back soon for more updates!