Have you purchased your home to take in breathtaking views from its deck or balcony, yet all that can be seen when sipping a beverage of your choice are stained glass panels and picket fences? Are you planning a remodel of an exterior area of the home and have no idea how to remove this gray fence that obstructs lovely open spaces from view with just your hands? If you need a cable railing installation in Alameda, contact our team today.
Cable railing is an effective solution to address many of the flaws mentioned above, with numerous advantages over wooden or metal railings that have grown increasingly more costly over time. Cable railing installations typically use horizontal cables instead of glass, spindles or other materials as security guard rails in lieu of traditional glass, spindles or other filler materials for filling.
Owing to its reduced material requirements per linear foot, aluminum railing is significantly less costly than other forms. Not only is it cost-effective; another advantage is being able to easily alter it yourself through DIY techniques. Can it be done? Absolutely!
In this article I would like to present some cost-cutting techniques that can assist with installing cable railings within budget.
Planning Your Staircase or Deck
If you want to erect the perfect cable railing without hassle and stress, an effective plan should be put together. Take precise measurements across the edges of your balcony, deck or stairway and then make a drawing of all details. Also decide how high a handrail needs to be placed as this will enable you to determine how many materials will need to be purchased for installation.
If this is your first experience with cable railings, choosing which system you wish to employ might prove challenging. I would advise using posts made of wood as railing systems instead.
Tools Needed
In terms of installing cable railings, there are various tools you need. Either you purchase individual items separately, or invest in an all-inclusive kit designed specifically to complete any cable railing project. Essential hand instruments include pliers, power drills and drivers as well as cable cutters, crimping tools, wrenches and special tools for tying or inserting cables. Installing cable railing is similar for all kinds of cable railing, using tools that are suitable for metal, wood and aluminum posts. Cable cutters can be expensive tools; therefore it would be wise to rent them from a local rental shop to keep costs under control.
Estimating Cable Requirements
Once you have chosen a material for your posts, the next step should be calculating how much cable will be necessary based on the measurements that have been taken. You have several options when it comes to posts: 6×6 or 4×4 wooden posts can be used alongside 2×2 metal posts to form 90 degree turns at every corner; for interior runs 2×2 metal posts are more appropriate as they allow you to avoid deflection risks. I advise spacing all posts apart at least 42″ between them in order to prevent deflection issues from deflection issues occurring later.
Create a diagram showing how posts are spaced between one another. From there, estimate the required cable quantity by measuring one run at suitable length and adding another foot; multiply this length according to the height of your railing system.
Drill holes into the posts
Once you’ve decided upon the number of rows of cable to use, mark where they must be drilled into posts and drill through them at specified distances. Spacing is key in any diy cable installation project; therefore, ensure you take note of its spacing prior to installing any posts.
Posts to the ground and installing cable wires
Step two is connecting the cable to the posts. This should be straightforward; running it should be effortless as long as holes were drilled for running it through.
Time-saving tricks you can utilize when installing cable railings onto frames made from wood are three great time savers that anyone can employ for installing cable railings.
1. Purchase a guide for drilling railings that are cable compatible. Recommended drill sizes should not be too large as this could allow the cable to feed through easily, and straight alignment of drilling should help. You can get quality drill guides for between $20-50 that will assist in this task, becoming invaluable tools once installed on a cable railing system.
2. Always utilize cable sleeves regardless of the drill you choose to use. By doing so, the size of holes may become as small as one quarter-inch rather than 7/32″. Although it might not seem significant at first, using 1/8″ bits makes straight-hole drilling much simpler, while pairing this combination with a drill guide guarantees faster installation time and increased efficiency.
3. Don’t skimp on tools. If the company offers templates to assist in drilling, purchase and use these to determine where you should drill holes. If they also offer both basic and premium (heavy use) models of tools, be sure to purchase heavier-duty models for optimal efficiency – these may include Swaging tools, cable cutters, wrenches templates as well as any others required to complete your task successfully.