A to Z of Deck Railing Styles

Now that you’ve come up with your deck design, the next thing to determine is the decorative trim. There are many deck railing styles to choose from to accent your deck, and your choice will depends on the statement you want to make with your backyard project.

In order for you to choose the style that best suits your tastes, you should know what styles exist. We will discuss nine basic deck railing styles in this article, but first you should familiarize yourself with some deck railing terminology.

Here's a picture of split-level deck railing style Railing is made up of support posts, spindles, upper and lower rails, and upper rail caps. You can also decorate your railing with post caps and ball tops. The support posts make up the right and left side of the railing section. The spindles are what take up the middle space. The spindles attach to the upper and lower railing. The upper railing cap is a plate that runs over the upper railing. Lesson over! Now for the design styles:

Builder’s railing is where the spindles and the post supports are attached to the outside (fascia) boards of the deck. The upper rail is capped with a wide top rail. This allows for the placement of such things as drinks.

Here's a good example of colonial railing for your deck Colonial railing, with its turned spindles and newel posts, is more decorative than traditional railing. This classic design is a given for colonial homes and works well with many historical homes.

Decorative railing is another variation of traditional railing because it has either square or turned spindles. The support posts also bear trim. Because of the nature of their construction, you would be wise to choose materials such as cedar or redwood.

Modern railing is where the spindles are attached to the outside of the upper and lower rails. The 4x4 post supports extend past the upper rail. You can choose either ball tops or post caps for your post supports.

Porch railing uses spindles that are attached between the upper and lower rails rather than being attached to their face. You can add ball tops and post caps to this design.

Split-level railing has an extra space between the top railing and the upper railing cap. The upper railing cap can be a wide platform allowing for the placement of such things as drinks.

Starburst railing has a half circle plate on the bottom rail with slats radiating out towards the top railing. In this design there is a space between the top railing and the upper railing cap. The upper railing cap can be wide enough for the placement of drinks.

Traditional railing is similar to builder’s railing except that the spindles do not attach to the deck but rather to a bottom railing. Contemporary railing is similar to traditional railing but with contemporary design, the support posts extend above the upper railing.

For more information on deck rails, please read these articles:

Choosing a Deck Rail Design

Railing Designs with Deck Design Software