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So we are having our dream deck built - in the final stages of writing checks haha. We decided that after hiring out for the actual deck building, we would do the fascia, lattice and railing ourselves. We opted for a cable rail system (the Rail Easy system to be precise) and purchased all materials for it. After doing a lot of research for code compliance etc, I determined that a top rail is necessary but a bottom rail is not so we will not be using a bottom rail. However, we would like the top rail to be a drink rail - using the matching Trex boards that we used for the deck. The posts are 4x4s spaced ~7' apart (so we will be using stabilizers at 3.5' intervals between posts) - and will be using white vinyl post sleeves over the posts. I was researching how to attach the drink rail and it seems that the support rail between posts is fairly specialized (TimberTech has a universal kit that you can purchase in 6', 8' or 10' sections). The problem that I am running into is that for an 8' section, it's ~$130 excluding shipping... and we have ~110' linear feet needing railing!!! Do I want to spend another $2,000 for support rails?! NO! There HAS to be a better way without sacrificing stability, aesthetics or the low-maintenance thing we already have by choosing the Trex to begin with.
This photo is NOT our deck... just the closest thing I could find to what we are trying to accomplish...
yeah, this is a tricky one... A painted 2x4 would work, but won't really match the PVC, and the paint will need to be maintained... In our climate it would be peelling in a year...
Have you thought about how you are going to drill all the holes through the post sleeves and 4x4s? Are you sending the cables through the corners or are you ending them there?
Iām a custom deck builder, but I refuse to work with composites or PVC... This would be much more straightforward to do with steel or ipe...
Are you aware of the tensions involved in a cable rail system? It's essentially a giant piano. If there is 100lbs tension in each cable that's easily 1000lbs of force against the end posts.
I'm not sure how you determined that a bottom rail isn't necessary. You need both a strong top rail and bottom rail, and the top needs to be inside the posts just like the bottom rail, not on top held by screws.
Here in NYC our railings have to be 42" tall, and 3" between cables...
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What top rail would you be using in that case? Pretty much anything is possible when it comes to custom construction...
Here's how the last cable rails I installed turned out.