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Wood porch railing designs


10 designs to add curb appeal |

(Image credit: Getty Images)

If you are looking for porch railing ideas, it's likely you're at the start of a porch design – or redesign – project. The railings can set the tone of your entire porch so need to be chosen carefully: intricate railings will give a period home a highly decorated appeal, while simple, streamlined railings will suit a more modern exterior, while wood and rope designs will work with log cabin or country-style homes. 

Similarly, the profile and density of the railings will create either an open or private feel for your porch, something you may want to vary between your back and front porch ideas. 

The finish on the railings is important, too, with light colors creating an airy feel, and darker tones creating a more dramatic appeal. Wood finishes will bring a rustic appeal to your home too. 

Below, we showcase a variety of porch railing ideas to help you make the right choice.

Porch railing ideas

Whether you are looking for porch railing designs for your front or back porch ideas, bear in mind that they need to be chosen to reflect the architecture of the rest of your home's architecture too. If they can reflect other elements, such as your front gate or backyard fencing, too, all the better.

1. Paint wood porch railings for a cohesive feel

(Image credit: Serena & Lily)

It's always important to reflect the other materials used on your porch in the railings, so if you have a wood front door, shutters and decked flooring, wood will be a natural choice for the porch railings, too. You can heighten the effect of the use of this natural option by choosing porch furniture in sympathetic materials, too.

Wood will obviously need protecting from the elements, which is where your porch paint ideas can play a part. White is a classic, brightening choice that is easy to add accent shades to in easier-to-paint areas of the porch, such as your home's exterior wall, or even just in soft furnishings. White is also the best choice if window frames are painted white, too, to create a cohesive feel. 

'When it comes to choosing the right color for your home, it’s important that you ensure the shade is harmonious with your exterior,' says James Greenwood of Graham & Brown .

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Who knew there was a porch railing design dedicated to cocktails? If you are curious as to how they got this moniker, the binoculars balanced on the flat top rail of the railings above gives you a distinct clue: this top rail is flat and wide enough to hold a cocktail glass, which makes them the perfect choice for small front porches where you might socialize regularly but perhaps don't have the space for drinks' tables. 

Here, the porch railing has been finished with a tough varnish to suit the cabin decor of the house. However, cocktail railings really suit a range of different treatments, with the railings painted a different color or finish to the top railing.

(Image credit: Andrew Suvalsky)

If your home or backyard feature intricate architecture, it pays to echo this within the design of your porch railing ideas. Here, the railings mimic the style of the gates beyond – or perhaps vice versa. The effect is to draw attention to the porch, which means keeping the finish on the railings, in this case white, quite simple. Color can be added in furniture, as on this porch. 

If, as on this porch by Andrew Suvalsky Designs , your seating is positioned to enjoy a beautiful view, it pays to ensure that the porch railings aren't set too high. The ideal height will be around 36in (though in California deck railing is required to be 42in): safe for small children, low enough to be easy to look past when seated.

4. Highlight porch top rails with paint

(Image credit: Benjamin Moore)

Highlighting the top rail of your porch railings is a great idea for adding more color and detailing to your porch, and is particularly successful if chosen to complement your front door color ideas.

'Although the go-to paint is often a white or off white, choosing a bolder color is a great way of creating a feature, especially if you have beautiful doors or windows in your property,' says Helen Shaw, director at Benjamin Moore .  

Here, it picks out the shutters and house number, too, and is turn picked up by the planting.

5. Take inspiration from deck railings

(Image credit: Lagoon)

If your porch doubles as a deck, or perhaps you have a raised or enclosed deck overlooking your backyard, it is worth marrying your deck railing ideas and porch railing design. This will create a cohesive look from the front right round to the back of your home. 

Here, the design of the columns, with the diagonal supports, is mirrored in the design of the porch railings to create a look that's simply elegant.

(Image credit: Benjamin Moore)

'Screening in a back porch will provide you with privacy if you are overlooked by neighbors; it will also help keep bugs away and can help protect furniture from the worst of the weather. It can help make your porch feel like an extension of your home, too,' says Lucy Searle, Editor in Chief, Homes & Gardens. 

'The porch railings you choose for privacy needn't be solid, though; these, above, would give you enough screening but still allow a cooling breeze to penetrate, a must in warm climates. '

7. Go for all-over color

(Image credit: Farrow & Ball)

If, like us, you love color, you can decorate a front porch – doors, railings and trim – in one bold shade. This works perfectly for small porches, like this one, and really suits the intricate gables of a Victorian style homes.

‘Your front door and surround is the perfect introduction to what lies beyond, consider elements such as the vernacular of the build and a palette that has empathy with the architecture,' says Patrick O’Donnell, Farrow & Ball Brand Ambassador.

Want to go a step further?  'Work with colors that share the same undertone or several shades lighter or darker than one another – this again will create a considered look that is timeless and attractive,’ says Patrick. 

If you are going to take this approach with dark colors, ensure your front porch lighting ideas are efficient enough to light (and show off) what could otherwise be a dark space.

8. Choose cable porch railings for modern spaces

(Image credit: CQM Design + Interiors / J Holt Manning)

If the effect you want to create is minimalist and streamlined, cable railings are the perfect choice for your porch. They are also a great choice for making a small porch feel larger, for maximizing the view beyond and for allowing as much of a breeze as possible to penetrate a stuffy space. 

Cable railings, though modern in finish, needn't just be limited to modern homes; you can see here that designer (and homeowner) Christie Manning of CQM Interiors has used them to complement her period home's architecture. 

9. Pick a composite material for durability

(Image credit: HSH Interiors)

If you love the look of wood but not the upkeep – especially if yours is a large wraparound porch – composite will be a good choice for you. Composite porch railings are made from a combination of wood and PVC and good products look convincingly like wood. They also come ready-colored, so there is no need to paint (or repaint) them, plus they come in a range of styles, so you can find a railing design to suit your home.

10. Pare back porch railings for cottages

(Image credit: Kasia Fiszer)

If you are looking for cottage porch ideas, you could go for an intricate design, but if yours is a small, quite enclosed space, a pared back porch railing will be more space-enhancing and will allow more light into the porch.  

'This type of design is particularly to suited to porches where there is little possibility of injury from falling, particularly for little ones. It also means that the lovely planting in the borders beyond the porch can be enjoyed fully,' says Lucy Searle, Editor in Chief, Homes & Gardens.

How tall should a porch railing be?

A porch railing should be at least 3ft in height to be safe, especially if the porch is raised; in California, deck railings are required to be 42in high. In all cases, ensure you stick to height regulations in your locale. 

What is the best material for a porch railing?

The best material for a porch railing is one that suits both the architecture of your home and the amount of upkeep you are prepared or able to dedicate to your porch. This means that period homes are more likely to suit painted wooden or wrought iron porch railings, while modern homes are more likely to suit metal porch railings. However, this is not a hard and fast rules. As for upkeep, composite porch railings require the least upkeep, while anything painted will need touch ups every three to five years, with total renovations every five to 10 years.

How do I decorate porch railings?

The best way to decorate porch railings is to do so in a way that complements the architecture of your home. So if your home's front door or window frames are painted white, it's likely that white-painted wooden porch railings will suit best. Equally, simple designs will suit more modern, streamlined homes, while more intricate designs will work better for period homes.

Lucy Searle has written about interiors, property and gardens since 1990, working her way around the interiors departments of women's magazines before switching to interiors-only titles in the mid-nineties. She was Associate Editor on Ideal Home, and Launch Editor of 4Homes magazine, before moving into digital in 2007, launching Channel 4's flagship website, Channel4.com/4homes. In 2018, Lucy took on the role of Global Editor in Chief for Realhomes. com, taking the site from a small magazine add-on to a global success. She was asked to repeat that success at Homes & Gardens, where she has also taken on the editorship of the magazine. 

30 Porch Railing Ideas for a Stylish Outdoor Area

By

Farima Ferguson

Farima Ferguson

Farima Ferguson began her career at HGTV where she worked with designers to write about home design. Her work has appeared in HGTV, Insider Reviews, Travel Channel, and more.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process

Published on 06/03/22

Design by Kate Marker Interiors / Photography by Stoffer Photography

Even though a porch railing's main purpose is for safety, it is a great opportunity to enhance your home's curb appeal. With so many options to choose from, from sown wood balusters to nautical rope details, you have many options to choose from no matter what your home's style is.

If you're wanting to upgrade your porch's design, choosing the railing is a great first step since it usually spans the entirety of the porch. To help you choose the right railing for your home, we share 30 porch ideas to help inspire you.

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90,000 wooden railing for the porch

Content

It is the porch that draws the attention of guests in the first place, so its design should be approached with special attention. One of the important stages in the construction of the porch is the creation of the railing. If they are built incorrectly, it can ruin the look of the house.

Why railings are needed

The main purpose of the described structures is to ensure the safety of movement on the stairs. They are also a support that allows you to safely move around the porch when it is, for example, slippery.

But the railing also has a decorative function. Without them, the porch looks unsafe and less comfortable. Thanks to this design, you can modify the style of the house and make it more beautiful. When creating railings, wood and metal are often used, but sometimes stone is also used.

Porch railing specifications

The main parameter to pay attention to is the height. The choice of a specific figure depends on the preferences of the residents of a particular house. If all family members are tall, you can skip the standard sizes and make your own fence a little higher.

The average height is 90 cm. It is these wooden railings that are usually comfortable for most adults. If the family has small children, it is worth taking care of creating additional supports, the height of which should be about 50 cm. After the child grows up, these elements can be easily removed. The strength of the railing is also of great importance. This design must withstand the weight of an adult. Otherwise, the railing will be dangerous.

Important! If there are children in the family, it is worth making railings without horizontal elements, along which it is convenient to climb up.

Wood railing features

Wood is the traditional material from which such structures are made. It is durable and aesthetically pleasing and is suitable for houses made of various materials. If wood was used for the exterior of the house, then wooden porch railings are the best option.

If you want to make the railing more durable with your own hands, a metal frame is created, which is then decorated with wood. The tree has the following characteristics:

Aesthetics. This material lends itself well to processing, so various designs can be made from it. If you use the woodcarving technique, you can create beautiful and original railings.

Easy to install. If you wish, you can install a wooden railing yourself without professional tools and experience. For this work, the simplest tools are used.

Environmentally friendly. Wood does not affect the body in any way and is therefore a safe material.

Security. If there are small children in the house, it is worth choosing a railing made of wood, since in case of an accidental impact on them, the body will not receive serious damage. At the same time, touching the railing will not cause discomfort, since even under the influence of temperatures it does not become too cold or hot.

But the tree also has disadvantages, which include the fragility of the material. To protect the railing from moisture and other adverse factors, it is worth treating them with special compounds. It is also important to remember that for comfortable use of the railings, they should be treated so that when the skin of the hands touches the railings, they are not injured. In the photo you can see the railing, made in various styles, which will allow you to choose the most acceptable option.

Handrail installation

DIY handrail installation can be done by yourself even without experience in construction. To create a railing, you can use the materials that remained after the construction of the house. This will save you money and time looking for other materials. In this case, the railing will be created in the same style as the house.

The simplest design is the guardrail, which consists of several support posts and a horizontal rail. But such a product is not suitable for all houses, so before building it is worth choosing a certain style. When creating a railing, you should follow a certain sequence of actions:

  1. Porch preparation. The surface on which the railing will be installed must be prepared and leveled. If this is not done, the design being created will be less reliable.
  2. Installation of supporting posts. These elements should be slightly higher than the balusters and have a greater thickness. They should be well fixed and fastened together. The easiest way to secure is to use nails. But it is better to make the bases of the supports with your own hands with spikes and apply glue to them, and fix the structure with self-tapping screws. To make balusters, it is enough to process the bars with a section of 50x50 mm.
  3. Do-it-yourself installation of balusters. These elements are also fixed with screws and glue. When installing them, pull the cord so that they are at the same level.
  4. Painting. After installing the railing, it remains only to paint the material and apply protective compounds.

In order not to make a mistake during the creation of the structure, you should first look at the photos that show the construction process.

Should I paint my porch railing

Since wood is a vulnerable material, protective compounds must be applied to protect it. With proper care, the tree can serve for quite a long time and not collapse under the influence of moisture. Paint is also used as a decorative coating, thanks to which you can almost completely change the look of the porch.

In addition, the paint promotes the manifestation of the natural structure of the material. Such compositions also prevent the occurrence of mold.

Tools and materials for painting railings

In order to paint railings, you need the following tools:

Also for painting you will need wood filler, which is necessary to seal small cracks in the material. A primer used to increase adhesion and create a protective layer. The main consumable material is paint, the choice of which should be approached very carefully. To determine which composition is best suited for staining, it is worth considering several types of paints.

Types of paints for wood

For painting wood exposed to weather conditions, special compositions are used, divided into several types:

Oil paints contain linseed or hemp oil, which is well absorbed into the wood. Previously, it was precisely such compositions that were used to paint wooden surfaces, since they protect the material well. But gradually the popularity of such compounds has decreased, as they dry for a long time and emit a pungent odor.

Water-based paint, when applied, practically does not emit odor and well protects wood from exposure to sunlight. But the disadvantage of such compositions is the low resistance to physical impact. That is why it is worth using such railing paint only if the structure is installed as a decorative element of the porch.

Alkyds dry faster than other types and are therefore quite popular. At the same time, such paint is resistant to mechanical stress and protects against moisture.

Reactive compounds are made from pigment resin and hardener. Before painting a tree, these elements must be mixed. As a result of the reaction between them, a protective film of increased hardness is formed on the surface. The only drawback of such paints is their high price.

How to choose a porch paint

In order for the paint to withstand the impact of the external environment, it is worth making a choice based on the following parameters:

In order to keep the paint for a long time, it is worth using varnishes and other protective compounds for wood. If you do all the steps described, the railing on the porch will be not only reliable, but also beautiful. After reviewing the presented photos, you can choose the most optimal option for painting the porch.

Fences for the porch + photo

Content

Virtually no existing straight staircase porch design is complete without a railing and railing. If the step height exceeds the recommended 200mm, in order to complete the step, we often need additional hand support on a comfortable and rigid handrail. In addition, the presence of a porch fence is the same security element as a canopy or a canopy over your head.

Important points in the construction of the fence

Porch railing is often perceived as a secondary, purely decorative element. But it is not so. In "serious" construction, all stairs, including the porch, must be equipped with railings and railings. In addition to building codes, there is a whole state standard number 25772-83 for such fencing of flights of stairs, roofs and porch areas.

In addition to a beautiful exterior design, porch railings should:

Important! The last point is often crucial for children or teenagers who manage to ride on the railing or play with the porch railing.

The most successful options for the porch railing

Of course, the external design of the stair railing affects the overall appearance of the main entrance to the house, so they try to make the porch railing from steel or based on a metal frame. The exception is stylish stone railing options with stainless steel or wood decor.

Woodgrain porch railing

In a woodgrain house facade, stairs and porch railings are often made of timber or wood-polymer composite, or WPC. If you have not encountered such material, most likely, at first glance you will not distinguish a railing made of WPC from a real high-quality timber, as in the photo.

Why is the porch railing made of WPC? First of all, because of the beautiful texture of the material, the high resistance of WPC to precipitation, heat and frost, moisture and parasites. In most cases, manufacturers of WPC fences give a service life of at least 30 years for branded material. An important factor is the beauty and expressiveness of the design of the fence based on WPC, as in the photo.

Important! Due to the specifics of production and design, the rigidity and strength of beams and balusters made of WPC are several times higher than those of wooden elements.

In addition, the plastic surface of the material makes it insensitive to any precipitation, from snow to heavy rain.

In addition, porch railings made on the basis of WPC have a number of features that are interesting for the owner of a private house:

  1. The railing can be made according to your sketches or drawings, depending on the dimensions and specifics of the porch of your house. Firms guarantee the exact manufacture of all elements of the porch fencing, from the correctly selected height of the balusters to the thickness of the handrails;
  2. The whole set of elements of future railings made of WPC can be assembled, as in a children's designer, with your own hands, using a hand-held power tool and an assembly drawing. In this case, you will not need the skills of a professional carpenter or welder, the entire assembly process is carried out using screwdriver technology;
  3. For particularly critical load-bearing elements of the porch fence, you can order duplicates and use them in five to ten years in case of emergency or force majeure.

The cost of a WPC structure may be slightly more expensive than similar pine railings, but the work of a professional carpenter to assemble or install the structure, plus finishing work and preservation of wood from moisture and pests, will increase the price of a wooden fence to the level of a composite one. At the same time, wood processing and pest control will have to be carried out annually. In addition, you need to try hard to achieve the same spectacular appearance of the fence, as in the photo.

Stainless steel - the eternal material for the porch

Any stainless steel-based fence, even the simplest and most primitive in design, always looks very presentable and stylish. Now porch railings made of nickel-plated or chrome-plated steel are an invariable attribute of offices and sales offices that want to maintain their image as successful and promising. Stainless steel is highly resistant to heat and precipitation from even the most acidic rain.

Metal, and even more so stainless steel, when properly assembled, is able to withstand the most extreme loads and at the same time maintain an attractive appearance, as in the photo.

Stainless steel is a very expensive material, so a metal porch railing is always characterized by minimalism and strict lines. The railing is often concreted into the flight of stairs directly, without intermediate couplings or connections.

Most often, as in the previous case, the design of the stainless steel porch railing is collapsible, based on ready-made elements of handrails, baluster racks, brass decor, various caps and knobs. The reason for this approach is the poor weldability of stainless steel. Such an "eternal" material is very poorly welded even in the conditions of using industrial welding equipment. Therefore, the fence is assembled on site from prefabricated elements.

The disadvantages of stainless steel handrails include the high thermal conductivity of handrails. Because of this, in severe frost it is not very comfortable to touch them with your hands.

Artistic options for metal porch railings

Metal, like stone, is a favorite material of modern construction. To build a reliable and beautiful porch railing, you can use ordinary black metal, brass, wood and plastic decorative elements.

Balusters and the main frame are made of a steel profile or a square; ready-made plastic overlays and decor are used for handrails. With the help of a steel three-millimeter strip and a welding machine, even with your own hands, you can form a fancy metal pattern. For internal stairs, steel decorations can be replaced with antiqued black painted plastic ones.

The most sophisticated option in the design of the porch fence is considered to be forged steel patterns and cast iron. Despite some archaism, cast iron casting can be very beautiful and elegant, as in the photo.

In terms of resistance to heat and moisture, it is significantly superior to steel structures and is much cheaper than forged products. The problem of welded and cast metal fencing structures is considered to be the high traumatic ability of individual elements of balusters and racks. Sometimes in this design, a beautiful metal pattern has many notches and sharp edges that can injure and cut the skin of hands and feet, especially for children who love to play. Therefore, in some cases, the inside of artistic forging balusters is decorated with a black plastic coating that does not change its appearance, but makes the sharpest edges of the metal safer.

Porch railing special requirements

In pursuit of appearance, the comfort of the household should not be forgotten when using the porch.

Learn more