Cable Railing Installation – Can You Do It Yourself?

 

When you have a deck, you would agree that having a railing is a must. It creates a barrier for the deck and, at the same time, increases the safety value of the structure. One of the best materials for deck railing is cable. There is plenty of deck railing ideas using cable as the primary material, but the question is, can you do the installation by yourself? In this article, we are going to tackle the easy way to install cable railing.

 

What are the tools you need?

 

• Cable railing
• Posts
• Wrench
• Drill bit
• Drilling template
• Stainless steel Philips head
• Squarehead driver bit

 

Cable post installation 

 

Posts are necessary as they will serve as the support for cable railing. Posts are needed to hold the cables in place. The distances between the posts are four feet. Should you wish to keep the distance more than four feet apart, you can do so but make sure you install cable stabilizers. Install the post drill holes in the posts and clamp the template to the posts' side portion. The next step is to drill holes through.

 

Cable railing installation 

 

Cable installation is quite a tedious task as there are three types of posts you will be working on: the corner, mid, and end posts. You can change the direction of the railing through the corner posts. The middle posts' function is to give support to the railing, particularly between the end and corner posts. The end posts are the beginning and ending posts. The cables must be inserted through the holes of the post, making sure that the railing system won't be damaged. If there are rubber grommets in the cables, you can thread the cable through the grommet before placing it in the post hole.

 

Once the cable is properly inserted through the posts, pull it tightly, ensuring that you are holding the fitting in place. Tighten it just right and cut the end flush. See to it that the washer nut is tightened to prevent the cable railing from coming off the posts. Installing a cable railing system is more than just putting all things together. You have to ensure that the top rail is strong enough to handle pressure applied during cable tensioning. The best way to ensuring the top rail's strength is to secure it between the posts.

 

If you take a look at the steps of installing cable railings on the deck, it is quite tricky, especially if it is your first time doing it. Make sure that when you install the cable railings for your deck, you have to gather all the necessary tools and materials. Read the guides and steps carefully. It is okay to make mistakes as they are parts of the learning process. If you feel like the installation is too hard for you to handle, you can always entrust the task to the hands of experts. There are companies dedicated to helping you install all types of deck railing.