Hansen Architectural Systems's Blog
When specifying aluminum railing for your project, it is important to have a clear understanding of the way in which the aluminum railing system will integrate with the balcony or deck structure. Your choice of mounting will impact many factors, including constructability, water penetration issues, over strength of the system, and aesthetics, to name a few. In this aluminum railing report, I will explore the pros and cons of some of the more common methods for mounting aluminum railing on commercial and residential structures.
First of all, aluminum railing systems that are based on aluminum extrusions will require engineering to ensure that they will meet or exceed the applicable building code requirements. Typically, aluminum railing manufacturers will have pre-determined maximum spacing criteria for their system and the specific mounting methods. It is important to understand that some aluminum railing mounting methods are stronger than others. The manufacturer will be able to recommend pre-engineered mounting options to you based on the substrate material and the desired placement of the railing.
Surface Mount - Blog # 1
Aluminum Railing Surface Mount
Project: Pioneer Care Center - Fergus Falls, MN
An aluminum railing system that is surface mounted, or sometimes called Top Mounted, involves an aluminum railing that has posts with base plates attached. The base plates act as a mounting flange, and fasteners are then installed through the base plate into the substrate to make a post connection. For a wood substrate, these fasteners will be lag screws or hex bolts with nuts. Expansion anchors are typically used for surface mounting to a concrete surface.
The Surface Mount is the weakest of all the aluminum railing mounting options and has the disadvantage of having the exposed base plates and fasteners on the deck surface. If the deck surface has a waterproof membrane or coating, the anchors of a Surface Mount will penetrate the neoprene gaskets to fit between the base plate and the substrate to mitigate the water issue. The Surface Mount is often the least expensive aluminum railing mounting option, because the installers can easily access the area of work.
Aluminum Railing Surface Mount
Project: Pioneer Care Center - Fergus Falls, MN
This post is the first of a series we will be sharing with you about the diversity of aluminum railing mounts. Take the time to come back and check each article out - it will be worth your time!
Continuing with our aluminum railing mount theme for this blog entry series, let’s examine the fascia mount. For the purposes of aluminum railing, this type of mount is attached to the vertical face of a deck. The ideal aluminum railing fascia mount involves the use of a specially-designed bracket, which is mounted to a vertical surface, or fascia, of a wood or concrete balcony.
There are several benefits to this type of mount. Since the bracket captures part of the bottom portion of the post extrusion, this mounting method can be up to 40% stronger than a surface mounted post. Another benefit of this aluminum railing mount is that posts are on the outside of the deck walking surface, creating more useable area, which is highly desirable with small balcony spaces. By mounting to the perimeter vertical surface, this method also eliminates the need for penetrating waterproofing products on the top surface, and also eliminates the exposed base plates and associated hardware when installing aluminum railing.
Fascia mounts are more difficult to install than a surface mounted aluminum railing system. The installer must work either over the edge of the deck, or from the exterior of the building with a ladder or staging equipment. Mounting to a concrete slab edge in this way is challenging, often involving steel embeds placed prior to the concrete pour. An experienced aluminum railing manufacturer will be able to provide generic details that will help you to design your concrete fascia mount.
Aluminum Railing Fascia Mount
Project: 2200 Westlake - Seattle, WA
For information regarding other mounting options, check out the rest of this blog series. There’s more to come, including articles on aluminum railing core and stanchion mounts.
