Cãllîng Hôme Maintenance DIYers

[tskeeter]

Arch, don't know how old the pictures are, but the deck and railing overall look pretty good. I'm not seeing anything that looks like rotten wood. If the only issue is how the railing posts are attached to the frame of the deck, I'd be really tempted to just attach the posts better and save the $1,000 - $1,500 it's likely to cost to replace the railing.

If the railing issues are more than the posts, I'd still be tempted to try to rehabilitate the railing rather than replacing it. I like the Kreg pocket hole jig for pre drilling angled screw holes to hold things together. If the top rails are coming loose, a couple of screws from the under side of the rail at each post will tighten things up. If the problem extends to the spindles in the rails, more screws. Screw through the top rail into the spindles to anchor the spindles at the top. Hide the screw heads with a new top cap for the rail. (A few screws up through the old top rail hold the new rail cap in place.) More pocket holes drilled into the face of the spindles on the outside of the deck to anchor the bottom of the spindles to the bottom rail.

Or, to minimize visible screw holes, use a reciprocating saw to carefully cut the rail sections away from the posts. (You can also use a hacksaw blade. Your objective is to cut off the nails that attach the railing to the post. If you wrap one end of the hacksaw blade with tape to protect your hands and don't put the blade into the saw frame, you can use the blade like a jab saw to cut the nails. This approach is a lot more work, but it leaves a narrower saw blade kerf than the power saw.) Screw the spindles in place down through the top rail and up through the bottom rail. Re-install the rail sections and hide the screws in the top rail with a new top cap.

Remember, you're the guy who tackled the dryer. Rehabilitating a railing is easy by comparison.

[hoops902]

:: If you wrap one end of the hacksaw blade with tape to protect your hands and don't put the blade into the saw frame, you can use the blade like a jab saw to cut the nails.::

They also sell little handles fairly cheaply that you put the reciprocating saw blade into and then use as a jab saw. It's probably worth the time you'd spend trying to use your hand and hold on tightly to the blade.