It is never easy to prepare a house or apartment for selling. You should think about improving multiple things from applying new bathroom tiles to choosing the new color for the walls; there are situations when a serious renovation of everything in the house is required. However, you can easily overthink and start doing difficult tasks instead of focusing on simple projects at first, although such projects can change the look of your home completely.
When a potential consumer comes to your house, he may pay attention to the functional deck and railing, and it may affect his decision a lot. Your deck can be considered as 25% of your house’s value; this is why you should do your best to make it look as great as possible. Remember that if you don’t care about outdoor structures and they look really bad, your house will look less valuable. A person who wants to purchase a house will never choose something, knowing he will need to invest a lot of money in improving such structures.
Now you are probably wondering what you should do with the deck to make it look attractive for customers, right? You should just be focused on the deck railing. U.S. Rigging, a long time tools & hardware company, recommends the following deck railing project ideas to improve it and make your house look more valuable.
1 Rebuild the Wooden Railings
Are there any wooden railings in your house? If the answer is «yes», then relax, as it is very simple to repair railings made of wood. Also, there is a huge possibility that you already have the necessary woodworking tools at home.
Check these ideas to know what you can do with the railings.
- Paint or stain them. These are probably the easiest ways to improve the look of your house. After painting or staining, your railings will look fresh and finished; besides, they will hide discoloration issues.
- Staining wood is quite easy, as all you should do is eliminate the paint, sand out rough areas, apply stain and sealant. You can also make it easier for you by getting a 2-in-1 stain/sealant in a particular store.
- The painting process is almost the same as staining, as you should sand the wood, then prime, and paint it.
- Fill the wood. If you see any damage like cuts or chewing from pets, you should repair it with the help of a wood filler. You won’t face any trouble as it’s a very easy task. But don’t forget that if wood railing components are rotten or split, you shouldn’t repair them as it won’t bring any effect; replace them with the new ones instead.
- Decorate them. Apply some decorative powder-coated post base to make your wooden railings even more attractive. Stained wood will definitely look nicer after decorating.
2 Useful Ideas for Deck Railing Project: Replace Balusters
When people look at the deck, the first thing they will notice is the railing, so if you decide to replace rails or balusters, it will be beneficial for the whole railing system.
Check these creative ideas about changing balusters and railings to make the deck look awesome. If you decide to replace wood balusters and rails, you will find out that if you choose not bulky materials, the look of your deck will be better.
- Glass material. Glass combines with wood perfectly, adding a classic look to the railing system. As a result, the deck will look significantly bigger, which is great. Besides, it may surprise you, but glass railings can be cleaned easily. A full panel infill will protect it from the wind and cold weather, while glass balusters will increase the airflow during the warm weather. Find drop-in style glass balusters as they are incredibly easy to install: all you need is put the glass into the slots and secure it with bolts because the top and bottom rails are already slotted.
- Vertical cables. If your goal is to make the deck look aesthetic, but you don’t want to choose the glass material, then the vertical cable is the best option for you. It is really easy to install them; besides, they are made from stainless steel so you won’t need to do extra maintenance. There are brands that produce prefabricated vertical cable railing systems, so all you need to install them is to apply rail brackets and bolt them up.
- Steel material. Steel can create a luxury look, so if you choose your railings to be made of steel, they will look more valuable. Besides, steel balusters match powder-coated base and rail saddles well. If you choose powder-coated steel, you won’t face any rusting problems because the powder coat protects the steel from it. Some brands provide extra protection from rust using galvanization; some even use special coatings, locating waterproof e-coat over the galvanization, and then putting the powder coat on the top. Such an idea is handy and helps the baluster to be in good condition for many years without any kind of fading.
- Aluminum material. Here is a durable alternative to steel that weighs not much, which is very useful. This material is usually powder coated, so you won’t need to do any extra maintenance. It is necessary to mention that aluminum is not so versatile in design like steel, but still, it is an excellent and durable alternative.
3 Make Attractive Light Accents on the Deck
If the railings have lighting, they will look nicer, which will attract potential buyers. The National Association of Home Builders has stated that outdoor lighting is one of the main desires of those people who want to buy a house. This statement can also be proved by research made by Philips Lighting as they stated that 50% of Europeans said they would prefer a house that has outdoor lighting. Such results mean that people find it valuable to be able to enjoy beautiful railing during sunset and night.
If you make accents with the lighting, it will add some ambiance to your deck. Choose the right lighting system that can be installed easily by merely running wire and drilling several holes.
Check three ideas to understand how you can incorporate lighting on your railings:
- Apply post cap lighting to the railing, as such lighting has multiple ways of installation, including LED options.
- Install lights on the top or bottom rail between balusters.
- Install surface-mounted LED lights right into the top of the railing or on stairs covering the whole perimeter.
4 Use Components Suitable for Your Climate or Demographic
If you are trying to sell a house, it is essential to understand what your target audience and climate are to apply the right attractive components to the deck. If you are living in the North and the weather is pretty cold there, you can choose full panel glass infills to protect it from the wind. However, if you are living in a hot city, then a narrow vertical cable can be beneficial to improve airflow.
If your house is located near the sea or ocean, apply materials that will protect railings from corrosion that may be caused by saltwater. You can use powder-coated steel railings if you want to protect them from rusting. If your house is located in a neighborhood where older people live, then you should consider installing low-maintenance railings and handrails to make their life more comfortable and safer.
If you are planning to sell a house and you want to renovate the railings before that, use a high-quality railing system to make your house more valuable. You can check multiple kinds of railings, special components to create accents, and balusters in Fortress Railing. Fortress Building Products can also help you to find any durable, new, good-looking fencing, decking, or anything else.
It is essential to make your house look more valuable before selling it, as in this case, your potential consumers will be more interested in your house. And you don’t need to fully renovate your house for that, as you already understood, just focus on improving railings. You can choose different materials for them as mentioned above; you can repair them to make them look better, you can install lighting there as well. Just be creative and use high-quality materials as it will make your house look so much better.
