Lightweight and durable, aluminum railings can be the perfect complement to any deck, further enhancing its beauty and easily blending in to any existing landscape and architectural features. At Toronto Decks and Fence Company, we regularly work with residential and business customers who’ve requested their new deck include aluminum railings, or that they be integrated into existing structures.
Where does aluminum come from? According to the University of Wisconsin, it’s the third most abundant element – trailing only oxygen and silicon – and most abundant metal in the earth’s crust. Mined for thousands of years, it’s used in applications from transportation to electronics to construction materials and cooking utensils to everything in between.
Aluminum railings are a popular alternative because of many unique attributes that make it an ideal choice for the Greater Toronto Area’s harsh winters. Wood deck railings are susceptible to cracks, warping, splintering, and mold and rot from insects and moisture. Thanks to innovative powder coating technology, aluminum railings have no such weaknesses. In fact, they’re incredibly durable, take to paint very well, and can be customized with scroll work and other architectural features normally found in wood.
Best of all, aluminum railings can be strengthened during the manufacturing process with several additions to make the metal stronger and last even longer, including:
- Anodized aluminum to prevent oxidation and corrosion.
- Wood inserts – If you’ve ever looked at a front porch on a 50 year old house and wondered how the aluminum railings have lasted so long, it’s probably because they’ve been reinforced with wood inserts.
- Thanks to newer manufacturing techniques, and driven by consumer demand, most aluminum is now powder coated, meaning it takes to painting better and holds its colour and finish longer.
- Once pre-formed, some aluminum railings are also coated with a thin layer of PVC (Polyvinyl chloride, a type of plastic) to increase their lifespan and make them even more attractive.
One of the best features of aluminum railings that we discuss all the time with customers are their versatility. They can be custom designed to handle non-standard angles and layouts unique to many of today’s decks, and they blend in beautifully whether used in a residential, commercial, industrial, or other business settings.
Toronto Decks and Fence Company prides itself on quality, affordability, and truly unique designs for all the projects we work on. If you would like to see examples of our work or have interest at using aluminum railings for your deck or home, just give us a call at 416-238-2589 and invite us for a free, no-obligation consultation at your home. Our consultation process is simple and effective, we will evaluate your plans, provide you with some feedback, show you some of our work and send you a quote should you choose.