Custom Deck Railings | Deck Builders Lewiston
Deck railings are the part of a deck people lean on, so we fasten every post into the frame before we talk about balusters or color. Then we set aluminum, cable or composite rail at the height and spacing Maine's code calls for, with a matching handrail down the stairs.
- (207) 386-9863
- 217 Main St, 3rd Floor, Lewiston
- [email protected]
- Decks only, start to finish
- Free estimate requests
- 22 towns around Lewiston-Auburn
- Every post tied into the frame
- Aluminum, cable or composite rail
- A written price after we measure
This page explains deck railings for homes in the Lewiston-Auburn area: the guards along a deck's open sides and the handrails on its stairs, built in powder-coated aluminum, tensioned cable or composite, on new decks and existing ones.
A rail holds only as well as the wood behind its posts, so Deck Builders Lewiston blocks or anchors every post into the deck frame and follows each maker's install guide. Maine enforces the 2021 IRC from April 7, 2025: a deck more than 30 inches up needs a guard at least 36 inches tall with no opening a 4-inch sphere can pass.
Keep this in mind: railings have no price list on this site. Each one is priced from a visit, by its run length, its material and its stairs.
Why Do Deck Railings Work Loose Over Time?
Deck railings work loose over time when the posts hang on screws alone with nothing behind them, so every lean pries at the wood until the screws let go. Maine's adopted code rules that out: a side-mounted post's joist must be tied to its neighbors so it cannot roll, and a connection held only by fasteners in end grain is not permitted (R507.10.1.1).
- Blocking or a rated hold-down behind every post, giving the load the continuous path into the joists that R507.10.1 asks for
- Wood posts never notched where they meet the frame, which R507.10.2 forbids at deck guards
- Each rail system installed to its maker's written guide, since Westbury's installation instructions say any departure from them will void the warranty
What if the deck under the rail needs work too?
Composite DecksTimberTech, AZEK or Deckorators boards over a frame built heavier than code asks.See Composite Decks
Deck RepairLoose stairs, soft boards and wobbly rails fixed when the frame underneath is sound.See Deck Repair
Deck ReplacementThe old deck torn out, new footings and a new frame, never new boards on a tired frame.See Deck Replacement
Which towns do we build deck railings in?
What Railing Should Go on Your Deck?
For most decks in the Lewiston-Auburn area we recommend powder-coated aluminum, with cable where the view is the point and composite where the rail should match composite boards.
Aluminum Rail: Westbury Tuscany, Montego and Riviera
Aluminum earns that spot because it has no wood to rot and its finish is baked on. Digger Specialties, the maker of Westbury, describes a 10-step powder-coating process with each part cured at 400 degrees, in 12 color and finish combinations.
Westbury sells three aluminum lines: Tuscany, its top seller, with square or round balusters; Montego, with curved balusters, a three-rail Montego II and radius sections for curves; and Riviera, a three-rail design. Its Tuscany and Montego guide keeps the bottom rail within 2 inches of the deck surface, well short of the 4-inch limit.
Cable Rail and the 4-Inch Rule
Cable rail keeps the view open, and tension decides everything about it. Westbury sells VertiCable, an aluminum cable railing, and Bella Cavo, a one-rail or two-rail system with horizontal stainless steel cables.
Their guides set the tension at 200 pounds per cable for VertiCable and 220 pounds, plus or minus 20, for Bella Cavo, checked with a tension gauge. The 2021 IRC's opening rule (R312.1.3) carries no exception for cable, so we hold the gaps between cables to the same 4-inch sphere, with a spacer baluster wherever Bella Cavo's posts sit more than 4 feet apart.
Composite Rail and Stair Handrails
Composite rail suits a composite deck when you want the rail to read as part of the boards. TimberTech lists RadianceRail Express under composite railing, and the install guide on its installation help page allows only TimberTech balusters, composite or aluminum, because the system is tested as a whole.
On stairs, DCA 6 asks for a handrail on at least one side once a stair climbs four or more risers, set between 34 and 38 inches over the nosings. The 2021 IRC stops stair guard openings at a 4-3/8-inch sphere, and the triangle under the bottom rail at 6 inches.
What Deck Railing Services Do We Offer?
Every railing job covers the posts under it, the rail you see and the stairs it leads to.
Westbury's guides put meeting the code and getting any required permit on the installer, so on our jobs that work is ours. Maine requires towns of more than 4,000 people to enforce the state building code, and we ask the town's code office what a railing job needs first.
- Layout and posts: height and openings planned to code, every post blocked or held down into the frame, each opening checked once the rail is on
- Rail and infill: Westbury aluminum and cable, composite and PVC rail, and Westbury's Veranda glass or Sorrento mesh panels
- Stairs and gates: stair rails and handrails, gates and their hardware, and a continuous aluminum handrail such as Westbury's ADA Handrail
How Do We Install a Railing, From Post to Handrail?
We look at what the rail will bolt to.
We probe the rim joist, the blocking and any old posts, measure each run, corner and stair, and talk through the three rail types on your deck.
A written price, then your signature.
The price names the material, height, run lengths and stairs, and the work waits for your signed contract. Under 10 MRSA ยง1487, any home construction job over $3,000 needs a written contract, and the first payment can be no more than a third of the price.
Posts first, rail second, then a lean test together.
Blocking and posts go in before any rail, each section goes up by its maker's guide, and cable is tensioned with a gauge. Then we walk the deck with you, push on the posts and pass a 4-inch gauge along the openings.
When Are New Deck Railings the Right Fix?
New deck railings are the right fix when the old rail fails the checks you can make yourself: a top rail under 36 inches on a deck more than 30 inches up, a gap a 4-inch ball slides through, or posts that move when you lean. The height and the gap come straight from R312.1.2 and R312.1.3 of the 2021 IRC that Maine enforces.
A new rail is the wrong fix when the rim joist or the joists behind the posts are soft, because a post holds only as well as the wood it bolts to. Then the frame comes first, through deck repair or a full deck replacement, while one loose post on a firm rim is a repair, not a new railing.
On a low deck, 30 inches or less off the ground, the code does not call for a guard, though stairs with four or more risers still need a handrail. If you want a rail on a low deck anyway, we build it to the same height and spacing as a required one.
Who Needs a Guard, Where Does It Attach and When?
Who needs a guard on their deck?
Anyone whose deck, stairs or landing sits more than 30 inches above the ground at any point within 36 inches of the open edge needs a guard under R312.1.1 of the 2021 IRC. Maine's Division of Building Codes and Standards told towns to enforce the 2021 codes as of April 7, 2025.
Where on the deck do the posts attach?
The posts attach to the deck frame itself, never to the boards alone: a top-mounted post bolts to framing or blocking under the boards, following the maker's instructions (R507.10.1.2). DCA 6 adds that a guard post is at least a nominal 4x4, fastened to joists and rim that are 2x8 or larger.
When in the build does the railing go on?
The railing goes on after the frame and the boards, but the blocking for each post goes in while the frame is still open, so the guard load has a path into the joists. On an existing deck, that can mean lifting a board or two at each post to add the blocking.
How Much Do New Deck Railings Cost?
The cost of new deck railings is set from a visit, because the run length, the material and the stairs change the number more than anything we could print. Three things move the price:
Product names on this page are trademarks of their owners. We have no affiliation with decking or railing manufacturers.
- The run: the total length of rail, how many corners and posts it turns, and whether posts need blocking added under an existing deck
- The material and height: aluminum, cable, composite or glass, at 36 inches or a taller 42
- The stairs and gates: each stair takes its own rail and handrail, and every gate adds posts and hardware
Why is there no railing price on this page?
There is no railing price here because no two rail runs share the same length, corners and stairs, and a number printed without them would mislead you.
Does a taller rail or more corners cost more?
A taller rail and more corners both add to the job: a 42-inch rail takes longer posts and balusters, and each corner is one more post to block and anchor. On Bella Cavo cable, the guide also cuts the longest allowed straight run, 100 feet, by 10 percent for every corner post.
Can a new railing go on an old deck?
A new railing can go on an old deck when the rim joist and the joists behind each post are sound, and we probe them before we price. If the rim is soft, we say so, and the fix starts under the rail rather than with it.
What Happens After You Ask About a New Railing?
After you ask about a new railing, we come out, measure the runs and the stairs, and check the frame each post will bolt to. You get the price in writing, and the posts go in only after you sign.