After the top decking handrail ideas? You’re in the right place!
An Australian summer isn’t complete without evenings spent lapping up the sunshine surrounded by friends and family on your deck. If you’re fortunate enough to have an elevated deck, then you may not even have realised the design potential that lies in your handrails.
Deck handrails don’t have to serve a purely practical purpose. By blending materials, incorporating texture and colour, and playing around with different themes, you can achieve a stylish finish to your deck.
Our team have compiled the ultimate decking handrail ideas to level up your deck game this season.
Mix Materials
Play around with combining materials in your decking to avoid a monotonous, tired looking outdoor space. For example, timber works well as a rail top due to its broad, sturdy nature. But this doesn’t limit you to considering just wood deck railing designs. Pair a wooden top railing with vertical metal railings beneath to break up the heavy timber look and provide less obstruction to your view beyond.
Look at setting yourself up with a powder coated metal for maximum durability – plus it’ll grant you a flexible colour range to choose from. This is one of those simple deck railing designs that can maximise your outdoor setting.
Picking the Right Colour
Depending which material you work with, you may have more flexibility than others when it comes to selecting colours for your handrail. Metals such as aluminium and steel typically offer a broad range of colour choices as they can be powder coated in custom paint choices.
Certain woods, like spotted gum, naturally occur in a range of shades. But if you find your heart set on a particular timber railing design, then you can always treat it to achieve your desired look.
The Right Colour for Your Environment
The benefit of deck railing ideas in Australia is the diversity of settings you can implement them in. There are even certain coloured handrailings that stand out when paired with a particular backdrop.
For forest, bushland and backdrops with plenty of greenery, a dark handrail is going to contrast beautifully. Consider black, charcoal or deep brown finishes to whichever material you’re using. Our top recommendations would be a powdercoated aluminium, or a rich chocolate hued spotted gum.
If your deck is lucky enough to provide costal views then you’re going to be best suited to lighter tones such as a light grey, white, or beige.
Tying your handrailing design into your house theme is a simple way to encourage continuation and flow from the interior to the exterior of your home. Subtle ways to achieve this could be by matching your handrail colour to roof trimmings, window frames or other colour accents.
Use Dark Tones to Create a Rich Luxury Feel
Looking for a way to achieve a luxury look with your deck on a budget? We’ve got a little hack that will deliver on style while being an unexpectedly cheap deck railing idea.
By combining dark hues in both your decking and handrail design, you’ll be able to capture that deep rich feeling of a luxury space simply through your colour selection. Whether it’s rich brown timbers or charcoal aluminium railings, this style is adaptable to whichever material you prefer.
Use Lighting Under Your Handrails
So, you’re after some crafty DIY deck railing ideas? Why not consider installing lighting beneath your deck handrails to add a touch of opulence to your space? Illuminated handrailing works particularly well when it comes to exploring horizontal deck railing ideas.
The use of strip lighting not only enhances the visual appeal of your deck railing but also provided added illumination for the evenings of entertainment that carry on well into the night.
Think Durability
While it may not be an exciting part of the design process, considering the durability of the railing you select is crucial. Aluminium and steel are incredibly durable and low maintenance, meaning you won’t need to paint or replace them. The versatility of these mediums mean there are a ton of aluminium deck railing ideas available to work with.
Depending on the type of timber you select, they have varying degrees of durability. Some varieties, such as Merbau and Jarrah are relatively impervious to rot, fungus and wearing. Other timbers such as pine may require treatment to possess the same level of durability.
Need some help pulling together your dream deck? Contact our team of professionals at Everlast Services today to find out more about our extensive decking services.