Whether you are choosing a railing company to install every balcony on an apartment building, or you just want one railing for the main stairway in your custom home, choosing the right railing company is important. Ultimately, it’s the quality of the company’s design and workmanship that will determine how good your railing looks and how well it performs. If you end up making repairs to the railing after a few years, odds are choosing a different commercial railing company could have saved you the hassle and money. Here is what to look for in a commercial railing company to help you make the right choice.
1. Material Choice
The type and quality of the materials that go into your railing are very important. But few property managers or homeowners understand how different materials perform in railings. While cable railings offer the best performance, the type of cable matters. There are different kinds of stainless steel that might go into your cable or other elements of your railing. The different kinds of wood or glass may matter too.
Certainly, avoid companies that offer railings with inferior materials such as vinyl cables, heat-strengthened glass, or galvanized steel. Particularly in California, with lots of sun exposure and the potential for salt spray from the ocean, these materials simply do not perform well.
In addition to finding a railing company that only offers high-quality material options, you might want to find a railing company that uses a local supplier. It isn’t always possible to keep your money in the community, but it is great when you can.
2. Guarantees
What can the railing company guarantee about the performance of their railing? Offering guarantees, in writing, is one sign that the company knows what they are doing in terms of design. They are confident they can make a railing which will perform consistently. If none of the companies you’re interested in offer a strong guarantee, you may want to look elsewhere. We guarantee that our stainless steel cable railings will never sag, warp, or buckle. Promises like this are possible.
3. Design Options
Take a look through the gallery or the images of their work that the railing company has offered you. Do they demonstrate a wide range of design options? Are there different materials, different finishes, and multiple looks the railings can achieve? You may not necessarily find the perfect railing style for you on their website, but you should find evidence that the company can pull off different styles. You should then be able to talk to them about the look you want, and they should offer you options in return.
Remember that the color of the metal and the type of wood isn’t the only design choice here. The finish or texture of the metal, the stain of the wood, the thickness of each element, the combination of materials, and many more details go into the style of the railing.
