Maintaining the proper baluster spacing on your deck railing system is important for both aesthetics and safety. Most building codes require a maximum space less than 4" between baluster edges. To be safe, I recommend spacing wood, composite, glass and metal balusters 3.75" apart (edge-to-edge).
For aesthetics, keep the on-center baluster spacing approximately the same around the perimeter of the deck.
When marking for baluster placement, start in the middle of the railing section and allow small space fluctuations to fall near the pressure treated wood or composite lumber posts. Note: drill pilot holes before driving screws into rails to help eliminate splitting.
Check out this tool for a quick and simple way to determine how many balusters your deck railing will need.
Also important to note, there needs to be a gap less than 4" between the lowest point of the bottom rail and the composite lumber or treated wood deck surface, although I would recommend a smaller 3" gap, as it looks better.
Check local building codes in your area for specific details.
For aesthetics, keep the on-center baluster spacing approximately the same around the perimeter of the deck.When marking for baluster placement, start in the middle of the railing section and allow small space fluctuations to fall near the pressure treated wood or composite lumber posts. Note: drill pilot holes before driving screws into rails to help eliminate splitting.
Check out this tool for a quick and simple way to determine how many balusters your deck railing will need.
Also important to note, there needs to be a gap less than 4" between the lowest point of the bottom rail and the composite lumber or treated wood deck surface, although I would recommend a smaller 3" gap, as it looks better.
Check local building codes in your area for specific details.
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Thank you for your inquiry. Most buildings codes require a spacing of less than 4” between each baluster. An equation to calculate this is to take the actual installed length (in inches) of the railing you plan to use and subtract the combined total dimension of the estimated number of balusters you’ll need for your project. Divide that number by the number of spaces between the balusters (this is the total number of balusters plus one). If that number is less than 4” and over 3” then your estimated number of balusters should work for your project. If the number is over 4 then you’ll need to add the proper number of balusters to make the spacing under 4”. Here’s an example using our Deckorators Classic aluminum balusters with a 6’ railing system. A 6’ rail is 72” in length and a Deckorators Classic baluster is ¾” in diameter. I estimate I’ll need 15 of the ¾” balusters to meet proper spacing on a 6’ rail. So the equation is 72” minus 11.25” which equals 60.75”. Divide 60.75” by 16 spaces between balusters (the total estimated number of balusters plus one). This equates to approximately 3.8” of spacing between balusters. So 15 is the proper number of Deckorators Classic aluminum balusters to use for a 72” railing system.
Both Deckorators and Latitudes understand that proper baluster spacing can be difficult to calculate. That’s why our Deckorators CXT railing (http://www.deckorators.com/railing/cxt-railing.htm), Deckorators Aluminum railing (http://www.deckorators.com/railing/aluminum-railing.htm) and Latitudes Intrepid railing (http://www.latitudesdeck.com/railing/intrepid.htm) come pre-drilled for proper spacing. This not only takes the guesswork out of baluster spacing but it speeds up installation. Pre-drilling rails can be tedious and time consuming. Deckorators also lists the number of balusters required per linear foot on our aluminum and glass installation instructions. For example, Deckorators Classic balusters require 2.5 balusters per linear foot of railing.
Thank you.