Stainless steel railings: types, features, installation and maintenance

Railings are not only beautiful, but also a functional element of the interior. They can perform various functions: serve as a fence of a certain territory, provide support to a person, ensuring his safety while moving up a staircase or ramp, and many others. There are a huge number of varieties of railings, as well as the materials from which they are made. One of the most popular types today are stainless steel railings.

The railings have a decorative and functional purpose

• 1 Requirements for handrails
• 2 Advantages of stainless steel railings
• 3 Stainless steel handrails to order: the benefit of the purchase
• 4 Types of stainless steel railings
• 5 Features of railing installation
• 6 Tips for Railing care

Railing Requirements

It is very easy to get lost in the variety of materials and types of fences. In order to prevent this from happening, you need to understand what requirements should be imposed on the railing:

• aesthetic appearance – railings are a decorative element, so they should look attractive;
• ease of operation – do not forget about the practical function of fences, so they should be easy to use as a support;
• compliance with the general style of the interior – the handrails of the stairs of a country house, for example, can be made of wood or metal.

Examples of the use of stainless steel and glass railings in the interior

If you still prefer stainless steel railings, then they should be convenient to use, safe, beautiful, durable and match the surrounding interior. A material such as stainless steel allows you to comply with all these conditions, and also has a number of characteristic advantages.

Advantages of stainless steel railings

The main advantage of stainless steel fences is their stylish and modern appearance. Also, if you choose a stainless steel railing, the price of components for railings will not be too high, which will allow you to save money. In addition, the following advantages can be distinguished:

• resistance to corrosion, high humidity, water exposure and other adverse natural phenomena;
• resistance to temperature changes;
• light weight with high strength characteristics;
• resistance to various kinds of mechanical damage, as well as to the effects of aggressive chemical environment;
• ease of installation and operation, unpretentiousness to the conditions of use.

Structural elements of stainless steel handrails: 1 — string holders, 2 — handrail brackets, 3 — wall brackets, 4 — bottom racks, 5 — glass holders, 6 — plugs, 7 — bowstring turns, 8 — handrail turns, 9 — handrails, 10 — bowstring, 11 — racks

It is thanks to these qualities that stainless steel railings have become so widespread. Now they can be found almost everywhere, from industrial premises and parking lots to solid office buildings and residential buildings. Accessories for stainless steel fencing can be purchased at any specialty store.

Useful advice! With all the advantages and advantages of the material, stainless steel can still fade over time and lose its attractive appearance. In order for this to happen as late as possible, stainless steel railings require some care and periodic polishing.

Stainless steel handrails to order: the benefit of the purchase

Now many buyers prefer not to buy ready-made railings and other metal products, but to order their manufacture according to an individual project. This allows you to create unique designer railings that will perfectly fit into the interior of your home or office. The price per meter of custom-made stainless steel railings will be higher than the template version, but it’s worth it.

Handrails of any shape and size can be made on an individual order

Before ordering the manufacture of railings, you need to decide on the following parameters:

1. The size of the fence and its length.
2. The preferred style and design of the product.
3. The presence and appearance of additional elements.
4. Form and appearance.
5. Complete set, i.e. the number and type of additional components that are provided with the railing.

If you don’t have enough experience and you can’t decide on any of these parameters yourself, then the advice of an experienced specialist in the field of design will never be superfluous. It would also be appropriate to invite a specialist to evaluate your house in terms of the appropriateness of a particular type of railing.

A stone bridge in the courtyard of a private house is decorated with stainless steel railings

Types of stainless steel railings

Depending on the type of stairs, there are different types of stainless steel railings. Each of them has characteristic features both in manufacturing and in installation and operation:

• handrails for spine stairs are characterized by a large number of bends, individual segments are mounted by welding. When installing products of this type, the accuracy of bending and cutting stainless steel pipes for railings is of great importance. The seams that are formed during the welding of sections are ground with the help of special tools, as a result of which they become almost invisible;
• handrails for marching stairs – a characteristic feature of this type of structures is the presence of long straight sections. This provides for a large number of fasteners to the floor or to the walls. Advantages – wide scope for design imagination. If you look at the photo of stainless steel handrails for marching stairs, you can see the most bizarre options and styles;

Handrails for spiral staircases are more difficult to manufacture and therefore their cost is higher

• handrails for spiral staircases are one of the most difficult options, since to create a continuous rounded spiral, metal bending along the radius is required, which can only be carried out with the help of special tools. If the railing should consist of short, but straight sections, then everything is much simpler, it is only enough to correctly fasten the straight segments together.

In the photo of stainless steel railings of any type, it can be seen that the surface of the products can have different processing. It can be matte or glossy, and knurling can also be carried out at the request of the customer.

Useful advice! The choice of the type of railing surface depends on two parameters: their intended purpose and the style of the interior in which the products are mounted.

A separate type of stainless steel railing is fencing designed to divide a certain territory into zones. These can be fences in the park, a fence in the parking lot, on the bike stand and in many other places. In principle, such handrails differ from stair ones by the presence of a larger number of straight sections. Now stainless steel is increasingly used for the manufacture of railings that are mounted on the street, as it perfectly resists the effects of corrosion.

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Features of railing installation

Installation of stainless steel railings can be carried out with the help of qualified specialists or on their own. The latter option requires certain skills in the field of construction and special tools, and can take quite a lot of time, however, it will allow you to significantly save money.
The installation of stainless steel railings consists of several stages:

• marking for the installation of supporting parts – in accordance with the drawing, the floor or walls should be marked in the places where the fasteners will be installed. Remember that the reliability of the entire structure depends on the strength of the fasteners, so it is best if they fall on a strong load-bearing frame made of steel or reinforced concrete;

Stainless steel handrails with a square cross section are used to fence the stairs

• mounting of supports – is carried out with the help of a puncher and anchor bolts. First, holes of the desired diameter are drilled in the frame, then bolts are screwed into them;
• mounting fasteners – using anchor bolts, the railing is screwed to the wall;
• connecting parts into a single whole is the most difficult and time–consuming stage of railing installation. It requires a lot of attention, since an improperly assembled structure can quickly become unusable.

Useful advice! The railings are installed after finishing work on the object, however, it is recommended to drill holes for fasteners before they are finished in order to avoid damage to expensive materials.

Complete set and mounting elements of stainless steel railings

Tips for railing care

As already mentioned, stainless steel railings withstand a wide range of adverse natural and man-made impacts. But this does not mean that they absolutely do not need care. In order for all types of accessories for stainless steel railings, as well as the fence itself, to always shine, be clean and attractive, you need to remember a few simple tips:

1. In no case should bleach be used, the stainless steel surface may become cloudy from it, it is better to use a 1% solution of ammonia for this.
2. Do not use cleaning products that contain abrasive particles, they can scratch the surface.
3. Wipe the railing after cleaning with a dry soft cloth.
4. Fingerprints from the steel surface will help remove alcohol and acetone.
5. To remove stickers or glue residues, add eucalyptus oil to the washing water.
6. Stains from hard water, as well as traces of cement or lime mortar are removed using a solution of acetic acid.

Stainless steel handrails can be used to fence street stairs

It is necessary to buy stainless steel railings, accessories for them and other elements only in specialized stores that can provide a guarantee for the product and, for an additional fee, will help with the installation of fences. Beautiful railings will decorate any interior, as well as serve as a guarantee of safety.