Railings are not only beautiful, but also a functional element of the interior. They can perform various functions: serve as a fence for a certain area, provide support for a person, ensuring his safety while moving on stairs or ramps, and many others. There are a huge number of types of railings, as well as the materials from which they are made. One of the most popular types today is stainless steel railings.
Railings are decorative and functional
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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 - the railings are an element of the decor, so they should look attractive;
- ease of use - 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 railings 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 comfortable to use, safe, beautiful, durable and match the surrounding interior. A material such as stainless steel allows all these conditions to be met, 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 stainless steel railings, the price of accessories for railings will not be too high, which will save you money. In addition, the following advantages can be highlighted:
- resistance to corrosion, high humidity, water and other adverse natural phenomena;
- resistance to temperature extremes;
- low weight with high strength characteristics;
- resistance to all kinds of mechanical damage, as well as to the effects of an aggressive chemical environment;
- ease of installation and operation, unpretentiousness to the conditions of use.
Stainless steel handrail construction elements: 1 - bowstrings, 2 - handrail brackets, 3 - wall brackets, 4 - bottoms of the posts, 5 - glass holders, 6 - plugs, 7 - bowstring turns, 8 - handrail turns, 9 - handrails, 10 - bowstring, 11 - stands
It is thanks to these qualities that stainless steel railings are so widespread.Now they can be found almost everywhere, from industrial premises and parking lots to solid office buildings and residential buildings. Stainless steel fencing accessories can be purchased at any specialty store.
Helpful advice! With all the advantages and benefits of the material, stainless steel can still tarnish and lose its attractive appearance over time. In order for this to happen as late as possible, the stainless steel railing requires some maintenance and periodic polishing.
Custom stainless steel railings: purchase benefits
Now many buyers prefer not to buy ready-made railings and other metal products, but to order their production according to an individual project. This allows you to create unique designer railings that fit perfectly into the interior of your home or office. The price per meter of custom made stainless steel railings will be higher than the template option, but worth it.
Railings of any shape and size can be made to order.
Before ordering the manufacture of handrails, you need to decide on the following parameters:
- The size of the fence and its length.
- Preferred style and design of the product.
- The presence and appearance of additional elements.
- Form and appearance.
- Completion, i.e. the number and type of additional components provided with the handrail.
If you do not have enough experience, and you cannot independently decide on any of these parameters, then it will never be superfluous to consult an experienced specialist in the field of design. It would also be appropriate to invite a specialist to assess your home in terms of the appropriateness of this or that type of railings.
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 staircase, there are different types of stainless steel railings. Each of them has characteristic features both in manufacturing and in installation and operation:
- railings for ridge stairs - characterized by a large number of bends, individual segments are assembled by welding. When installing products of this type, the accuracy of bending and cutting of stainless steel pipe for railings is of great importance. The seams that form when the sections are welded are ground with special tools, as a result of which they become almost invisible;
- railings for mid-flight stairs - a characteristic feature of this type of structure is the presence of long straight sections. This provides for a large number of floor or wall mountings. Advantages - a wide scope for design imagination. If you look at the photo of stainless steel railings for mid-flight stairs, you can see the most bizarre options and styles;
Railings 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 is required to bend along the radius, which can be done only with the help of special tools. If the railing should consist of short, but straight sections, then everything is much simpler, it is enough just to correctly fasten the straight segments together.
In the photo of a 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 be carried out at the request of the customer.
Helpful advice! The choice of the surface type of the railing depends on two parameters: their intended purpose and the style of the interior in which the products are mounted.
Installation diagram of handrails for a single-flight staircase
A separate type of stainless steel railings are fences designed to divide a certain area into zones. This can be a fence in a park, a fence in a parking lot, a bicycle parking lot, and in many other places.Fundamentally, such railings differ from staircases by the presence of a greater number of straight sections. Nowadays, it is more and more often it is stainless steel that is used for the manufacture of handrails that are mounted on the street, since it perfectly resists the effects of corrosion.
Related article:
Stairs to the second floor on a metal frame: beauty, grace, ease of installation. Types and benefits. Types of metal frames. Metal railings. Manufacturing of metal stairs.
Features of mounting railing
Installation of stainless steel handrails can be carried out with the help of qualified specialists or by yourself. The latter option requires certain skills in the field of construction and special tools, and can take a fairly large amount of time, but it will allow you to significantly save money.
Installation of stainless steel railings consists of several stages:
- markings for the installation of support parts - in accordance with the drawing, you should mark the floor or walls in those 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 supporting frame made of steel or reinforced concrete;
For fencing stairs stainless steel railing with square section
- installation of supports - occurs using a hammer drill and anchor bolts. First, holes of the required diameter are drilled in the frame, then bolts are screwed into them;
- installation of fasteners - the handrails are screwed to the wall using anchor bolts;
- joining parts into a single whole is the most difficult and time-consuming stage of the railings installation. It requires a lot of attention, since an incorrectly assembled structure can quickly become unusable.
Helpful advice! The railings are installed after finishing the finishing work on the object, however, it is recommended to drill holes for fasteners before they are finished to avoid damage to expensive materials.
Complete set and mounting elements of stainless steel railings
Railing Care Tips
As already mentioned, stainless steel railings withstand a wide range of adverse natural and man-made influences. But this does not mean that they absolutely do not need care. In order for all types of stainless steel handrail fittings, as well as the fence itself, to always shine, be clean and attractive, you need to remember a few simple tips:
- In no case should you use bleach, it can make the stainless steel surface cloudy, it is better to use a 1% solution of ammonia for this.
- Do not use cleaning agents that contain abrasive particles, they may scratch the surface.
- Wipe the railing after cleaning with a dry soft cloth.
- Fingerprints from the steel will help remove alcohol and acetone.
- Add eucalyptus oil to the wash water to remove stickers or glue residue.
- Hard water streaks, as well as traces of cement or lime mortar, are removed with an acetic acid solution.
Stainless steel railing 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, which can provide a product warranty and, for an additional fee, will help with the installation of fences. Beautiful railings will decorate any interior, and will also serve as a guarantee of safety.
