Composite Railing

Composite railing is an awesome, low-maintenance deck railing option that captures the traditional look of wood without all the upkeep demands. If you have a cape cod-style home or a classic-looking deck, composite railing will be a perfect fit that will hold up for years. In addition to its traditional style, composite material is super durable and ultra low-maintenance, making for a premium deck railing.

Composite deck railing is made up of (1) rails, (2) posts, and (3) infill, as shown below:

Rails are the long, horizontal bars - most composite railing systems will have a top rail and a bottom rail made from a wood-plastic composite material. Posts are the thick, vertical pieces that give your railing strength. (In composite railing, the posts will often be wood with a composite post sleeve over the top). Posts and rails create a square or rectangle; infill sits inside that square or rectangle. Infill can be balusters - smaller, vertical bars parallel to your posts. But composite railing can also use glass panels, mesh panels, or metal cables as infill.

Composite railing, like composite decking, is a blend of natural wood fibers and synthetic plastic. The result is a material with the rich, organic look and feel of natural wood, but with a significantly longer lifespan and far less regular maintenance. Unlike wood railings, composite railings never need to be stained, and they won’t rot, crack or warp over time.

The other big advantage of composite material is that it is often made with recycled materials for a more sustainable, eco-friendly railing option that doesn’t contribute to deforestation.

While composite material is a mix of natural wood and synthetic plastic, vinyl railing is made entirely from synthetic material. As a deck railing, the two share a lot of advantages: both composite and vinyl railings are low-maintenance and durable. The main difference comes down to style. Composite railings have more of a natural wood look and a traditional style. Vinyl railings tend to have a glossier finish, and fit well with colonial homes.

To find out whether composite or vinyl railing fits your vision best, give our team a call at 1-888-824-5316 for a free consultation.

DecksDirect is the best place to buy deck railing. Here are three of the many reasons why:

• Real Service & Planning Help: Our team is available by phone to help you pick a composite railing that fits your needs and guide you through the planning and installation process.
• Completely Fast: We fulfill 99.5% of our orders the same day they’re placed and ship them out the next day, plus we can reach most of the United States in three days or less. Don’t delay your project - we’ll make sure you stay on timeline!
• Largest In-Stock Selection: We carry a huge range of composite railing options on hand and ready to ship - don’t limit your selections or wait for unstocked parts.

You can always order online, or you can call us during regular business hours at 1-888-824-5316 and talk to a trained deck project planner. When you call DecksDirect, you reach a real person with a real passion for decking - not a robot or an automated system.

Yes. Our composite railings feature a number of railing lines with drink rail adapters. Trex Select is a standout, with a white-and-black look that can really shine with a composite deck board of your choice attached on top as a drink rail. You can customize your TimberTech Classic Composite Railing to feature a drink rail, and the TimberTech Classic Composite system works with composite balusters, metal balusters, glass panels or stainless steel cable for an incredibly versatile setup.

We wouldn’t recommend painting composite railing, as this can void your warranty. Fortunately, we carry systems like Trex Transcend that come in a huge range of color options to fit the style you’re looking for in your outdoor space.

Yes! Composite railing can work with a variety of infill options, based on the composite deck railing system you choose. For example, Trex Transcend can pair with full glass panels for a composite and glass railing setup. So can TimberTech Classic Composite Railing. You can also combine TimberTech's composite railing with Feeney CableRail for a modern cable setup. Composite railing makes it easy to mix and match different railing materials: several composite railing lines also offer aluminum balusters for strength and style.

Each composite railing line will install slightly differently. We feature full installation instructions on each product page to help you complete your deck project. You can also call our team at any time at 1-888-824-5316 to learn more about installing a composite deck railing in your outdoor living space.

Yes - you can find angled stair rail kits along with level kits when you browse any of our composite deck railing lines.

You can install composite deck railing on top of a wood deck - in fact, most composite railing systems use hollow post sleeves that are designed to be used over the top of a wood post.

The huge advantage of composite railings is that they are extremely low-maintenance. Weathering the elements much better than wood, composite deck railings don’t rot, warp, or crack, and you’ll never need to stain or paint them. That means you can spend more time enjoying your outdoor living space and less time on regular chores to maintain it.

Composite railings are easy to clean - most of the time, normal soap and water are all you need to make your railings sparkle. We recommend cleaning them at least twice a year. Just spray down your railings with a hose to remove surface debris, wipe them down with warm, soapy water, and then rinse all the cleaning solution off with fresh water again.