How to Turn Corners with Cable
Modern and sleek, cable deck railing systems have been an increasingly popular deck railing material for DIY deck builders and homeowners across the country. Taking on a DIY cable railing installation can feel intimidating at first, however, with a few tips, cable railing installs can be a piece of cake!
One of the most confusing areas of cable railing installation is deck corners and how to maneuver around them. Find out how to install cable railing around corners to perfect your deck railing design and overall aesthetic.
How Do You Install Cable Railing Around Corners?
Depending upon the style of your home's outdoor living space, as well as the deck railing system you're working with; running cable deck railing along turns and corners can have many options for you.
Generally for wood deck posts, cable railing can't be curved through a single post as the pressure will be too great and can eventually pull the deck post down out of place.
Installing Cable Railing Around Deck Corners
How to Install Cable Railing Around Corners
There are three main ways to DIY install cable railing along deck turns and corners. First, you can choose a cable railing system with a corner post or section. Second, you can double-post your deck railing corners. Third, you can off-set your cable lines at the wood corner post.
Metal Cable Railing Systems with a Corner Post
One of the coolest innovations in the cable railing market over the past few years, creating a corner solution for cable makes railing installation amazing! Many metal cable railing lines feature a corner post or a corner section piece allowing for a simple cable railing along the turn.
The Key-Link Cable Railing line's Corner Post features a tubular channel for the cable to pass through from one side to the adjacent face. No drilling or special products required, simply run your cable through the Corner Post tube for a complete 90° turn in seconds!
The Skyline Cable Railing line boasts a Corner Kit creates a brace using a small section of the top rail and two fixed 45-degree brackets to stabilize the two posts. Thread your cable through one Skyline post to the second post, and the Corner Kit creates two 45 degree bends in the cable, trim the 18 inch top rail section to fit your railing section.
Double-Post Deck Corners
The most common method to installing cable railing along deck corners is to mount to deck posts at your 90° corner. Position your deck posts roughly 2 inches out from the actual corner point of your deck, and mount via a deck post anchor or structural deck screws.
With your deck posts installed, there are two ways DIY cable installers can continue: you can end the cable run or turn the cable run. Ending the cable run would complete the straight railing section, leaving an opening between the posts that is compliant with deck railing codes. Here, you would polish off the stainless steel cable with CableRail Stainless Steel End Caps or Rubber End Caps.
Otherwise, the cable railing line can be continued from deck post to deck post and on down to the end of the run. The angle between the 2 deck posts releases the pressure of the 90° and allows the posts to remain in place.
Off-setting Cable Railing Runs
Lastly, for a clean cable railing design, off-setting the steel wire runs within the deck post can allow for a smooth railing install. This deck railing setup would feature a single post installed in the corner and would have one side of the deck railing be ending where the adjacent side begins. The two sets of cable runs will be off-set by a half-inch to keep the post strength integral while allowing the runs to pass through.
This can be a creative cable railing solution that will keep your deck budget low and your backyard views open. It can, however, be distracting for some deck owners as the lines will not be even beyond that corner post.