Practical Benefits of Specifying Prefabricated Stainless Steel Railing Systems

This section offers practical examples of how and why selecting a prefabricated stainless steel ornamental railing system is the best option for architects and builders. It will look at the common issues encountered when railing systems are manufactured and installed by local metal working companies, and also discuss the three main advantages of a high-quality railing manufacturer.

Common Challenges in Designing Railing Systems

Railing systems are often thought of as a secondary element of a building in part because they do not contribute to the building’s structural design. What they do contribute to—and are essential for—is the safety of the building occupants. Whether the project is residential, commercial, or government, the challenges of incorporating a safe, secure, and site-appropriate railing system is anything but a secondary design decision.

Some of the most common design challenges come in the form of balancing the railing systems appearance and function, all while staying within the project budget. Let’s look at these issues one at a time.

Appearance is an important consideration when designing a railing system for a building. For example, the railing system can be designed to highlight a certain area of the building or serve as the highlight of the building. Alternatively, the railing system can be designed to be as unobtrusive as possible and to let other building features hold the aesthetic focus. Either way, the fact is that the design options for railing systems are seemingly endless, and thus the design process and initial drawings should be done in consultation with a railing specialist who can work with the architect to find the most suitable design for the project.

The second and related issue is function. While an architect might at first wish to include a railing system that is custom designed to meet the aesthetic needs of the building, the railing first and foremost must function as a safety barrier for the building occupants. All railings must also meet safety code requirements for the specific building type. In some cases, the function may be not just to provide a barrier between an exterior deck and a dangerous drop to the ground, but also to block the wind, as with glass infill. Alternatively, the function may be to provide a barrier but also clear sightlines for the vista a client has chosen on their property. In either case, the function of the system is something that an architect needs to discuss in detail with a railing specialist, as well as with the client.

Finally, the budget is an ongoing challenge when designing all aspects of a building, and railing systems are no exception. The difference between off-the-shelf railings, custom-designed and locally fabricated railings, and custom-designed and prefabricated railing systems can greatly impact the overall project budget. Again, architects should work with a railing specialist to help them find a solution that works best within their budget. As noted earlier, custom-designed, prefabricated stainless steel railing systems are one of the most reliable and budget-friendly options currently on the market.

All of the points above support the practice of verifying CAD design plans with a manufacturer before moving ahead with final railing design decisions. A railing manufacturer can work with the architect or building design team to make sure that all elements of the design are appropriate for the specific situation. Moreover, each of these challenges can be minimized by choosing a prefabricated stainless steel railing system with stainless steel components rather than working with mixed material systems, such as composites and vinyl.

TIG Welding On-site vs. Custom Prefabricated

Tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding, technically termed “gas tungsten arc welding,” or GTAW, uses an electrode made of tungsten shielded by a gas nozzle, usually argon or helium. The gas displaces the oxygen and other elements, and thus produces a high-quality weld.

TIG welding can present some possible safety hazards that are best managed in the controlled environment of the manufacturing plant rather than in a residential or job-site environment; for example, exposure to welding fumes, fire, and welding flash.

One of the main benefits of prefabricated ornamental railing is that it removes the need for TIG welding. TIG welding can present some possible safety hazards that are best managed in the controlled environment of the manufacturing plant rather than in a residential or job-site environment.

Aside from the possible health and safety risks of on-site TIG welding, when the process is done on-site for a railing system, the welds may not be finished properly, thus reducing the overall aesthetic appearance of the rail system.

The best way to prevent the potential problems of on-site welding is to have stainless steel railings custom designed and prefabricated by a professional manufacturer. This process removes the primary risks of fire, fume exposure, flash burn, and weld flash on the work site, and adds the benefit of having all the railing system’s welded connections precisely finished in a quality-controlled environment. The finished product is thus much cleaner than one completed on-site, and saves the general contractor the time and responsibility of building it from scratch or employing and overseeing a local fabricator/job shop to do the work.

The Challenges of Subcontractors, Scheduling, and Job-Site Management

One of the main benefits of custom-designed, prefabricated stainless steel railing systems is that they are designed for easy assembly. Most manufacturers will ship the prefabricated railings with the components numbered for easy identification in easy-to-handle packages. In these packages, the manufacturer will include easy-to-follow installation instructions with all of the required hardware, and the contractor or builder simply has to assemble the system. If all of the work has been done properly ahead of time, and the architect has shared the CAD work and consulted with the manufacturer before having the railings fabricated, the system should be quick and easy to install. Moreover, it should be fabricated with the highest level of quality control.

In comparison, stainless steel railings that are designed and installed by a local fabricator/job shop can present many challenges, some of which stem from the fact that the fabricator is a subcontractor. While independent railing fabricators certainly can provide excellent customized work, any time a subcontractor is employed for a project, the general contractor runs the risk of unexpected time and cost delays, both of which can affect project management and project scheduling.

A subcontractor means extra work for the building team, and it also means potential time delays that can affect other aspects of the project.

In the case of railing fabrication and installation, the subcontractor will require the space to work, and that includes providing a safe space for any on-site welding that needs to be done. If, for example, a railing installation requires that the subcontractor set up the site, spend several hours welding, and clean up when finished, this process may mean that other workers cannot safely work in the local area during this phase of the project. This sort of delay can cost both time and money, and can compromise work scheduled for other elements of the project. From a project management standpoint, subcontractors can be somewhat of a wild card, and if there is a practical way to avoid using them for certain elements of the project, the project may go more smoothly and be more likely to be completed on time and within budget. In short, with prefabrication, job-site superintendents/project managers have fewer scheduling crises.