Ü Update: For free high-quality information, see our new "How-To" menu.

Baluster (17)

Balusters are the smaller vertical pieces of the railing that run between the guardrail cap and shoe. By code, every guardrail component must be able to resist a 200 pound force at any point and in any direction. If your guardrail uses smaller 2x2 balusters, make sure to cut your balusters from clean, defect free lumber - no splits, checks, or knots allowed. Alternatively, the larger building supply centers typically carry several different styles of pre-made balusters in treated lumber.

According to the NDS ANSI/AF&PA specifications, the typical #8 deck screw has a withdrawal resistance of 90 pounds when screwed into the side grain of Southern Pine. Given that the majority of treated lumber is Southern Pine, this is exactly what we need to know. However, since the wood is used outdoors, we need to reduce this value for "wet service" conditions by 30%. This means it takes .7x90=63 pounds to yank a deck screw out of green treated lumber. Applying this information, people that attach the balusters by screwing them to the sides of a guardrail or deck will need to use two screws on each end of the balusters for a total of four to meet the 200 pound code requirement.

On BestDeckSite, we don't guess. We know what the codes say and then exactly determine what it takes to get the job done right. If you have questions or need precise information on how to build your deck well, then we've got what you're looking for.