Picket railing vs glass railing

As a business, we are always thinking about how to improve our customers' experiences when they begin thinking about improving their enjoyment of their backyards or the curb appeal of their front porches. The good news is, we are working on some very useful blog posts with tips to help our customers make decisions regarding options that are out there.

In this very first blog, we will talk about how to decide between an aluminum picket railing system versus a glass railing system.
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When looking at your future railing system some of the elements you may consider are the aesthetics of the railing system, views from the deck or porch, maintenance of the railing system, practicality and usability as well as economics. When you consider these elements you also have to determine which of these elements takes precedence.

Let’s take a look at these considerations:

Aesthetics
As they say: “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. Take in the big picture. What is the look that you feel will enhance your deck or front porch? Will the glass railing system enhance the view better or will the simple picket railing system suffice? Whichever choice you make,  what colour of system compliments and enhances the look of your home or cottage?

Views
Views are two ways. What view do you want to have from your porch or deck? If you have a beautiful view into the nature we would always suggest going with as little disruption as possible ie the glass system. We offer 3 different types of the glass railing systems which can help enhance your view in the most seamless manner. If the view isn't the most important consideration, then the simple to install picket railing system would work great!

Some other considerations on this point are what view do you want people to have that are looking towards you? Do want an open view both ways? Do you want some privacy? There are ways in which we can make things work for you.

Maintenance
The picket systems are virtually maintenance free, while the glass systems tend to require some cleaning, depending on how particular you are. Things to consider are the environment around you (dusty?), if you have pets, wildlife around you and hand prints. These can be mitigated by purchasing a self-cleaning glass for your railing system if glass is your choice. In general though, the glass system needs maintenance as often as the windows in your homes.

Practicality
There are also some practical considerations for choosing between the two systems although our systems do work seamlessly together. We have installed many glass railing systems that go around the perimeter of the deck, and end with our picket system at the stairs, as there is more grip for the elderly and small children as they step up or down. We have also had customers who had glass railings installed in their front porch to stop the wind from picking up their porch furniture.

Economics
This is often a major consideration for most. The Picket Railing Systems are the most economical railing systems. If installing a picket system does not enhance your views, then the most economical glass system would be our Framed Glass System with 6 mm tempered glass.

We also offer a Topless Glass System with 10 mm tempered glass which doesn’t have the top and bottom horizontal rails but still has posts as the intermediate price option and finally the Frameless Glass System with 12 mm tempered, heat soaked glass as the most seamless and least economical option.

Once you've thought about some of these factors and you're ready to move forward with your project, come on into our showroom with your deck sketch, measurements and photos and we can help you look at the options that will allow you to maximize your priority for your railing system in the most economical way. You are also most welcome to email us your dimensions and sketch to info@ontariodeckrailing.com or call us at 226.984.1081 to speak to one of our estimators.

Looking forward to seeing you.

​Written by Jack (and Grace)