How to Choose and Maintain Cable Railing Systems | Ask This Old House

In this video, This Old House carpenter Nathan Gilbert shows host Kevin O’Connor everything he needs to know about installing cable railings and maintaining them over time.

Carpenter Nathan Gilbert shares a few connection options for cable railings and the best way to maintain each system. There are several fastener options out there but the three most common are clip, lag bolt and base plate fasteners.

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From the makers of This Old House, America’s first and most trusted home improvement show, Ask This Old House answers the steady stream of home improvement questions asked by viewers across the United States. Covering topics from landscaping to electrical to HVAC and plumbing to painting and more. Ask This Old House features the experts from This Old House, including general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, landscape contractor Jenn Nawada, master carpenter Norm Abram, and host Kevin O’Connor. ASK This Old House helps you protect and preserve your greatest investment—your home.

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How to Choose and Maintain Cable Railing Systems | Ask This Old House

[glennmccarthy]

I love these, my town has a code that balusters cannot be horizontal as it makes a ladder for kids to climb, then fall over!

[jaycie]

One bit of advice not mentioned here is to tension on warmer days.
Over the course of a year the weather can cause the cable to expand up to a tenth of a percent.
Tensioning on the hottest day means the rest of the year the weather is working for you.

[fmradio]

Before you instal, make sure its up to code. children can climb up and fall over.compared to vertical balusters.

[blkhawk]

biggest reno regret i've ever had is these railing.... kids come over for parties and can't help but step on it... pulls right out with a 60lb kid standing on it...

[ekujj]

I nearly laughed out loud when he pulled out that nylon brush.

[wolfmanjacksaid]

In many areas the railings can't be climbable by code

[jej]

No eye and ear protection? For shame!!!

[cbtjack]

Completely useless without the links to the railing supplier.

[CC-jvwm]

No comment on the legality of having climbable railings?

[trumpetmaris]

Lags will not hold with time. InvisiCable you used in a previous deck build are the best. Critical 4 design is your posts and how the top rail is fastened since the sheer forces are very large at that junction. Your mock up wasn't even tight. I use a tensioner and shoot for 200lbs. On the wire. The order you tension is also critical. So many details left Out of this video that it's more harmful than helpful. The guy didn't even know how to use his power driver! If you have to retention every year then something is moving either your post or your fastener because the cable itself does not stretch. I can't emphasize how important the stiffness of the posts are where they are tensioned into the deck structure (blocking and DTT2Z). I expect Better from your channel 😢.

[_Fish._Fish.Red_Fish.]

I work for Source Build Products if anyone needs any stair materials.

[janking]

These are dangerous, can’t understand why they are code permitted. Don’t know why This Old House shows this.