DIY How to Install Pre-Fabricated Deck Railing and Posts Quickly

This pre-fabricated deck railing set up was purchased at Lowe's. It was a little more than I wanted to pay and wasn't completely top quality but it was able to be constructed quickly and effectively fit the billet of having a deck rail in place on this second story outside deck. The reason I needed a new deck was because the old one had been attacked by carpenter ants in many places so after exterminating all of the carpenter ants I removed the old deck. It made for some good dry backyard bonfire wood. I then took perimeter measurements and figured out how much deck rail I would need. This pre-fabbed railing was a little more than I really wanted to pay so I didn't want to overestimate. I got my materials home and then kind of layer it out to so I could get a visual on how it went together. The first step in construction was to install the 4 X4 posts. I secured them to the outside of the deck with lag bolts, of course, pre-drilling them before sinking the lag bolt in. Since I was a one man show I was able to clamp them into place before permanently securing them. I used two lag bolts per post. Same goes for the rails. I roughly fit them up before  securing them. Pre-drilled the holes then used weather proof drywall screws to hold them in. I pre-drilled the holes using a bit slightly smaller than the screw itself. Since each rail section was a set length I ended up having to trim a little off of one. I measured twice to make sure I had the correct length. I used my hand held power saw to whack the extra part off. Overall this deck rail was super easy to install and had it done in just a few hours as I took my time installing it. The pro's are that is was quick to install, it looked attractive and matched the design of the house, was plenty sturdy (sturdy enough to lean against), the wood was already pre-stained,  and was very simple to install by myself. The only negatives were that I wish the wood was a little thicker on the rails themselves and the other is that this set up wasn't conducive to a simple gutter system if you wanted to put one on.



Here's a link on amazon for the quick grip clamps I used here. I use these for a number projects as well:



Quick Grip Clamps: https://amzn.to/3akRzIP