Railing Installation Tip of the Day

Railing Installation Tip of the Day

When working with welded flanges it is often difficult to deal with extreme slopes or grades that will tend to throw the posts and pickets way out of plumb. What to do: - Send back posts or order more that have a biased cut to accommodate the angle... - Use rebar and forms and make a small, but level pad extension... - Use shims under the low side and level the posts, but have to deal with exposed shims and a flange that is not completely secure... None of these are Great Solutions, but look below-

By using a composite masonry blade and a cold chisel,one can modify the concrete under the flange, then the flanges can become recessed into the slab. This will allow for grade fine tuning and actually strengthen the post-flange-substrate connection. There may be better solutions out there, but if you have one - I would really like to know. Just sharing this Tip to help you if you ever run across this in the field and need to get the job done.

Hopefully, Most of you dealers will learn to interpret grade ahead of time. This customer near San Francisco was told to use an inclinometer app for his smart phone, but he did not want to spend the 99 cents. So instead he ended up paying a crew several hundred dollars to help him deal with the grade by modifying the concrete under the flanges.

Many ways to stay informed

   In the Fence Industry there are many ways to stay informed. Most of you know and participate in many of these:

1. Become active member of your regional AFA
2. Visit Fence Tech every year and check out the booths
3. Subscribe to World Fence News (May Issue Ultra makes cover again), Fence Post Magazine or other trade journals
4. Use the Internet to browse and research new products and approaches
5. Read and Subscribe to blogs written specifically on the product line you offer
6. Join Social Networks and Groups to discuss varying subjects
7. Get out there in the real world and visit your suppliers, your allies and even your competition

 This last one is what brings me to discuss most of what you will find on this blog. I go out in the field and see something that reflects well on this industry or I see something that shows that the folks that just want to make a quick buck and are not focused on doing the job well. My standard for a good fence, gate or railing installation is simple;

 I ask three questions:

    Does this installation serve the intended purpose reliably?


    Was this installation made in such a way that it will continue to serve its intended purpose for at least a couple of decades (if not more)?


   Does the installation add to the overall aesthetics of the scene or does it detract?

 For a Great Fence, my standards are much higher. Here is a photo of a INDUSTRIAL Premium Grade Installation in Plano that garnered letters of praise from the nearby homeowners all the way to the city manager. The installation was done as well as any I have ever seen. 

And here we are on the cover of this month's World Fence News again...

Ultra's Signature Railing

  For quite a while I have been focused on Gates and Access Control by Ultra, but with Spring comes the urge to be outside. Many homeowners, businesses, apartment complexes and municipal structures utilize railing that is similar to fencing but different. This post will be about some of the differences and why you can gain market-share and enhanced profitability by using Ultra's Signature Series of Railing.

   First of all, fencing is typically comes in residential, commercial and industrial strength varieties and then these are offered in 4', 5', 6' and in industrial even 7', 8', 9' & 10' heights. Railing is typically 36" in height when at a private residence and 42" when in public or commercial spaces. Both railing heights also have to be tested for added strength. According to International Building Code (IBC)  Section 1607.7.1 Handrails and guards, “Handrail assemblies and guards shall be designed to resist a load of 50 plf (0.73kN/m) applied in any direction at the top and to transfer this load through the supports to the structure.” And According to International Residential Code (IRC) Section 1607.7.1.1 Concentrated load, “Handrail assemblies and guards shall be able to resist a single concentrated load of 200 pounds (0.89 kN), applied in any direction at any point along the top, and have attachment devices and supporting structure to transfer this loading to appropriate structural elements of the building.”

  Ultra has designed and had our railing products built and tested with this in mind. So you can rest assured that our products, when installed properly will perform well on the 2nd story balcony or the 52nd floor balcony. They are not only beautiful, durable but extremely strong. Here are some photos of a recent job. (Notice the use of core-drilling versus the more common use of flange plates)

photo by: Ben Jodoin

photo by: Ben Jodoin

photo by: Ben Jodoin

 Plus you can see these with flange plates used:

This one even had a Trex "Drinking/Bar Ledge" added to it...

And this one utilizes our Boss Flanges & Boss Posts and a Continuous Cap (Madison Style in Satin/Matte White)

See more and more photos all the time at www.ultrafence.com and try out our Design Studio where you can upload a photo of a prospective site and choose the fence or railing to add, then show you customers exactly what they are getting. This is a GREAT Sales Tool when utilized!

Ultra Access Controls

We are still the same group that helps you provide your customers the strongest aluminum alloy fence.

  We are the same group that brought you Ultrack Cantilever Gates, Estate Gates and Signature Railing

     We are the same group that brought you the Defender Series of Industrial Grade Fence to compete.

         

        We are the same group that brought you more standard colors, textures and styles.

           

           We are the same group that brought you Revolution Hidden Gate Operators.

              We are the same group that brought you Eclipse Privacy Panels.

                We are the same group that brought you plasma cut Medallions.

                   We are the same group that brought you V-Track Gates.

                     We are the same group that brought you glass railing.

Now, well into the 21st Century, we bring you many, many more True Buying Benefits (TBB) that you can carry out into your market. With these tools in the hands of the right sales organization, YOU can excel and dominate while others struggle and push their cheap Chinese products.

   

                    

 

Now call your Ultra RSM and get the most competitive pricing on the Best Access Control Devices!

                 

Awesome Ultra Signature Railing

Not a lot of writing tonight. I will just let the pictures tell the story.

As much as I can......


 Ultra can do custom sized panels with your orders. We don't even charge extra for them, just the next size up in panel size.
That is Mass Customization.
That is what has made  
True American Made Products stand out
for years as superior. 


That is what you get with Ultra....

Combining Ultra Signature with Trex Decking
and being a little creative, we can solve people's desire to have a low-maintenance Green railing-
(with an 80% recycled aluminum product)
that works well with composite decking-
(made from at least 50% recycled wood)

  We can even combine them with special brackets to create a drink ledge that helps with entertaining, without obscuring your million dollar view.
We have braided Ultra-Tec Cable in S.S. as well.