Some sub-assembly and pre-installation fabrication processes have to be done in Jim’s shop here in our Northern Virginia home.

The loft railings are one such project.

We have been thinking for a while that the pickets in the loft railing (and the pickets in the railings on the future exterior decks) would be painted rebar.  A few months ago, Jim found these fiberglass rebars (the pink rods in this picture) at Home Depot.  This material is lighter, and easier to fabricate and finish, than standard steel rebar and won’t rust when we use it outside!  The drill press was used to make the holes for the rebar in the wood elements that will create the base and top of the railing.

Creating all the holes and then doing a test fit of the rebar into them.

So far, so good!

Then all the elements are transported with the carpenter up to The Ridge.  They are set into place to check how they go together and to get final dimensions for additional components to be made in the “shop” up there.

Jim set up an impromptu paint booth in the screen porch.  Then he spray painted all the fiberglass pickets with a gloss black.  Once they had dried overnight and were no longer tacky to the touch, he set them into the wood top and bottom elements that he had nailed/glued into place in the loft.

And there you have it - our new railing!

After this photo was taken, we took the pickets out again so we could spackle the nail holes, sand and paint the wood elements.

You’ll be seeing more of the completed railing from now on!