Toronto Railings

When it comes to railings for a deck, wood is the material most often chosen because of the variety of species available, finishing options, and relative ease with which they can be installed and maintained.

Vinyl and aluminum railings are ideal for consumers on a budget, but for a truly standout deck with ornate details that will last for generations, nothing matches the versatility, design options, and long term value of iron railings installed by the professionals at M.E Railings.

In most cases, wrought iron or iron railings are actually made from steel, but because steel is so malleable, today’s manufacturing techniques make it possible to recreate the intricate details and design features typically found in many older buildings. This makes it an ideal material for home or business owners who want to make their decks a thing of beauty. At M.E Railings, we’ve installed hundreds of decks with iron railings over the last 10 years, and along the way we’ve educated consumers about their many benefits.

If you decide to install iron railings, there are many questions we recommend you ask of the contractor in charge of the project.

1. How long will iron railings last? Unlike wood railings, which can split, crack, or fade from exposure to the elements or accidental damage and need to be refinished every few years, iron railings will last for decades with minimal maintenance needs.
2. How many decks or iron railings have you installed? While iron railings are incredibly durable, they’re also difficult to work with compared to wood, vinyl, or aluminum counterparts. For instance, if a railing made from any of the three is too long, it can be easily trimmed onsite. As for iron railings, not so much. For this very reason, it’s important to work with an experienced contractor, someone familiar not only with installation, but also manufacturing and ongoing maintenance.
3. I’d like to tear down my old wood deck and replace it with a new one, but I want to salvage the iron railings and use them again – is that possible? Absolutely. At M.E Railings, we’re big supporters of recycling and reusing wherever possible, whether that means re-purposing landscaping stones for a fire pit, or harvesting old iron railings for a new project. Our expert designers can work with customers on a deck design that reuses iron railings, no matter the scope of the project or architecture or landscaping involved.
4. If I go with iron railings, is there anything special I need to do for maintenance? Not really. Unlike other building materials used for railings, iron railings retain their appearance for several years. Occasionally, customers will discover the finish is cracked or peeling, in which case the railing can be sanded down and a fresh coat of paint applied.
5. Are iron railings expensive? This type of building material may be more expensive at first, but their durability and low maintenance requirements will more than make up for any cost advantage that wood has, for instance.

If you have questions about the many benefits of iron railings, call us today for a free consultation.

About Us

M.E Railings have been installing various railings throughout the greater Toronto area for over 10 years. Our railings installers have experience knowledge and great skills. Call us today for a free on-site consultation

Whether you’re building a custom deck or interior staircase, neither project is complete without custom railings to match.

In order to get a finished product that’s aesthetically pleasing, long lasting, and affordable, you need to select the right contractor for the job. At M.E Railings, we’re Metropolitan Toronto’s number one company for custom railings;

Here are some things to consider when looking for a custom railings contractor in the greater Toronto area:

1. Make sure you have an idea of how much you can afford to spend on custom railings before the job starts, rather than letting the contractor run with the ball. If you know what you can spend, watch out for a hard sales pitch for features you don’t need but which a company may promote as a “must have.”
2. Never let a project begin without a signed contract, especially if money is going from your hand to the contractor’s. Get a contract that specifies the details, including building materials, the type of wood being used, and a timeline before turning over any money.
3. A reputable Toronto custom railings company will always offer a comprehensive warranty on workmanship, but if this isn’t mentioned in your first meeting, look somewhere else.
4. It’s important to get a list of references, the names and contact information of satisfied customers the builder has worked with in the past. Obviously, it’s a warning sign if the company won’t provide references.
5. Get the builder to describe the process they follow, including things like work being delayed by the weather, what happens to the work schedule if someone calls in sick, how your residence will be cleaned up when the job is done, and so forth.
6. Make sure the railings company is licensed and insured. This protects you from liability in the event someone is injured on the job. Otherwise, you would be responsible for medical bills, lost pay, or damages awarded through a law suit.
7. It’s always a good idea to talk to a railings contractor about payment milestones or incentives. For instance, this means you’ll pay the company x-dollars or x-percent of the total cost at certain intervals depending on how quickly a milestone is met.
8. Find out if the railings contractor belongs to professional affiliations or groups. This demonstrates the company keeps up with industry trends and has peers or professional associates to rely on for support and continuing learning opportunities.

Finally, building custom railings can sometimes be expensive, time consuming, and high pressure for all parties involved. With this kind of job, it’s not unusual for the contractor and homeowner to spend several hours together, so make sure you’re comfortable with the working relationship before the job starts. If you get a sense of personality differences, or disagreement on styles or other details that only you can decide, then it may be time to keep looking for the right contractor.

Stylish, functional, and affordable custom railings aren’t just for the covers of glossy home improvement magazines. At M.E Railings, we can help you arrive at a design that fits your needs and budget, so call us today for a complimentary in-home consultation.

For the accomplished do-it-yourselfer, few projects around the home result in as much pride as those done outside that can be seen and enjoyed by friends and family. Whether it’s landscaping features like a flagstone walkway, a new flower bed, or a play structure for the little ones, outdoors projects are a magnet for homeowners who want to dip their toes into the home improvement pool. When we talk with customers throughout the Greater Toronto Area, the conversation inevitably turns to the type of projects a homeowner can do that will save money.

At M.E Railings, we’ve been the premier landscaping, railings and outdoor construction company for 10 years running, and we pride ourselves on creative, quality, affordable projects – and also educating our clientele on what kind of work they can do on their own.

Many of our customers who’ve hired us to build decks often ask if they can install the steel railings on their own. The answer is, it depends. Many factors determine how successful the average homeowner would be with this sort of project, but even someone mildly familiar with power tools can get the job done of they follow these steps:

1. The first thing we encourage homeowners to do if they wish to install steel railings is to check with their municipality’s building department on codes and regulations that need to be followed. There are usually precise dimensions and placements for railings – like the height of the rails and distance between each one — so it’s always a good idea to know the information before starting work.
2. Pick a railing design that fits with the deck, architecture of the home, and landscaping features. For instance, if your home is a turn-of-the-century Victorian with yard work and deck to match, then contemporary steel railings painted bright red aren’t the way to go. The primary objective of this step is to take measurements of the deck, determine where the posts should be, and put together a parts and materials list.
3. Choose railings based on the design. Any reputable outdoor construction company that specializes in decks should have a wide range of steel railings to choose from, as would a fencing company or the local home improvement warehouse.
4. Use a pencil and mark on the deck where the steel railings and balusters will be installed, making sure the line is thick enough to be easily visible.
5. Review the parts and materials list and make sure everything is in order. If anything is missing, go back and get it before starting work.
6. Drill pilot holes for fasteners that will go into the deck.
7. Install the first post in the spot you marked, and be sure to use a level and shim so it’s properly aligned. Once the first steel railing is in place, follow the same steps for the rest.
8. Optionally, the next step is to install balusters or paneling as necessary.
9. Add the top railing.
10. Add the post tops.

Finally, if you have any questions in regards to the above steel railings installation, we always recommend customers call a professional for advice or other help to complete the project to their liking.

If you think that installing steel railings on your deck is not a DIY job you would like to undertake then we recommend you call us and we will give you a free on-site consultation.

Here at M.E Railings we have installed steel railings throughout the greater Toronto area and we are very familiar with the needs you may have. We even think we can save you money too!

Stair railings are an integral feature of any home or business where there are areas that people move between one level and another, whether it’s a flight of stairs leading from one floor to the next, or just a few steps from a raised deck to a ground level patio outside the back door.

For more than a decade, the professionals at M.E Railings have been designing and installing stairway railings for industrial, residential, and commercial customers throughout the Greater Toronto Area and can offer visually appealing and functional solutions to fit any budget and style.

Before selecting a railings contractor in the greater Toronto area, it’s important to remember that railings and stairs are inter-dependent of one another. This means a number of factors must be considered, such as safety, ease of use, whether the stairways and railings need to be handicap accessible, and how they’ll be integrated into surrounding architecture.
M.E Railings excels where other companies fail because of our reputation for customer service, value, and considering the customer’s needs before our own. We excel at designing and installing all types of interior and exterior stairs and stairway railings, whether made of wood, steel, aluminum, wrought iron, stainless steel, cast iron, glass, or any other material.

Three of the most popular stairway railings we install are wooden railings, wrought-iron railings, and balustrades:

• Wood is by far the most popular material chosen for interior or exterior railings, mostly because of the variety of species available, and ease of installation and ongoing maintenance. The most popular woods for wooden railings include Redwood, Cedar, Cypress, pressure-treated Pine and Fir, composites (wood and plastic combined), and more expensive but extremely durable tropical species like Ipe.
• Wrought Iron is a popular choice for stairway railings for a number of reasons. They are extremely versatile and can accommodate many architectural styles; wrought iron railings can be customized at the time of manufacture with intricate scroll work and design details; and wrought iron railings are very durable, known to last for decades with minimal maintenance.
• A balustrade is made up of multiple individual spindles that connect the top and bottom rails, and is ideal for internal or external railings. Because they seamlessly incorporate new designs and materials with traditional ones balustrades have become a very popular style of stairway railings in homes and businesses all around the world. M.E Railings can take balustrades to a new level, combining materials like aluminum, glass, wooden posts, steel, wrought iron rods, wires and even vinyl to craft stylish, modern and sturdy railings for any setting.

We are the premier railings company in the Greater Toronto Area and have served hundreds of customers in Richmond Hill, Thornhill, Vaughan, Maples, Markham, and surrounding communities for more than 10 years.

Thanks to our highly trained and certified railings design and installation professionals, we are uniquely qualified to help you find aesthetically pleasing and truly affordable solutions for your interior or exterior railing needs.

Call us today or visit our website, and we’d be happy to arrange a free, no-obligation consultation over the phone, in person, or via email.

When it comes to a home or business, interior railings are sometimes treated as “second class citizens.” They serve a very specific purpose and are designed as such, with a clear focus on safety and functionality.

That’s all well and good, but from a style point of view they are an indispensable feature that can add charm and depth of character to any environment, whether leading to a basement family room, or a library loft tucked into a converted garage. The professionals at M.E Railings have been designing and installing indoor stair railings for more than 10 years, and have built a reputation for quality and value with hundreds of customers throughout the Greater Toronto Area.
Like any other piece of architecture, indoor stair railings need care and attention to retain their beauty and functionality. If you have a set of railings you’d like to draw attention to with a new or fresh coat of paint, make sure to follow these helpful tips before starting your project:

• Interior stair railings, whether made of wood, wrought iron, or any other material, need to be cleaned before they can be painted. Paint has a tough time adhering to dirt and debris, and even if it does, you’re left with unsightly gobs of dirty goo under the paint that will require starting the project from square one.
• In fact, some types of interior stair railings don’t take to paint very well, meaning they need to be abraded first. This is especially true of vinyl or steel railings, which will have to be worked over with sandpaper before applying primer and paint.
• Priming is a crucial step that many do-it-yourselfers ignore for painting jobs if they’re in a hurry or working with a budget. Our advice is simple: Whenever possible, make sure to apply primer to your interior stair railings before the final coat of paint goes on. Without it, paint will eventually crack, chip, or peel.
• If you’ve committed to painting your indoor stair rails on your own, we recommend using the correct set of tools and accessories so the job goes smoothly. This means quality paint brushes or sponge rollers for the type of paint you’re using, drop clothes to catch paint spills, painter’s tape, a drip-free bucket for the paint, a rolling pan if necessary, rags to wipe up spills, and a set of clothes you’re not worried about ruining!

M.E Railings is the number one railings company in the Greater Toronto Area specializing in all types of interior and exterior stairs and railing systems. We have served hundreds of customers in Richmond Hill, Thornhill, Vaughan, Maples, Markham, and surrounding communities for more than a decade. Each of the services we provide are custom, never cookie cutter, and come with a 100 percent customer satisfaction guarantee that is the best in the industry. For more information, please call us today or visit our website, and we’d be happy to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation during whatever frame fits your busy lifestyle.

Stylish, high quality and affordable indoor railings can complement and enhance the beauty of any home, but the key to a finished product you can be proud of is understanding what you want, and using that as a baseline for the rest of the project. Make sure to follow these tips before starting your project.

Pick the design that fits your existing architecture

If your home is a quaint story-and-a-half with wet plaster, coved ceilings, and hardwood floors throughout, it’s unlikely that indoor railings made of glass and stainless steel will blend in. One of the biggest dilemmas customers face is trying to force styles together that just don’t fit. There’s nothing wrong with “unique” – just make sure you never cross the line into “embarrassing.”

Always look for an option that fits a pre-determined budget

We are the Greater Toronto Area’s number one company for custom indoor railings and other home improvement projects, and we’ve lost track of how many customers have told us jobs by other companies ended up costing more than they were comfortable with – all because they didn’t set a budget before the job started. Our company is growing and profitable not because we control a customer’s budget, but because we work within that budget.

Popular styles for indoor railings

• Contemporary indoor railings exude a feeling of openness. The key is building a railing that is simple and uncomplicated, with minimal accents or details on the railing itself. It’s difficult to grip a railing if you’re trying to get your hand around a gargoyle carved into the wood, for instance! A flat design for the railing is probably the best design, rather than something curved or fitted with grooves. Paint the railing in whatever colour complements the interior of the room. As a change of pace, try steel cable cords, staggered every 4 to 6 inches in between the baluster points and horizontally placed for a glossy, high-tech appearance.
• Rather than a darker wood, incorporate natural light-colored indoor railings for a staircase that is made from acrylic or glass for a modern look. To add even more style, think of the fusion of ash, beech, white oak and birch railings to make the use of glass or acrylic even more visually stunning. Keep in mind the railings can be rounded or curved to enhance the overall design. To add contrast, attach the railings to the balusters using stainless steel hardware. Finally, why not think about including finials and end caps made of brass or chrome to make the indoor railings look truly modern?
• Ultimately, few styles are as timeless as classic wooden indoor railings that feature turned balusters to further complement the overall style. The railings could be attached to the balusters with curves, bellows or grooves on the base.

Other tips to consider for indoor railings are choosing “classic” wood and stains for the railings — oak, mahogany and walnut. We also may recommend using varnish to add ease and smoothness to the touch when people grasp the railings while they climb the stairs.