How To Connect Deck Railing Post to Deck

Deck Railing Connection TIPS

• NEVER notch deck posts
• Through bolts NOT lag bolts to deck joists
• Use special galvanized hardware - See Below
• WATCH Video below for great connectors!
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Deck Post Danger

Deck railing posts are the foundation of a deck railing system. They must be strong.

It's easy to connect deck railing posts to the floor joists of the deck.

No Lag Bolts!

Don't lag bolt a deck railing post to the outer band board that's nailed to the ends of the floor joists. The nails that pass through the band board into the ends of the floor joists have minimal holding power.

The reason why nails driven into the end of a stud or joist don't hold well is because the nail is parallel to the micro grow tubes that make up the tree. If you could look at the end of a deck joist with a high-powered microscope it would resemble what the end of a bundle of unwrapped drinking straws would look like.

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Use this Simpson Strong-Tie Connector

I completely rebuilt a deck on my own home recently. I didn't build the deck originally. 

To connect the new posts to the floor joists I used two Simpson Strong-Tie DTT2Z ZMAX galvanized 14-gauge 2x deck tension tie connectors at each post base where it passed next to the floor joists.

Here's the connector I used on my own deck posts. You need two per deck railing post. WATCH the VIDEO above to see how it goes in. CLICK THE IMAGE HERE NOW TO BUY THESE CONNECTORS.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local deck builders in your city or town.

This important video warning was shared in Tim's May 16, 2014 AsktheBuilder Weekend Warrior Tip.