Commercial Railings in Cedar Rapids – Gallery

COMMERCIAL RAILINGS IN CEDAR RAPIDS, IA OVERVIEW

Here at American Fence Company, we employ highly trained designers, fabricators, and installers to deliver unique, one of a kind products that our customers are proud to call their own. We realize there’s more to making a railing than mere functionality; it needs to complement its surroundings and have an aesthetic appeal of its own. Our staff knows this, having been in the business more than 50 years, and our company offers a selection of adornments to spiff up your commercial railings: spears, scrolls, rosettes, globes, medallions, etc. Once you have a design in mind, then talk to our staff, and we’ll help you make this idea a reality!

COMMERCIAL RAILINGS IN CEDAR RAPIDS FAQ

Are commercial railings required in Iowa?

Check your local codes and authority. In most cases, requirements for commercial railings depend on whenever you have a deck, stairs, patio, or general surface with a thirty inch or more drop off.

What are the requirements for railings in Cedar Rapids, IA?

1. For residential properties, most codes require heights of 36”.
2. 42” are generally required for commercial or dwellings that house multiple families.
3. You are limited to a maximum opening of 4″ anywhere throughout the railing system.
4. Codes govern load barring capacity and railing fail points. Commercial railings in Cedar Rapids must not deflect more than an inch when two hundred pounds of force is applied vertically and horizontally but not consecutively. This tends to be an issue with vinyl and cable rail materials.

To protect your investment, hire a fence fabricator with a proven track record in the industry. In the case of American Fence Company, we have been in the business 50+ years.

What are the stair railing requirements in Cedar Rapids, IA?

1. Grab rails must be specific in size, profile and location — in most cases, approximately 34” above the nose of the stair tread.
2. Grab rails should be no larger than two inches in diameter or similar shape and installed with few obstructions, allowing users to safely run their hands up and down the railing.
3. Stairs 36” or less in width require one grab rail, whereas wider stairs require more than one grab rail.
4. In most cases, commercial railings require a one foot horizontal run of railing at the top and bottom of the stairs. This allows the user to grab the railing before stepping up or off.
5. Handicap railings require a one foot horizontal and vertical return at each end with a second lower railing allowing people in wheel chairs to reach the railing.

Can American Fence Company in Cedar Rapids custom build railings?

Absolutely. Having been in the business 50+ years, we’ve assembled thousands of railing designs, using the following process:

1. Look through our selection of catalogs and website photos of railings designs for you to review in designing your railing. We also recommend searching the web. Railing fabricators and home builders promote their products online more and more as time goes on. King Architectural Metals, for instance, has an excellent website with several design assistance tools and views.
2. Three veteran computer aided design (CAD) programmers will provide a CAD drawing of your railing.  In fact, you should insist on seeing a CAD view of your railing before the actual fabrication process. CAD views provide details including material selection, necessary dimensions, and even a three dimensional view.
3. Once a design has been selected, a field review of your application is performed. Custom railings must be field verified by a professional fabricator. Please note that it is easy to overlook little site details such as base trim, carpet to tile, set-backs and reveals, etc. These are details that only a professional fabricator will be trained to notice, so never purchase a railing without having a fabricator review the installation site.
4. Our railings are assembled in accordance with AWS D1.1. This group, whose acronym stands for American Welding Society, is the governing agency that sets the standards for steel fabrications.  D1.1 is the written standard for welding steel materials, and D1.2 is the standard for welding aluminum materials. Always request that your commercial railings are built according to these standards.
5. Working with hundreds of color samples and paint applications, we’ll help you select colors for your railings. The most popular paint applications consist of the following four types:
   1. HVLP. Short for High Volume Low Pressure, this process helps get paint into tight corners and angles. A wet paint application, it should include a two coat application of a quality primer and top coat.
   2. Electro-Static.  Another wet paint application, Electro-Static charges the paint particles and applies an opposite charge to the railing.  When the paint is applied it is immediately attracted to the metal surface, providing a very consistent coating with no overspray.  This process should be applied in conjunction with the HVLP system as electro-static paint is difficult to get into tight corners and angles.
   3. Powder Coating. This process provides a coating similar to candy apple. Once applied to the fence, it is melted in an oven, creating a tough, baked-on coating.
   4. Galvanizing. Galvanizing seals the fence from rust and leaves your fence with a shiny silver coating. While a great anti-rust application, it can be tricky to work with, as most paint applications don’t adhere to galvanized finish without being brush blasted first.

Because American Fence Company has 50+ years’ experience installing commercial railings in Cedar Rapids — and because we settle for nothing less than perfection — you can count on us to fabricate and install high quality commercial railings in Cedar Rapids.