How To Attach Railing Posts On A Flat Roof

Measure from the edges of the roof and mark the line of the handrails at several points.

How to attach railing posts on a flat roof.

A schematic diagram of a post on a roof. Cut the post to the desired height of the railing the width of the framing you will attach it to and the thickness of the decking minus the thickness of the top cap if there will be one. Access the roof using an extension ladder. These posts should be fastened to the rafters with bolts and nuts.

How to attach railing posts to a flat roof. Mark for two holes in the posts that are each 1 inch from opposite sides of the post and 1 1 2 inches from the top or bottom of the joist. A threaded rod between one plate screwed to the framing and another plate at the top of the post firmly connects a hollow newel to a rooftop deck. Once the plate and rod are installed i stand the post in place.

Uncured rubber will flex enough to allow you to either seam it to the edpm rubber deck or attach it directly using adhesive meant for rubber. Here we show posts for a 36 inch tall railing which is common. Snap chalk lines on the roof that define the line of the handrails. When wooden posts are used for railing it is best to go with pressure treated 4 x 4 posts.

Roofing contractors normally don t want to deal with the installation of post and railings. Normally a carpenter is best suited for this job. Staggering the holes avoids splitting the post along the grain lines. To counterflash the uncured rubber you can either kerf the post and counterflash using copper or aluminum or box in your post thereby covering the post and rubber.