How to Build a Balcony Guardrail

A balcony offers a pleasant outdoor space in an apartment or home, but without proper safety features, a balcony presents a danger. All balconies should have a secure guardrail to prevent people from injuring themselves. A guardrail made from 2-by-4-inch lumber offers the strength to secure your balcony.

2-by-4-inch pressure-treated lumber
Tape measure
Chop saw
Galvanized wood screws, 2 inches

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the distance between your balcony posts or walls if the balcony has walls on the side.
- 2
  Cut two boards, the length of the distance between the balcony posts, using the chop saw. These will form the horizontal rails.
- 3
  Measure the height of your balcony post using the tape measure. If the balcony has walls, not posts, then measure the height where you want the rail to reach.
- 4
  Cut a set of boards that are 4 inches shorter than the height of the post. These will form the vertical posts. You will need one board for each foot of rail, so if your horizontal rail is 7 feet long, you will need seven posts.
- 5
  Measure 1 foot from the edge of one of the horizontal rails and place one of the vertical posts, perpendicular to the horizontal rail, on that spot. The two boards should form a T.
- 6
  Attach the two pieces of wood by inserting two screws through the horizontal rails and into the vertical posts.
- 7
  Repeat the process, attaching vertical posts at 1-foot intervals.
- 8
  Place the second horizontal rail parallel to the first rail, forming a T intersection with each of the vertical posts. Attach the second rail to the posts in the same manner that you attached the first rail. You will now have a guardrail ready to be installed onto your balcony.

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