How to Fence Your Back Porch

Porch fences, otherwise known as porch railings, add a measure of protection to little children -- as well as to anyone else who might happen to lose balance while walking on the porch, for that matter. If you have a covered porch, you can drill porch railings directly into the porch frame beams to make a porch railing. If your porch isn't covered, though, you’ll need to add support posts every 8 to 10, securing them directly into the porch frame.

Tape measure
Stock rails, length of your porch
Baluster wood, 1-by-1 pieces
Power miter box
Drill or power screwdriver
2-inch wood screws
Square head driver bit
3-inch finish screws

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the distance between posts on your deck and write down the measurements. Make sure you measure flush against each post each time to ensure you achieve a tight-fitting railing.
- 2
  Cut your bottom and top stock rail pieces to length using a power miter box.
- 3
  Cut your baluster pieces to lengths of 20 inches each. The simplest way to do this is to set up a stop block next to your table saw so that you can just set the wood on the guide and cut it to the correct length each time.
- 4
  Line up your balusters along the bottom rail and screw each baluster into place. Position the balusters 6 inches apart along the entire rail.
- 5
  Set the top baluster into place and nail it securely with two nails.
- 6
  Set the rail into position between the posts, making sure that both ends are set in place at the same time.
- 7
  Screw the rail into the posts using finish screws at a diagonal angle.
- 8
  Paint the wood with exterior wood protector paint, in a color of your choice, and allow to dry.

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