How to Measure a Railing for Pickets

Measuring a Railing for Pickets

• 1

  Measure the total horizontal length of the railing between support posts using a measuring tape. Write down the measurement in inches.

• 2

  Measure the width of a picket you will be using for your railing. Add the spacing you want between each railing to the picket width. Divide the total length of the railing by this number. For example, if your railing is 160 inches long, the pickets are 4 inches wide and your spacing is 4 inches, you would add 4 plus 4, which equals 8, then divide 160 by 8, which equals out to 20 pickets for your railing.

• 3

  Multiply the picket width times the number of pickets needed. In this example, multiply 4 times 20, which equals 80. This is the total width in inches that the pickets will occupy in the porch railing.

• 4

  Subtract the total picket width from the total horizontal length of the fence to obtain the empty spacing in the porch railing. In this example, 160 inches minus 80 inches equals 80 inches of empty spacing.

• 5

  Add one to your total number of pickets to determine the amount of spaces you will have between each picket. This takes into account that there is an extra space at the beginning of the railing. The number in this example is 21.

• 6

  Divide the total of empty spacing by the total number of spaces to evenly distribute the pickets throughout the railing. In this example, divide 80 by 21, which equals out to 3.8 inches spacing between each picket.