Commercial Railings in Minneapolis Gallery

COMMERCIAL RAILINGS IN MINNEAPOLIS OVERVIEW

Scrolls, scepters, globes, spears, rosettes and medallions — all used in the successful building of a commercial railing for businesses in Minneapolis. Custom iron handrails continue to gain popularity as a gorgeous enhancement to any house. The number of designs is endless and restricted only by your imagination. If you can dream it, we can build it! Vinyl handrails offer a beautiful accent that can match the window frames and siding on your house. Best of all, vinyl is nearly maintenance free.

When picking out a railing manufacturer in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Shakopee, Eagan, etc., it is highly recommended that you work only with a company experienced in the fabrication and shaping of iron and vinyl. And there is no one with better knowledge on the commercial railing industry than American Fence Company.

MINNEAPOLIS COMMERCIAL RAILINGS FAQ

When do I need to install Minneapolis commercial railings?

Always start by consulting your local codes and authority. The general rule is when you have a deck, patio, stairs or general surface that has a drop of thirty inches or more, the installation of a guard railing is required.

What are the requirements for commercial railings in Minneapolis?

Again, we recommend that you check your local codes and authority. But, generally speaking:

1. Most codes require a height of 36” for residential and 42” for commercial or multi-family dwellings.
2. For both residential and commercial railings, you are limited to a maximum opening anywhere throughout the railing system of 4”. In other words, you should not be able to pass a 4” diameter ball through the railing.
3. Codes also exist governing the load barring capacity, fail point, of commercial railings in Minneapolis. In most cases, a railing must not deflect more than an inch when two hundred pounds of force is applied vertically and horizontally but not consecutively.  This is an issue to take into consideration when using vinyl and cable rail materials.

Due to the numerous codes and the potential hazards associated with railings, we recommend selecting a fabricator with an extensive history of building commercial railings in Minneapolis.

What about stair railing requirements in Minneapolis, Minnesota?

In addition to having a grab rail, stair railings must comply with standard guard railing requirements.

1. The grab rail must be specific in size, profile and location. Typically, grab rails are approximately 34” above the nose of the stair tread.
2. A grab rail should be no larger than two inches in diameter or similar shape.  It should be 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.  Wider stairs will require more than one.
4. Commercial railings often require a one foot horizontal run of railing at the top and bottom of the stairs to allow the user to grab the railing before stepping up or off.
5. Handicap railings will 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 of Minneapolis custom build commercial railings?

With 50+ years of experience designing fabricating, and installing commercial railings in Minneapolis, La Vista, Valley, Council Bluffs, etc., you can count on us to install the railings of your dreams on time and to your satisfaction. As the number one railing fabricator in Minneapolis, we a long track record of success in this field, having fabricated literally thousands of railing designs. Our process goes like this:

1. American Fence Company of Minneapolis has catalogs and website photos full of railings designs for you to review and choose from in designing railings for your commercial property. We also recommend searching the web, for a number of railing fabricators and home builders promote their products on-line. Example: the website of a popular railing accessory provider, King Architectural Metals, features several design assistance tools and views of their railings.
2. With assistance from our three veteran computer aided design (CAD) programmers, we provide our railings customers with CAD drawings representing the railing of their dreams. In fact, you should always insist on seeing a CAD drawing before fabrication begins — you want to make sure the railing that is built is the railing you had in mind. CAD views will also provide details that include material selection, all necessary dimensions and even a three dimensional view.
3. Once a design has been selected and confirmed, our expert staff at American Fence Company will personally field review the application.  All custom railings must be field verified by a professional fabricator. Never purchase railings locally or online without having the fabricator review your installation site. Small site details such as base trim, carpet to tile, set-backs and reveals, etc. after easy to overlook, but professional fabricators have been taught to consider and look out for items such as these. After all, their job is to see it that the railing installation job is not only done, but done right!
4. The job is now turned over to our five certified welders on staff, who’ll set about building your product. All custom metals products should be fabricated in accordance with AWS D1.1.  (AWS is the acronym for the American Welding Society.  This group is the governing agency that sets the standards for steel fabrications.  D1.1 is the written standard for welding steel materials.  D1.2 is the standard for welding aluminum materials.  Request that your fabricator build your railing to these standards.)
5. Using our access to hundreds of color samples and paint applications available for commercial railings in Minneapolis, we’ll work with in selecting colors. The most popular and widely used painting applications consist of the following:
   1. HVLP.  High Volume Low Pressure is the most popular paint process for Minneapolis commercial railings, having the benefit of getting paint into tight corners and angles.  It is a wet paint application that should include a two coat application of a quality primer and top coat.
   2. Electro-Static. A wet paint application that charges the paint particles and applies an opposite charge to the railing. Once applied, the paint is immediately attracted to the metal surface of your railing, providing a very consistent coat.  Electro-Static 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 provides a plastic like candy apple coating to metal products such as Minneapolis commercial railings: applied to the fence and then melted in an oven.
   4. Galvanizing leaves your railing with a shiny silver coat and seals it from rust and corrosion with a zinc rich finish. Though this is a great application to prevent rust, most paint applications do not adhere to the galvanized finish unless brush blasting has occurred first.