When a really transparent deck railing is desired, glass is the usual solution and being 100% transparent, it is a very good solution. Glass does, however, have a few disadvantages –it is costly and if not regularly cleaned, it becomes unsightly. The budget on this one job wasn’t fat enough for glass and the owners didn’t like the idea of cleaning glass.

Our solution was to frame the railing with standard pressure treated 4×4 posts, 2×4 cripple posts and cats and 2×6 rail and fill in with 3’’ x 2’’ mesh made of green vinyl-coated16 gauge galvanised steel wire. We used stainless steel clips to fasten the mesh and screw fastened them to the PT with #10 x 1-½’’ panheadscrews and #10 x 3/4’’ fender washers(all stainless steel).

Not wanting to take a chance on not getting an occupancy permit, I discussed this solution with the building inspector and received his approval before sourcing materials.

A 36 inch by 50 foot long roll at Tractor Supply cost $40. Total material cost for 48 linear feet of railing was around $300 – including pressure treated lumber, mesh and all fastening materials.

A much more commonly used fill-in for wooden deck railing, 2×2 balusters with 4’’ spacing between, is 62% transparent. The transparency of the green vinyl coated 16 gauge 2’’x3’’ wire mesh is 95% and this really blends in with outdoor backgrounds.