Reddit reviews Deckorators Aluminum 26" Balusters - Black - 100 Pack (Deckorators DB52613)
We found 1 Reddit comments about Deckorators Aluminum 26" Balusters - Black - 100 Pack (Deckorators DB52613). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Deckorators 26" long aluminum round deck balusters are designed to build a 36" high rail.Each baluster has a diameter of 3/4" and is made with 18 gauge aluminum.Designed to install 2.5 balusters per linear foot.Powder-coated with AAMA2604-compliant material.Limited Lifetime Warranty.
Long story short (sorry, not really), if $2/baluster is within your budget, then black-coated round ALUMINUM 26-inchers are there for the taking. I'm estimating that you'll need 170 for your fifty feet, give or take. Steel versions may also be available for less money - or more money, depending - but those are typically not ideally suited for exterior use...
https://www.amazon.com/Deckorators-Aluminum-26-Balusters-DB52613/dp/B01BUAXYP6
Home Depot, Lowe's & Menard's should have similar buys. Take a close look at the reviewer images and you'll see that some utilized decorative mounts and some didn't. They're NOT required...
Now, with a Tee at the top, the vertical member does the lion's share of the work. If someone sits on the section, it's literally the joist that carries the load. With the handrail that runs flat across the top length of that "joist,", the railing becomes more dimensionally stable, with the horizontal and vertical members keeping each other in check. And everything below is basically there for aesthetics...
Essentially, the "joist" of the Tee is bored to accept a baluster at 1-inch depth, the bottom post-to-post runner is bored to accept a baluster at 1/2in depth. All in alignment, of course. The runner is mounted at a distance 1-inch shy of the baluster length from the bottom of the Tee. Then each baluster is pushed up into the "joist" and dropped into place in the runner. Carefully add a little construction adhesive into those runner bores before dropping each baluster into place and those components will NOT come apart without some effort!
If using brackets to hang each section from post-to-post, and if using construction adhesive to bond the handrail to the "joist," then the visible use of fasteners can be practically reduced to almost nothing...
Hope this helps, again!
Edit #1: From that Amazon link, the third reviewer's sectional construction is basically what I was trying to describe assembled...
Edit #2: If using brackets, then everything can be easily dropped into place with the balusters sandwiched into position. Therefore, the "joist" bore can be 1/2-inch deep, just like the runner bore, and construction adhesive won't be needed at all...