How to Install Cable Railing Around Corners

The installation of cable railing is simple and quick, but there are some areas that need special attention.

For example, the spacing between posts must not be greater than 4 feet.

The spacing between posts with cable stabilizers must not be greater than 7 feet.

The spacing between cables must not be greater than 4 inches.

The cables need to be tensioned as tightly as possible.

Another confusing area is how the cable rails pass through the corners.

Many people will run the cable straight through the corner posts at 90 degrees to save money. This is because it allows two rows of posts to share a cable railing kit.

But this can cause problems when tensioning the cable. The pressure from the 90-degree bend in the cable may bend the posts or pull them out of the deck.

To avoid this, here are three options.

1, Special corner posts for metal cable railing

If you install a metal railing. Some post manufacturers have developed special corner posts for cable railing, such as feeney.

This corner post has an internal support for the cable in order to allow it to maintain a certain arc without creating a 90-degree angle.

You can place these posts at the corners to allow the cable to continue through the corners to the next row of posts.

pros:
Keeps the simple style of a single post at the corner

2, Single post, cable termination

If you plan to use a single wood or metal post in the corner, then the cable terminates here. At the same time another set of cables starts on the other side of the post.

The two sets of cables should not be on the same horizontal plane, stagger them by 1/2 inch. This will effectively relieve the pressure on the post.

pros:
Retain the single post at the corner

cons:
Cables on both sides of the deck are not at the same level
The railing kit on the posts looks dense

3, Double posts, cables continue

A popular practice is to place 2 wood or metal posts in the corners. The cable continues across these two posts in close proximity, thus avoiding the tremendous strain of bending the cable to 90 degrees and opening it up.