Architectural Details Direct - 903-356-2158

Our first choice for exterior Balusters is low maintenance Cellular PVC or High Density Polyurethane. Our second choice is Cypress. Cedar and Redwood are also good exterior woods. Read about these materials below.

CELLULAR PVC is the very best material for exterior use. Our PVC Balusters look, feel, and sound just like painted wood. Read more.

HIGH DENSITY POLYURETHANE is also an excellent material for outside use. We offer several Turned Balusters in HD Poly. Read more.

CYPRESS is stronger than Cedar and also has natural properties that make it very weather-resistant. Our Plain Square Balusters and Sawn Balusters are available in Cypress. Read more.

CEDAR is a better wood for exterior use than Hemlock, as it has natural properties that make it more weather-resistant. Read more.

REDWOOD is a very good wood for exterior use, as it also has natural weather resistance, but it is only available in Sawn Balusters. Also, it tends to be a bit brittle and it's expensive. Therefore, we favor Cypress, which is much stronger and much less expensive. Read more.

HEMLOCK doesn't have any special weather-resistant qualities, but works for exterior Balusters if kept well painted. Because of it's relatively low price, we sell thousands of Turned Hemlock Balusters each month. As long as you follow our instructions to completely paint all surfaces BEFORE installation, use our Sloped-top Bottom Rail, and repaint all surfaces as needed (easy to do if you use our Balustrade Installation System), you should get many years of good service from Hemlock. Read more.

POPLAR is another wood that can be used outside if our painting instructions are followed. Like Hemlock, it has no special weather-resistant qualities. Poplar is available in Plain Square and Sawn Balusters. Read more.

Sloped-top Bottom Rail is Very Important!
For exterior projects it's very important to install wood Balusters using Sloped-top Bottom Rail. We can notch the bottoms of your Balusters to perfectly fit this Rail.

PVC and Polyurethane Balusters do not require Sloped-top Bottom Rail for drainage providing you also use PVC or Polyurethane Bottom Rail. However, your Balustrade will look the most authentic with a Sloped-top Bottom Rail.

We are available by phone or email for free personalized consultation.

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Architectural Details Direct - 903-356-2158

Material Choices for Balusters

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