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I have a composite deck (Fiberon boards with a Trex Designer railing system). The guy that built the deck didn't install any of the crush/foot blocks and now the railings are sagging. He's no longer in business, so now I need to try and fix this myself. I found a place online https://www.diyhomecenter.com/trex/transcend-railing-adjustable-footblock.aspx that sells the adjustible foot block, but I don't know if that'd do me any good. How can I install the footblocks now that the deck railing are already in place?

EDIT: This isn't my railing, but it's basically the same problem

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  • Need picture...
    – Tyler Durden
    Jun 7, 2015 at 19:08
  • The composite materials ( OSB , particle board) have low stiffness and sag.
    – blacksmith37
    Aug 22, 2021 at 15:36

2 Answers 2

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Should be pretty simple. You just need a way to gently raise the railing up enough to get the block underneath. I would do this slowly over a number of days and raise it the absolute minimum amount. Once you get there, slide the block underneath, slowly remove the support, and you're done.

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  • I was planning on just using a car jack. Does it really need to be that slow? How do you secure the blocks to the railing? I'd assume that the downward pressure would be enough to keep them from blowing away, etc, but how do you prevent them from spinning / accidentally getting kicked or power washed?
    – 2 Left Thumbs
    Jun 8, 2015 at 0:55
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    @2LeftThumbs They sagged over time - shoving them back quick can crack them. Doubled wedges are a good method.
    – Ecnerwal
    Jun 8, 2015 at 1:55
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I've noticed the same thing. Measure the height at either end and cut a 2x4 into a wedge and move it toward the middle of the railing. Maybe you'll be lucky and it will be 90° and easy to raise the sag.

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    Can you further explain your last sentence? Usually 90° isn't considered a wedge, so I'm a bit confused. TBH, the rest of your answer sounds really reasonable, so some clarity here goes from a "what?" response to a "+1" response.
    – FreeMan
    Aug 22, 2021 at 15:16

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