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History of Balustrade...

Based on classic Greek and Roman architecture, high-end railing systems known as balustrade have been popular from the Italian Renaissance onward. The term balustrade is said to be derived from the Italian, balaustro, the flower of wild pomegranates. Like the beautiful flower, our architectural balustrade will add charm and elegance to any building or property that it is fitted with. It is noted that fitting a property with balustrade, not only adds beauty to the project, but also a substantial increase in value. Balustrade is one of the only architectural detail products that once installed, instantly increases the value of your property many times the cost of the product its self. With such a wide array baluster choices, each one having a personality of its own, you are sure to find the one that fits your project.

Although some designs of balusters are based on classic Greek and Roman styles, use of this architecture was not utilized by either nation. Balustrade was first discovered on bas-reliefs representing the Assyrian palaces. Appearing to have Ionic capitals on top of each baluster, or spindle, the Assyrians utilized them as window balustrade. During the Italian Renaissance, balustrade was largely employed for many applications, commonly being seen on great palaces in Venice and Verona. The Italian revivalists, being used to accent patios, balconies, windows, and roof parapets, applied balustrade with great importance.(continued below)

(A brief history continued...)
This style of architecture was revered by the great architects of the Italian Renaissance, yet was misused and the definition corrupted by the English. Based on the idea of balustrade, the English designed indoor stair railing and adopted the term, banister, attempting to retain the elegance of the original word. Even though there is a similarity between the words, there is a significant architectural difference, and a banister could never replace a balustrade system.

Since the birth of balustrade, it has been assembled out of several different materials including, wood, stone, and even molded metal. Departing more and more from these inferior materials, balusters are now constructed from a wide array of substances. Ranging from one extreme such as concrete, to the other end of the spectrum with vinyl, there is a material and style that will work for you.

As technology advances, different composite materials are being applied to architectural detail work. For the production of our balustrade and columns, we have employed the use of some of the most technologically advanced architectural building materials available. Fiberglass Reinforced Polymer (FRP) is a patent-pending composite that replicates the smooth texture of cultured marble while providing the strength and endurance of simple concrete. Being a maintenance-free product, this innovative material is a combination of crushed marble, resins, and fiberglass, offering us the load bearing capacity of traditional stone balustrade, without the obvious weight and difficulty of installation. Being the same materials that our government is utilizing in construction today, FRP far exceeds all BOCA requirements and is impact, weather, heat, and insect resistant.

The design of balustrade is actually broken up into three basic sections, a top rail, a bottom rail, and the balusters. Each baluster reflects a turned post or has even been described as a miniature column. The first thing that you must consider when fitting a system to your project is the size of the top rail. If you are looking for a smaller, more slender look, a five or six in diameter for the top and bottom rail is suggested. Desiring to go with a larger, more substantial look? Then a seven or even a twelve-inch balustrade system would probably work best.

Once you choose what size of a top and bottom rail would work best in your situation, the next step is choosing your spindle, or baluster. Providing you with a wide array of styles and sizes, you can match the different choices that we have, and what will fit best with your project. Each spindle has its own heritage, its own personality. With each baluster having unique styles and sizes, our goal its to make sure you receive the look that you desire for your project at the lowest possible price.

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