Wood Railing

A common question about Mountain Laurel Handrails is, “What does the mountain laurel look like when it weathers?” Well, it looks a lot like a piece of cedar that turns silver with exposure to the sun. But, since pictures are worth a thousand words, here are some pictures of mountain laurel that has weathered to a silver color.

Weathered Mountain Laurel in Full Sun

This picture is of weathered and silver mountain laurel with full sun shining. The next picture is with partial sun and shade.

Weathered Mountain Laurel in Sun and Shade

Check out this custom project for a house on Lake Keowee, SC. This is a completely custom design based on the owner and design team’s specifications. The top locust logs are narrower diameter than the bottom one. All the laurel sticks are a larger diameter than normally used. The result is a Locust and Laurel Rustic Railing that is unlike any other!

Locust and Laurel Rustic Railing

Black Locust with Bark

Black Locust is a great lumber choice for a rustic railing. It is a hard, durable wood that is commonly used where durability was a primary concern. This includes split rail fences, posts for decks and mud sills for buildings. It also makes a great looking railing. We just got in some black locust for a project so now’s a good time to share some pictures. One picture is locust with the bark on and the other is with the bark off, or peeled. There are various diameters of locust shown in each picture. The railing currently under construction is being built with peeled black locust rounds for the top and bottom rails with mountain laurel branches 1.5″ to 2.5″ in diameter woven between. The top and bottom locust rails will be different diameters with the top rail at three to four inches diameter and the bottom at four to five inches diameter.

Black Locust Peeled

Bark is removed by a process called hand-hewing. Hewing is where a carpenter uses a tool to manually correct the surface of a piece of lumber. In this case, the carpenter uses a drawknife to remove bark from the logs.

Living Tree Chair

This is a super cool chair that has been grown and shaped from the beginning. The tree was planted in 1998 and has been formed into the shape of a chair, complete with armrests. A single trunk springs into multiple limbs which make up the seat, back and armrests and continue on to fan out on the top. Leave a comment and let me know what you think about this living tree chair.

Rhododendron Railing

Purple Rhododendron Flower

Rhododendron is a species of bushy tree that grows in the Appalachian Mountains. This tree grows in a manner similar to, and is also closely related to the mountain laurel. Both are in the family Ericaceae which is a type of tree that prefers a more acidic soil. These types of soils are common on the decaying mountainsides of the Appalachians where a thin layer of extremely rich leaf litter topsoil covers an acidic, clay dirt.

Mountain Laurel Flowers

Since both of these trees are closely related and grow in similar conditions, they share a general appearance. appearance. The branches of both grow into similar sinuous shape and both have glossy, dark green evergreen leaves. In the wild, the flowers are the most striking difference in the spring. Mountain laurel bloom in creamy white and pink bushes while the rhodos are often pink and purple. Rhododendron has been cultivated as a landscaping plant and is now available in many different colors.

Mountain Laurel Bark with No Flash

Mountain Laurel Bark with Flash

Rhododendron railings look almost identical to railings made with mountain laurel. The main difference is the bark of the mountain laurel has lines along the length while the rhododendron branches have a smoother bark with some splotches.

Rhododendron Bark with No Flash

Rhododendron Bark with Flash

With so many options in handrail, there are very few that have truly random designs, where each and every one is unique. These artistic handrails all have different shapes and patterns since they are made with sticks and branches from the mountain laurel tree.

Artistic Handraila

Carpenters working in woodshops nestled in the Smoky Mountains produce magnificent works of art for your deck, balcony and stairs. See in this picture how the silhouettes of the branches when lit from behind look sinuous and shapely. As each day progresses, the character of the handrail changes also since the light strikes differently throughout the day.  Click here for more information.