WEACO-FAQ’s for Iron Fabrication-Railing, Fences & Gates

Give us a call - You can arrange for our team to come to your site and develop plans and drawings. We will review your existing architectural features and discuss preliminary options with you to identify a general design type.

We will develop some preliminary design plans for your review and approval. From those plans, we can superimpose your product onto a digital image of the work site so that you can get a good feeling for the final look. Once you have made a final selection, we will put together shop drawings and installation specifications so that you can know what to expect. 

Send us a picture - If you are concerned with a maintenance issue and considering repairing or replacing the job or section. A picture is worth a thousand words. Send us a picture of the entire site and some close-up shots of your concerns. (weacoinc@aol.com) We can take a look at the problems and give you feedback regarding your options and the potential cost of each option.

Send us your plans and drawings - If you have engineering and architectural drawings or sketches and measurements, send them to us at 2144 Harford Rd., 21218. We will review the drawings and get back to you with a time frame for the project and an estimate of the cost. We will need to inspect the project site before we will be able to give a final estimate. 

Stop by - Bring in your measurements, pictures, or concerns. We can discuss your project and develop a plan to meet your needs. You can see and touch the parts and components and get a great feel for your options. If you are a real do-it-yourselfer we can fabricate a custom-made product that makes installation simple and fast. We are open from 7:30 to 3:30 Monday through Thursday for walk in consultations and are also available on Fridays and before and after office hours by appointment.

In some cases, there are a number of simple repairs that can be made to extend the useful life of your railing for many years. Many of the repairs can be done with products fabricated to meet your specific needs and that can be installed or applied by you.

Every product has maintenance over time. We can provide you with the pros and cons of steel, ornamental iron, aluminum, vinyl, extruded plastics and wood.

Aluminum degasses and certain alloys are subject to failure, vinyl chips, steel rusts and wood rots. The right choice of material is based on your needs. The application of the initial coatings and standard maintenance makes all of the difference. See the maintenance section below these questions.

A professional, courteous, and well-planned job. We expect everything to go smoothly. However, in some cases, we may not meet your expectations. We are proud and confident that our service group is open, responsive and dedicated to your satisfaction.  Our most important customer service concern is to carefully detail the scope of your project and expectations of what your job will look like.  These details should be a part of the paperwork related to your project.  If you have a question, or think we said something regarding your job and it is not in your paperwork please let us know. 

Normally it takes about 2 to 4 weeks to get your job built and ready for installation. Unless you have requested otherwise or there are special circumstances. Your paperwork should describe the installation steps. The standard set back from the edge of the porch to the outside edge of a post is 4". Unless you request we try to get the products installed as soon as possible and may not contact you regarding the date of installation. Installation procedures and approximate locations will be noted in the contract.

It is possible to drill the post out of the current hole and reset the new post in same space, but special care needs to be taken. Cracking, (visible or hidden) may exist, which may cause the section of concrete being drilled to fail and break away from the slab.

We do. We can fabricate granite and marble counter support brackets, air conditioner or heat pump guards and cages, and open staircases with wood or decorative iron treads.

Yes! We have different options to help with water going into the cellar way, security or walk plate trap doors for basement delivery. Since the doors are custom made, they can accommodate unusual obstructions and can be made to fit non-standard openings.

Yes. Through the years we have become well versed in the American with Disabilities Act Handbook and we have developed a wealth of practical application knowledge to help you comply with the Act. We have developed affordable and effective ways to deal with ramps, rails, and decking that are cost effective.

You can probably perform many of the small repair or installation projects. If you are handy and have some basic power tools, we can fabricate a rail that can be easily installed and enjoyed for many years to come. We can identify what measurements you need to provide.

WEACO can also help you identify the best method to set your rail, guard or steel product. We can provide you with the installation parts and material you will need to complete the task.

In general, if you can sketch a top view of the porch and the rise and run of each step (with a measurement of any step nosing) we can layout the slope and length of your rail and present the options for attachment.

**In addition to the measurements, if you could attach a photo of the steps or porch it would allow us to identify any obstacles or special situations.

If you are looking to install window guards or flower boxes, we need a top view, and a front view of the window frame. We will also need a description of the wall, (i.e. brick siding, Formstone, etc.) and the condition of the wall. We can design the guards and attachments to meet your conditions.

Like any do-it-yourself project you are responsible for the measurements and the details of the project. We are happy to provide you with counsel but cannot be responsible for things we have not seen. In addition to correcting any error we make; we will also make every attempt to help you correct items you did not consider or anticipate.

WEACO has been in the business of manufacturing specialty steel products for more than 60 years. Our goal is to build a relationship. Accordingly, we are happy to address product issues like cosmetic rusting, rusting that causes a product to fail, (post has rusted through, or the cap has rusted off the rail section) rails pulling away from the wall because of the porch settling, loose parts in the concrete and loose or failing bolt attachments.

In many cases we can perform simple services that will repair the problem and extend the useful life of the product for many years. It should be noted that in some cases the rusting or concrete failure is so significant that repair work is not the best course of action.

The interesting thing about maintenance is that the amount needed depends on the time frame. Over our 60 years, we have tried many of the different railing and fence product materials. Far and away the longest lasting, least maintenance product over a long-term period is steel.

It goes without saying that a short-term concern is rust. However, today's industrial coatings and applications significantly reduce rusting and delay first time maintenance for many years. Aluminum certainly eliminates welding failure but sets up mechanical failure and is subject to abuse. Steel is also one of the most flexible materials to achieve your design. Forging, bending and shaping are a wonderful feature of steel.

The most common problem is the failure of the bottom rail post. Most commonly, it rusts through and is no longer stable. Although it may be possible to install a slip shoe over the post and lag the shoe to the ground, this will not provide a long-term solution.

Depending on the extent of the rusting, WEACO can weld an extension to the post and reset it into the concrete setting. We can also cut the existing post off of the rail and install a new solid post. Most of the posts that fail are hollow and not only fail as a result of less material but also because water is captured inside the tubing.

Often, we receive calls about rails pulling out of the wall. Most of the time, this is a result of settling and the wall attachment failing. In some cases we can provide a slip shoe that can facilitate the repair. In some cases we need to extend the existing rail and reattach the railing back in its original location.

Surface rusting and rough railings can generally be ground, filled, sanded and repainted. In some cases the rusting has gone too far and the capping or the base channel that the capping is attached to is beyond repair. Sometimes we can replace the capping; however, the rail may need to be replaced.

Damage from falling trees or collision may be repairable. If the general structure of the rail is not damaged, it is possible to cut out the damaged pieces and repair the rail.

This is a tough time of year for aluminum awnings.  Heavy snow can cause the awning to pull away from the wall.  Snow falling from the roof can bend the awning or cause it to tear away from the house altogether. Icicles falling from the roof can run through the aluminum awning like a spear. WEACO can, in some cases pull the awning back to the wall and caulk along the wall to seal the area. Some small holes can be patched. However, this is more expensive than it would seem. Bending of the awning or beams is normally not repairable. Send us a picture and we can look to see what can be done.