We have a home near the water in southern New York State, which has very humid summers and cold, sometimes snowy/stormy winters. All the decks and railings are made of wood, and many railings have had to be replaced in the 29 years we've had the house. So your contractor is correct in that wood becomes very unstable due to exposure to the elements. If you do choose wood, be prepared for lots of upkeep.

Your contractor must be new to the game. We had a wraparound porch on our house on Florida’s east coast. When we sold our house 18 years later the rails were in the same pristine shape as the day we first occupied. They hadn’t even been repainted.

Most climates are hard on exterior wood. That being said, If you keep up the maintenance on them, they will fair nicely.

While the initial expense might be more, you will love the no-maintenance of composite decking and railing. Trex is one brand.

https://www.trex.com/products/railing/

Can we see the house . Salt air can be the issue often not so much the humidity but I love the no maintenace metal railings and use them often on more traditional homes . I need to see the house to really know what style would be best .

What is the surface?

It depends on the type of wood. Pine, Cedar, or Redwood will take a beating. But tropical hardwoods like Ipe, Cumaru, Garapa, Tigerwood, etc. will hold up much better with minimal maintenance. They're used all the time in humid climates and beachfront properties.

Well, wood has been used and has survived for centuries. Just paint it with a weather appropriate paint and sealant.

I recently bought a 30 year old house in a hot humid climate with cedar railings. I guess they are original, but I don’t know. There is a roof overhead, so the only rain they saw was blown in. There was a lot of rain. The house exterior was neglected, maybe sealed a long time ago. The rails absorbed whatever water got to them. (Salt air is not an issue here.)

I am now sealing the rails (and entire house siding - not floors) with Cabot solid acrylic siding stain, 2 coats. This stuff is GREAT. It goes on like matte paint, and sinks into the old wood, making it look similar to the trex rails I had on my old house. It seems to infuse and coat the wood with plastic. (I don’t think it looks like plastic, but that is up to the viewer to perceive.)

If the wood is new, someone suggested to me to sand it smooth, stain it and coat it with multiple coats of marine varnish. That way, you could probably use transparent stain and let the wood grain show through. If you choose this approach, do more research - I think he mentioned several steps to me that I wrote down somewhere.

If you are doing wood, I would avoid paint. Paint peels. Stain fades. Cleaning and recoating stain should be a lot easier than dealing with paint maintenance. Stains don’t come in or look good in very many light colors - medium or dark tones are the way to go. If you want white or light colored railings, think more about PVC options.

Trex warps. I did not have noticable warping with the trex rails in my previous home, but I’m not sure they sell those 2x products anymore.

Metal tends to rust near the ocean. Do research to learn if the metal products you choose still have that problem. (Rails, outdoor furniture, door hardware, etc.)

Here are pics of my weathered stained rails. These were BAD. This was the rail that was exposed the most to the rain.

This is only one coat of Cabot cordovan brown stain. The light colored specs are dust that will be brushed off before the second coat. The green siding is Cabot sagebrush stain. You can see the neglected siding on the right of the bottom pic. That still soaks up a lot of rain. (Please excuse the spiders on the cream-colored door paint - they haven’t been evicted yet - I’ve been too busy repairing and painting.)

Teak may be another option for hardwood that wears well. I recently spoke with someone in a beach town who sold outdoor teak furniture. She mentioned teak holds up well there, but metal furniture won’t last there. I have no idea how expensive teak could be for rails, but I would not choose metal rails unless someone can convince you that they won’t rust. (I suppose it depends on the metal and how it interacts with salt air.)

Regarding the screens, fans are another way to deter gnats. Most of the people I know prefer screens in Florida, but I don’t like screens because they close you in and get dirty. I am in the minority.

Ceiling fans need to be at least 18” from a wall (from what I have read - check your fan’s installation instructions). If your porch isn’t deep enough for a 42” fan, smaller ones with grills are available, as are outdoor floor fans.

Given the mold issue, I would lean toward PVC for the wood look, if it can handle the heat. Composite wood products like trex can grow mold as well.

Third times the charm. Our first railing and deck rotted within six years. Here’s our second cedar wood railing, while lovely, the top rotted. We were able to salvage the decorative wood grid to hang in another area outdoors.
The current rail has vertical cedar posts sheathed in plastic underneath and copper piping running horizontally. Each vertical post is topped with a copper lid. We did have some solar lights but they lasted < than one year. We’re going on at least six years for the railing and still looking pristine.🤞🏽

Hi people,

Thank you all for your great engagement and very detailed advice. I tried to answer you individually but I did not know how to do that....

I have understood now that a wood railing is an issue and means high maintenance but the good news is that there are apparently woods that can handle the climate better than others. I cannot show you pictures of the house (yet) as it is a new construction and we are at the stage where we assemble all the materials and built-ins to get an overview about the pricing and compare different suppliers. Having said that it is a new construction it means that we have to go with many reasonable choices that are triggered by the climate (hurricane windows, engineered hardwood flooring, composite shutters and so on), however, I love natural materials and I thought the porch railing might be the feature that is a good compromise despite the higher maintenance (originally I also wanted a wood deck but was talked out of it by more experienced Florida residents). I will now look at different wood options and will post my decision asap.

It's a bad spot to insist on being organic. Do PVC and unless your house is stone it makes the most sense,

You have every opportunity for organic, in your decor, and furnishings. Inside.

I don't think in the southern part of Florida, that wood and stained even feels very.......beachy. Painted white? You're hiding wood, anyway. It feels NY lake, and even here, folks avoid the upkeep. Waterside: rivers north and south, northern and mid west lakes, southern coastal, northern coastal. They are all different. All suggest different materials as well. For style and upkeep.

There's even a reason fiberglass front doors outnumber wood - beyond the difference in expense.