How to Install a Hog Wire Deck Railing

This post will show you how to install a black hog wire deck railing with a classy-looking black frame you can see in the photo below. This is one of the last posts related to the new front and back redwood decks on the Main House Fixer Upper here at One Hundred Acres Home. You can start from the beginning with the deck footings here, then checkout the freestanding deck framing, the redwood decking with hidden screws here, and finally how to DIY your own deck stairs. Whew. We’ve come a long way! Now let me show you how I finished the deck build with the hog wire railings.

Hog Wire Railing Infill:

Ok so. You can find the black hog wire railing infill in 3ft x 8 ft or 3ft x 6ft, 6gage welded wire mesh panels from a company called Wild Hog. Below is a photo of the product tag. I found these at Home Depot but know they are also for sale at a local building supply company. They seem pretty popular and easy to find.

Below is the display rack at my local Home Depot. I have guardrail posts at 6ft maximum spacing, so I basically need one panel for each space between posts. Yikes, that’s a lot of panels. But they look so good! Since I’m DIYing this project, I’m OK with splurging for materials here.

How to Cut Hog Wire Panels:

You’ll likely need to cut the panels to fit your particular deck railing needs. The fastest and cleanest way I’ve found to cut the panels is with a bolt cutter as you can see in the photo below. The hog wire is too thick to hack saw. Bring your muscles and a heavy duty bolt cutter and get to work.

The cut ends will be sharp. Thankfully the Wild Hog company knows that and provides these tiny rubber end caps called hog husks with the black frame tracks. More on that in the next section. Below is a photo of the hog husk over one cut end of the hog wire.

Hog Tracks for Hog Wire Support:

There are a variety of ways to connect the hog wire to your deck railing. I really love the look of using black channels around the perimeter of the hog wire because I think it makes the hog wire more elevated and classy. That’s my jam.

You can buy pre-painted channels called hog tracks from the same company, Wild Hog. I found these channel tracks at Home Depot. Below is a photo of the Hog Track Kit. You’ll need one kit per hog wire panel.

Below is a close up of the hog track product photo where you can see the black frame around each hog wire section. I love that. I’ll add a topping continuous 2×6 redwood to finish the top of my guardrails. So they will look just a little different than the photo below.

Below is a close up of the channel dimensions. Each kit comes with two long channels for the top and bottom and two short channels for the sides. Screws for connecting the channels are included along with rubber caps, called Hog Tusks, for the cut ends of your hog panels.

Below is a photo of the actual hog track channel. However, when you cut them to size, you’ll have exposed metal ends. Don’t worry, they are aluminum so they won’t rust and you won’t see the cut ends.

How to Install a Hog Wire Railing with a Hog Tracks Frame:

You’ll need to cut the hog tracks to fit each guardrail section. Be sure you’re posts are level and tight before you measure. Measure 5 times!! because these tracks are expensive.

Here are my basic steps to installing the hog wire railing with a hog track frame:

• Measure and cut the top and bottom 2×4 redwood horizontals. Make sure the posts are level and plumb.
• Cut the top and bottom hog tracks. I use a skill saw and a metal-cutting blade. Measure 5 times, cut once! These hog tracks are expensive!
• Attach the top and bottom tracks to the 2×4’s.
• Drill two drainage holes in the bottom track and 2×4 for good measure with a 1/4″ diameter drill.
• Set the bottom 2×4 and track in place between the guardrail posts.
• Clamp the top 2×4 and track in place at the top between the posts. Measure for the side tracks 5 times and cut.
• Install the side tracks to the guardrail posts
• Measure and cut your hog wire infill panel. Cover cut ends with hog husks. Slide the panel into place.
• Top with the top 2×4 and hog track. Woohoo! Your first hog wire panel is done.

Below is a photo of my first hog wire panel.

This is tedious work. Just keep going. Below is a photo of the completed hog wire panels at the back deck. I will top these with a 2×6 railing.

Finish Details at Hog Wire Deck Guardrail:

Here is a close up of the 2×6 railing to finish off the hog wire railings. No 45 degree cuts here because they tend to open up as the wood dries. The photo shows you how I avoided the 45 degree cuts.

Below is the top of a railing post where you can see the corners of the hog tracks. I used “hidden” screw connectors called Camo Edge Deck screws to toe-nail the redwood pieces together. Those small holes in the redwood are the screw holes that are basically hidden.

Here is a side view of a hog wire and hog track corner. It’s not perfect perfect, but unless you look super close and very critical, it looks good.

Hog Wire Guardrail at Stairs:

Hog wire railing for stairs is basically the same as before, except you add the stair angle to the mix. You’ll also need a special taller hog panel if you want to keep the mesh horizontal to match the deck. Home Depot sells stair infill panels too.

A picture tells a thousand words so check out the progress photo below. You can see I got the bottom and side tracks in place. Then I cut the hog wire panel at the bottom to match the stair angle. I test fit it in the photo below. Once that was all working, I cut the top of the hog wire panel and installed the top track.

The angle tool in the photo below is a lifesaver here as it keeps track of your stair angle.

Below is a close up at the bottom of the stair railing. Those angle cuts look fine!!

Here is a finished hog wire stair railing with a hog track frame.

Finished Redwood Deck with Hog Wire Guardrail:

Below are photos of the two finished decks!

This is the back deck with a fresh coat of deck stain after letting that new redwood dry out a few months. I used TWP preservative stain in California Redwood, but more on that in a future post.

Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below. Hope you’ve enjoyed these deck posts. Stay tuned for sun shades on the back deck.