Decking Rope

[andycase007]

Hi Everyone
I have just built a 3m x 3m decking area in my garden, finished with some 4 x 4 tanalsed newels (not the turned sort, but flat 4 sides).
I want to put decking rope between them as sort of a balustrade.

What size should i go for? 24mm? 28mm? 32mm? I dont want it to look too thin.
However, i was planning on attaching one oend of the rope to the first post, then drilling through the rest of them and feeding the rope through, even on the corners, rahter than paying out for all the eyelets which seem to cost a lot. So i need to be sure that the rope is flexible enough.
Has anyone had experience of this and could advise on a suitable comprimise between felxibility and size?

 

[Thermo]

we use 32 mm hemp rope. One word of caution. soak it thouroghly for a few days to let it shrink first otherwise it shrinks once in place and pulls the newels out.

 

[poppa34]

Would agree with Thermo, but I only soaked some 36mm rope for 3-4 hours (and then let it dry), rather than for a few days.

 

[utterlydiy]

Sorry for jumping in on this,

I'm doing the same with the rope effect.

But do you soak the rope then hang it as you wish or soak and let it dry first before hanging.??

thanks

 

[Thermo]

soak and dry

 

[ColJack]

soak and dry

I was going to say..
surely stuff that gets wet swells and stretches then shrinks as it dries out?

 

[Thermo]

yes but we are talking about the initial soaking to get it to shrink

 

[ColJack]

so you're saying that since it's been twisted and wound while "dry" then it's going to shrink the first time it gets wet and dries out when the strands "settle"..

 

[Thermo]

yes it does sink significantly by quite a lot if its made of natural fibre.

 

[utterlydiy]

OK thanks,

So the rope is soaked first, then allowed to dry.

Then use the rope dry, with as much droop you want between each post.

Allowing for approx. how much shrinkage of say a 32mm dia rope with 2 metres between the posts. ??

thanks

 

[Thermo]

if its hemp rope it will shrink by quite a lot, best ask the supplier. SOme rope is already preshrunk. I only know from bitter experiance from when i did one and didnt pre-shrink it and it pulled the newel posts over as it shrunk! WHen you do the swaggers between the posts, its easy to get a stick cut to the height you want them and use that to get all the swags right.