Mountain Laurel Handrails from Rustic Wood Railing is Greenspiration Home American Made “Pick-of-the-Week!”

(3BL Media / theCSRfeed) - January 4, 2012  - These Mountain Laurel Handrails from Rustic Wood Railing make us appreciate nature in about a dozen different ways.  Not only do the sinewy limbs remind us of a forest and the interesting shadows that one casts, they are bound to beckon you outdoors where you can experience nature more fully from a porch or deck. 

We are delighted to make Mountain Laurel Handrails our first American Made Pick-of-the-Week for 2012.  Not only are they beautiful (and so, so unique!), they are made from a rapidly renewable resource, the fast growing Mountain Laurel (Kalmia Latifolia) that is common in the Appalachian Mountains range from Georgia to Maine.  In fact, James Pader, owner of Rustic Wood Railing in Franklin, NC, tells us that most of the limbs he uses to create these rails is actually salvaged from land clearing.  He’s never had to travel more than about 80 miles to gather the material!

Branches used for the handrails are from 0.5" to about 1.5" diameter. So when Pader’s crew harvests the limbs, they try to get only branches that are the right size. Leaving the trunk allows the tree to come back next year. Pader says that even if you take the tree down to the ground, the rootstock will send up new growth the very next spring.

Pader works with the client to gather accurate measurements and then assembles the railing in sections which are shipped to the client ready to install. Pader will do installations himself that are less than a two hour drive from Franklin, NC, so basically Asheville, Atlanta and Knoxville.  He also works closely with homeowners and contractors to assure that all local code requirements are met.

“No other handrail compares to the intricate shapes created by skilled artisans working with a natural product. Since each branch is different, it's virtually impossible to duplicate,” said Pader.

 Sort of makes you regret those bland 2x4s you purchased from Home Depot, doesn’t it?

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Greenspiration Home LLC is an online resource dedicated to helping homeowners build, renovate, and decorate green.  The Greenspiration Home American Made “Pick-of-the-Week” campaign is part of the publication’s initiative to educate consumers about domestically made home décor options. 

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