This railing contains simple hammer textured solid forged 7/8” x 7/8” pickets with a wooden handrail. The really unique feature of the railing is the iron banding on the newel posts. Each band consists of two straps held together with iron wedges. Aside from being decorative these bands are a traditional solution to nullify the effects of checking. Heavy solid wood timbers are prone to splitting as they dry out; a process known as checking. The wedges allow the bands to be tightened or loosened as the situation dictates.