OK, on to the railings. I have a couple questions and I hope the deck experts can help. I have garapa posts that will hold garapa top/bottom railings with Deckorator metal balusters in between. The railings will attach to the outmost side of the posts, and a top rail will cover the upper sub-rail and posts. My question is, what types of fasteners do I need to attach a) the posts (4x4 garapa) to the deck and b) the rails (2x4 garapa) to the posts? I was going to go with galvanized carriage bolts to attach the posts to the deck frame, but I understand that will cause black marks on the garapa. Since the carriage bolts will be covered by fascia and not seen, is it ok to use galvanized or do I need to splurge for stainless carriage bolts? Likewise, the 2x4 subrails will need to be attached to the posts. These WILL be visible (though hopefully discretely so); I was going to look for 3" stainless screws here. Is that sufficient, or do the rails need to be lagged or bolted to the posts? And can I use trimhead screws here or are those solely for decking?

East Teak 800 338 5636 has all the 2x2 Garapa a person would need for any project. They are also a full survice Mill they can put a shaper detail on the 2x2s and match it with the cap rail. I have done Business with East Teak for maney years so a Personal referance is no problem. My contact is the George. John Hyatt www.deckmastersllc.com

Well, not that the details really much matter here, but I'm a pretty good barterer and made a trade for the SS cables which we are installing ourselves so the materials for that were free. Timbertech decking was something we budgeted for in the beginning and even that was downgraded mid-project (yes, I'm aware you're not a fan). The handrail went largely forgotten in the planning stages so we didn't think or properly plan for the it in the beginning. Like any project, when you get to the end, some concessions need to be made. All of my posts are white (cedar). It is a look similar to the deck bigkahuna built at his girlfriend's house if you recall that one. I'll check out your friend's website.

A good candle will not lose its fragrance. It (the candle color) may fade, but the fragrance is an oil and oil will not evaporate from the wax. Exposure to sunlight seems to do the most damage to fragrance. I have had some candles that were three years old and when I finally lit them, they still had a wonderful fragrance. Cheap candles are a different matter. For one, the heaviest concentration of fragrance is in the top overpour. The rest of the candle is very lightly scented. That's why a cheap candle might smell terrific in the store, but when you get it home and after you have burned it for a bit, it will have nearly no fragrance. (I have a friend who works in a candle factory and that's how they do it.) It has been my experience with cheap (i.e. Dollar Store, some Wal-Mart candles, etc.) candles that after sitting for a few months they do lose their fragrance. But, they are not made with high quality, concentrated oils to begin with. Anyway, don't throw them out- they should still be good! Susan