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Formulated Materials has introduced the Integrated Railing System, an aluminum railing solution designed to address the coordination failures that have long plagued balcony construction. The system works across both drip-through and waterproofed balcony types and treats the railing as a fully integrated component of the balcony assembly, not a separate scope handed off to another trade.
Balcony problems rarely start in the open field of a deck. They typically show up where assemblies connect, at edges, terminations, and penetrations. Railing attachment is one of the most common failure points, yet it is routinely left to a separate installer with no coordination to the waterproofing scope. The result is punctured membranes, field-applied sealant patches, and callbacks.
The Integrated Railing System eliminates these failures by engineering railing attachment as a coordinated waterproofing detail. The system includes a stanchion mount configuration designed specifically to preserve waterproofing integrity at concrete-topped balconies. The stanchion is embedded in sealant during waterproofing, so the railing crew never touches the waterproofing scope. No penetrations, no guesswork, no callbacks.
Formulated Materials has developed a suite of components that work alongside the railing system to control water at every common risk area. The T-Bar Termination Pocket is a formed channel that captures and routes water away from the structure. Embed Pans are pre-formed waterproofing receptacles installed before the concrete topping is placed, sealing around railing fastener locations and reducing reliance on field-applied sealants. The Double Drip T-Bar features a dual profile that interrupts water flow before it reaches the visible face of the edge, helping reduce staining over time. Beneath the topping slab, a drainage mat creates a continuous drainage plane that directs water toward the open drip edge rather than allowing it to pool under the concrete.
The Integrated Railing System is also fully compatible with Formulated Materials’ Elevation Waterproofing System for projects that call for a coordinated waterproofing and railing assembly.
“We’re committed to engineering the parts of the balcony assembly that too often get treated as afterthoughts,” said Michael Martin, president of Formulated Materials. “The Integrated Railing System completes that approach. By making the railing part of the system instead of a separate scope, we’ve eliminated a category of failures that has plagued multifamily construction for decades.”
“A core tenet of our mission at Formulated Materials is simple: balconies that do not leak,” said Micah North, VP of sales at Formulated Materials. “This product is a direct response to consistent feedback from our customers and their customers about the coordination challenges that occur between multiple manufacturers, suppliers, and installers at this critical point in construction. We are a solution-oriented company, and this evolution of our portfolio enables our partners to deliver a more fully integrated system while streamlining a common scope on multifamily projects.”
Learn more at formulatedmaterials.com/elevation/integrated-balcony-railing-system.
About Formulated Materials
For 50+ years, balcony waterproofing has had the same problem: railing installers punch through the membrane, and leaks follow. Formulated Materials fixed it. Our Integrated Railing System works as a coordinated assembly. The stanchion is embedded in sealant during waterproofing, so the railing crew never touches the waterproofing scope. No penetrations, no guesswork, no callbacks.
