Ipretty much have settled on doing cedar 2x4's with black baulesters and figuring out a top rail. But it's the posts I am stuck on. THey need to be covered up, thoughts of wrapping them in Cedar or maybe using post anchors; I'd have to cut off the current ones flush and put a new cedar 4x4 in its lace with an anchor. Bad idea?

Your existing 4x4 posts are probably carriage bolted throught the deck framing below the flooring. If thats the case they are probably very strong and I'd sleeve them with 1 x 6 cedar attached with construction adhesive and on the top shim them level. Cap them.

After that you can use any type of rail you want.

The link showint a way to mount new posts I think is poor.

If you'd like to email me to discuss further, please feel free to do so.

All the best,

The Porchguy

Any suggestion on the cap rail? My plan is to go flat across but on the corners I want to do caps (that would be 5 out of the 7 posts) with lights. I see eastteak has some nice rails.