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# Articles and advice

Standards, styles, installation, maintenance — what to know before and after fitting a wrought-iron guardrail.
         [Vocabulary Guardrail or balustrade, which is the right word? The brief behind this site notes it explicitly: buyers almost always mix up these two terms. Here's what actually separates them.](https://garde-corps-fer-forge.fr/en/articles/guardrail-or-balustrade-whats-the-difference/) [Standard What the NF P01-012 standard actually requires for a staircase Height from the stair nosing, baluster spacing, the anti-climb zone: the detail of what the NF P01-012 standard actually requires for a stair guardrail.](https://garde-corps-fer-forge.fr/en/articles/stair-guardrail-nf-p01-012-standard/) [Standard The regulatory height of a balcony or terrace guardrail 1m, 0.80m, which rule applies? The detail of the threshold that triggers the requirement, and the one exception that allows a lower minimum height.](https://garde-corps-fer-forge.fr/en/articles/guardrail-height-balcony-terrace/) [Standard Low sill: the 0.90m rule explained Why some windows need no protection at all and others do — the detail of the French building regulation on low window sills.](https://garde-corps-fer-forge.fr/en/articles/window-guardrail-low-sill-rule/) [Style Wrought iron or stainless cable: choosing your guardrail's style Two very different visual languages for the same safety function — what truly sets a forged guardrail apart from a contemporary cable or glass version.](https://garde-corps-fer-forge.fr/en/articles/wrought-iron-or-stainless-cable/) [Finish Galvanizing, powder coating: what actually protects an outdoor guardrail The two don't play the same role. The detail of the NF EN ISO 1461 standard, and what paint alone can't do for a steel structure outdoors.](https://garde-corps-fer-forge.fr/en/articles/galvanizing-or-powder-coating/) [Build Retrofit or built-in: the right time to plan your guardrail Planned from the start or added after the fact, a guardrail isn't fitted under the same conditions — what that changes for fixing, timing and price.](https://garde-corps-fer-forge.fr/en/articles/retrofit-or-built-in-guardrail/) [Maintenance How to maintain a wrought-iron guardrail over time Galvanized, powder-coated, indoor or outdoor — what regular checks really change for how long a wrought-iron guardrail lasts.](https://garde-corps-fer-forge.fr/en/articles/maintaining-a-wrought-iron-guardrail/)