it's all about the cable railing, glass panel railing and life

St. Patrick’s Day is the one day a year where everyone is a little bit Irish. In fact, not far off almost 12 percent of Americans claim Irish ancestry and over 80 million people worldwide claim ancestral connection to the auld sod.

With St. Patrick’s Day celebrated across the world, did you ever wonder how much you actually know about Ireland’s biggest national holiday?

Here’s our ten top facts:
1.St. Patrick was not Irish. He was from Wales.

2.The humble shamrock was originally a teaching tool. St. Patrick is said to have used the three-leaved plant to explain the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) to the pagan Irish.

3.The first St. Patrick’s Day parade took place in New York in 1766.

4.For many years, blue was the color most often associated with St. Patrick. Green was considered unlucky. St. Patrick’s blue was considered symbolic of Ireland for many centuries and the Irish Presidential Standard is still blue.

5.For many years, Dripsey in County Cork had the world’s shortest parade, just 23.4 metres (77 feet) between two pubs – The Weigh Inn and The Lee Valley. Currently, the town of Hot Springs, Arkansas claims to have the shortest parade – a 30-metre (98 feet) route on Bridge Street. Recent participants included the Irish Elvises and the San Diego Chicken.

6.In 2010, the Sydney Opera House went green to mark the 200 year anniversary of St. Patrick’s Day. In Sydney, St Patrick’s Day was first marked on 17 March 1810, when Lachlan Macquarie, the Governor of New South Wales, provided entertainment for Irish convict workers.

7.Irish flee the country. On 17th March in Ireland you’ll find many public figures, musicians and dancers have traveled abroad to work on lucrative gigs elsewhere. Politicians also travel to drum up trade.

8.In Chicago every year, the Plumbers Local 110 union dyes the river “Kelly” green. The dye lasts for about five hours.

9.Traditionally, every year, the Irish leader hands a crystal bowl of shamrocks over to the US President. The shamrock grown in Kerry is immediately destroyed by the Secret Service after the exchange.

10.Guinness sales soar on St. Patrick’s Day. Recent figures show that 5.5 million pints of the black stuff are downed around the world every day. On St. Patrick’s Day that figure is doubled.

Clearview Stainless Steel Cable Rail with Wood Handrail

Think outside the box of traditional railing.

Light, open and airy.

Clearview® Stainless Railing Systems transform your space into an inviting modern look.

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Contact AGS Stainless, Inc. now!

(888) 842-9492

info@agsstainless.com

Receive your estimate today!

For folks NOT in Hawaii or Arizona:

Don’t forget that this weekend starts daylight savings time for 2012. So before you go to bed on Saturday night, reset your clocks one hour forward. You might lose an hour of sleep, but it will be brighter when you wake up in the morning!

PS. Now is also a great time to change the batteries on your smoke detectors! They save lives!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Are you on Facebook or Twitter?

If you answered “yes”, you’re in luck!

In appreciation of your support on Facebook and Twitter, and to break in our new social media accounts, we’ve decided to put something special together for you…

For the next two weeks, AGS Stainless Inc. is  holding a limited event exclusive to our Facebook Fans and Twitter Followers -

15% off all new orders (exp. 3/9/12).

How do you get your savings?

Simply call AGS Stainless at (888) 842-9492 and ask for Kari! 

What’s the catch?

Other than the fact that this sale is exclusive to our Facebook fans and Twitter Followers, there is none…

… We encourage you to take advantage before it passes by!

• You must ask for Kari, so she can verify your Facebook or Twitter support.
• This awesome sale ends 3/9/12
• Why wait? Order a Clearview® Stainless Steel Cable or Glass Panel Railing System now

PS: Not a fan or follower yet? Become a Facebook Fan or Twitter Follower by 3/9/12, and you are eligible for the 15% off discount!

PPS: Share this exclusive discount sale on Facebook and Twitter!

AGS Stainless is often asked ‘How hard is your system to install? Can I do it myself?’

Well, the answer is simple – it’s EASY! The Clearview® Railing System was engineered for the Do-it-Yourself homeowner.With basic tool knowledge, maybe another hand or two, and our provided installation instructions and drawings, you are set to go.

Once your Clearview® shipment has arrived at your door and you have gathered the few tools and supplies that are required, you can rest assured that there will be no trips to the hardware store. All of the pieces are included*, from the cut-to-length top rail segments and pre-drilled posts to the tensioning nuts and cable fittings.

Below is a recent installation, watch the video and see for yourself what easy-to-install means.

*The provided video/pictures in this blog post are from a Clearview® Glass Panel Railing System, we do not provide the glass panels. AGS Stainless, Inc recommends buying glass panels locally.

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[Click on the photos to view the detail]

Note the precision custom fit-up at the slight ramp.

Just in case you were wondering why we call our railing system ‘Clearview’.

Here’s a good look at a wall connection.

The double post is for cable anchorage on runs > 40′.

Sit back, relax and enjoy your view with a Clearview® Stainless Steel Railing System.

Expand your living space by creating a deck oasis with a Clearview® Cable or Glass Panel Railing System.

We understand that not everyone wants or needs the entire Clearview® Railing System, which is why we offer our full line of hardware components individually. All components are  conveniently available to order through our online shopping cart, where we exclusively offer a 10% discount to all of our online customers. Of course, please feel free to contact us toll-free at (888) 842-9492, if you have questions or need help. We are open Monday through Friday 8am -4:30pm (PST), and will gladly assist you.

If you are an architect, contractor, business owner or homeowner with cable, or glass panel railing needs, we can help. No project is too small, or too big for us to handle.  Whether you need a complete commercial application, or a simple handrail on your deck, we will work closely with you to ensure a perfect fit and complete satisfaction.

Call us today to receive an estimate (888)842-9492.

It’s time to show off your new Clearview® Railing System!

Once you have completed your installation, snap a couple (or more) photos for us! You will be featured as a blog post (linked with our Facebook and Twitter accounts), and added to our customer photo album on our website.

We enjoy receiving your customer photos, and testimonials.

Email me at reception@agsstainless.com with photos and your review!

We know it’s still pretty cool outside and it will be for a few weeks, but when the warm weather finally graces us with its presence we want you to be ready.Your decks and patios have endured a lot over the winter, from UV rays, moisture from melting snow, to tree sap.   There’s nothing worse than attempting to enjoy nice weather on deck that needs sprucing up. Thinking about your spring plans now may just help you get through winter’s end. To make sure your deck is ready when the season finally begins, we are going to share how you can prepare your deck for spring.

• Pressure wash the patio surface, etc. Tip:  Read this article for Dos and Don’t for Pressure Washing your Deck (Courtesy of Rick’s Custom Fencing and Decking).
• Clean your Clearview® Railing. Tip: Read our article on Maintaining and cleaning your Clearview® Railing System.
• Scrub your patio furniture cushions.  No matter how you store them, they usually need freshened up or replaced.
• Uncover your patio furniture or pull it out of storage.  Fold and store your furniture covers in your deck box or shed.
• Scrub your patio furniture with an environmentally friendly cleaner.
• If you have stored away your outdoor rugs, now is the time to bring them out before you place your furniture.  If your rugs have been outside all winter, a good cleaning (or even pressure washing depending on how sturdy the fibers are) will make it shine for spring.
• Check all of your landscaping lights for any needed repairs or bulb changes.
• Pull out and scrub your stored flowerpots with warm water (Don’t use any soap or any chemicals that will contaminate the potting soils that you will need to add.  Dawn works well.).
• Give your grill a good spring-cleaning and tune up.
• Trim any shrubs or stray branches that may have grown into your patio or path areas.  Be careful not to prune any of your spring bloomers!
• Fresh mulch in your flowerbeds and landscaped areas dress up your space and give your plants and shrubs their spring protection against fluctuating temperatures and last minute spring storms.
• Be sure to really inspect your flowerbeds or landscaped areas for stray garbage or other foreign objects that winter storms may have washed into your garden.
• Treat your lawn and garden for late winter weeds to keep them manageable throughout the spring.
• Freshen up your outdoor living space by bringing your outdoor accessories or by adding new lanterns, lights, pillows, flower pots, etc.

Let us know the steps and ideas that you take to get ready for spring!