How to Install a Stair Railing

Ron's trip through coastal New England this week continued in Portsmouth, New Hampshire where Pat and Judy Nerbonne had just about completed their eighteen month long renovation project on their old 1800's home. They asked Ron to help them out with a finishing detail…the narrow staircase leading up the second floor had a banister on only one side. That was fine for Pat and Judy, but when the grandchildren came to visit, they really needed to add a rail to the other wall both for safety and to help keep those dirty little hands off the clean white walls.

Click Here For a list of what you will need in order to complete this project.

Pat and Judy wanted to match their existing banister with one exception. Because the stairs were so narrow, they wanted the new rail to sit flush against the wall so as not to take up any more space. Ron was just the person to help them with this custom project.

• Start by measuring the height of the existing banister. The Nerbonne's chose to match this height for the new rail to help add to the continuity of the design.

• Use a level to draw a vertical line on the wall from the front edge of the steps up to the height of the new rail. Do this at the top and the bottom of the staircase.

• The best way to draw a straight line over a long distance is to use a chalk line, which is a piece of string coated with powdered chalk. Hold the string tight at each end at the exact location you want the line to go, pull it back away from the wall in the center and then release the string. When it snaps back against the wall, it will leave behind a long, straight, line of chalk.

• In this case, Judy wanted to extend the rail from the bottom of the stairs to the corner of the wall, so Ron used a level to continue a line parallel to the floor at the bottom of the staircase.

• A handrail has to be extra sturdy so it must be attached directly to the wall studs. Use an electronic stud finder to locate the studs and then mark them with a pencil.
• Instead of attaching the rail directly to the wall, Ron recommends adding a mounting strip underneath. This offers two benefits. First, it will give you more room for your fingers when you are holding the rail and second, it will allow you to put the screws closer together and symmetrically spaced rather than worrying about where the wall stud locations are.

4. Cut and attach mounting strip:

• Use a table saw to cut the mounting strip down so it will fit in the channel on the underside of the railing piece. Use a power miter box to cut the mounting strip to length.

• First drill pilot holes at the locations of the wall studs, then use a countersink bit to make indentations in the wood so that the screw heads will be recessed and not interfere with the attachment of the rail. Attach the mounting strip to the wall studs using 2 ½" x #10 flat head phillips screws. The phillips screws are easier to drive with a screw gun.

• Before staining the mounting strip, mask off the wall with low tack painter's tape. It is helpful to pre-stain the mounting strip and rail, but you will still need to do some touch-ups once they are attached.
• Ron recommends adding wood stain to polyurethane if you need to match the color of an existing banister.

• When working with expensive wood, it is especially important to double-check your measurements before heading outside to the miter saw.

MITER SAW TIP: Push down firmly on the piece that you're cutting so it's both on the saw bed and up against the fence. Hold the saw handle, squeeze the saw switch on and allow the blade to come up to speed. Then cut all the way through the wood before releasing the switch to turn the blade off. Raise the handle back up holding the wood in place until the saw has stopped.

• Once the railing is cut and brought back inside, mark the locations for the screw holes. Make sure that these holes do not line up with the screws that attach the mounting strip to the studs. Attach a strip of masking tape along the top of the rail. This will protect the wood and give you a surface to make your marks on.

• Use a combination pilot hole drill and counter sink bit to drill into the new rail. Attach the railing again using the flat head phillips screws. These will be covered with plugs.

• To finish off the end of the handrail, cut a short section of the rail piece and put a miter on it. Apply wood glue to the miter cut surface and then drill two additional pilot holes and secure the end with two six-penny or eight-penny (2" or 2 ½ ") finish nails. Drive the nails slightly below the surface with a nail set and then covered the hole with matching wood filler.

• After the banister is secured in place, remove the tape.
• Use precut wooden pegs to cover the heads of the screws. It is important that the grain of these plugs is in the same direction as the grain of the rail. It may be helpful to take a pencil and make a mark along the grain line so you can line it up a little more easily.
• Apply wood glue to the tip of the plugs, push them into place and then tap them in firmly with a hammer.

RESULTS:

In just one day, Ron and the Nerbonnes added a beautiful mahogany rail to their stairway to match their banister! Now when the grandchildren come to visit, not only will they be much safer on the stairs, but they'll also have a great runway for their miniature cars!