Replacing or installing a handrail is necessary for the comfortable walking up and down on stairways, as it offers balance and support to those getting from bottom to top or vice versa of any landing. The required materials include:
- Metal plate,
- Crews glue,
- Brackets,
- And a handrail.
The required tools are a;
- level,
- Screwdriver,
- Drill and drill bit package,
- Chalk line,
- Stud finder,
- Ninety degree square,
- Hammer,
- Measuring tape,
- Tape,
- Miter saw,
- And a miter box.
The first step involves the layout. Before starting the handrail installation project, check for relevant code requirements that govern stair-railing installations from the building department, as these codes vary between one community and the next. After this has been ascertained, mark the bottom and top of the wall railing height. Snap a line of chalk between one point and the other and use the stud finder to find the studs on the wall while marking their center along the already made line.
The second step involves the wall brackets installation. Using the level, lay out the bracket locations, ensuring their levelness and straightness. Ask a friend to hold in place the brackets while punching using an awl a hole in the wall. After drilling lesser pilot holes, screw into place the brackets. The users of the proposed railing should be kept in consideration when purchasing the hardware for this project. Older or plus sized persons may require hardier railings.
The third step is staining or painting the railing. The finish should blend in with the fixtures and color schemes around it. This may be done in advance of the installation, to allow for drying. Next, the railing installation itself. Start by placing on the brackets of the railing, checking to ensure brackets and railing are meeting correctly. Mark out beneath the railing bracket holes. On the railing, bore pilot holes being careful of not overdoing it, which may split it. Following the screwing of the railing into the brackets, screw opposite ends initially, tightening as you go.
The final step involves railing returns. Some railings may need returns for the prevention of clothes catching. After measuring the return, cut at the portion of the corner a forty-five degree cut and dry fit it, ensuring its correct angling. Attach in the same way as the handrail a wall bracket onto the wall. Screw and glue onto the return the railing and affix it to the bracket on the wall.