Installation of Wooden Handrail for Balustrade

With a handrail, accurate measuring and solid fixing matter most. Screwing the rail itself in place takes very little time.

Measuring and marking the line

First the carpenter checks what the wall is made of: solid brick, concrete, perforated brick, aerated concrete block or plasterboard. The choice of fixings depends on this. Then the line of the rail is marked. The rail follows the pitch of the stairs, so its height is measured vertically from the front edge of each step (the nosing), not from the floor. In houses and flats, a handrail is usually fitted at roughly 900 to 1000 mm. The exact figure comes from your local building regulations and the staircase design.

Drilling and fixing

Good quality wall plugs work in solid brick and concrete. In hollow bricks or older, crumbly masonry, a chemical anchor (resin fixing) is usually the safer choice. In a plasterboard wall, the screws must go into a metal stud or into timber noggins fitted when the wall was built. The board alone will not hold a handrail.

Fitting the brackets and the rail

Brackets usually go roughly 800 to 1200 mm apart, closer together for a heavier rail. There must always be a firm fixing near the start and the end of the rail. The rail is screwed to the brackets from below, so you neither see nor feel the screws under your hand. Finally, the ends are shaped, the edges cleaned up and the finish completed.

When the rail sits on a balustrade, it is fixed to the posts or to the top rail of the frame. At corners and landings, sections are joined with dowels, handrail bolts or curved pieces, so the joint cannot be felt under your palm.

Beech, oak and ash are the usual timbers for handrails. What matters is hardness and proper drying. Damp timber twists and cracks after installation.

• Beech is strong, has a fine, even grain and takes stain well, so it suits most interiors
• Oak is harder and keeps its shape well, has a pronounced grain and copes well with daily use
• Ash is light in colour and slightly flexible, and looks good with metal brackets in a simple modern interior

For the finish, you choose between lacquer and oil. Lacquer forms a hard layer, resists wear and is easy to wipe clean. Once it is damaged, though, it is harder to repair. Oil brings out the grain and feels warmer to the touch. A worn spot only needs a light local sanding and a fresh coat, but oil has to be renewed from time to time according to the manufacturer's instructions. For stairs that see a lot of traffic, a hard-wearing lacquer or an oil made for heavily used surfaces makes sense.

The simplest case is a straight single flight of stairs and a solid brick or concrete wall. These things make the job take longer:

• A winding or turning staircase where the rail has to be bent or joined at angles
• A weak or hollow wall that needs chemical anchors or extra reinforcement
• An uneven wall where the brackets have to be packed out so the rail runs in one straight line
• A rail running over several floors or landings without a break
• A custom profile made to measure, with the finish applied on site
• Removing an old rail and making good the holes left by the original brackets

In a block of flats, there is one more point: if the staircase is a shared one, do not fit a rail without the agreement of the building management or the owners' association. Replacing a handrail in your own house does not normally need permission. If you are changing the whole balustrade or staircase, check with your local building authority what applies in your case.

• Fixed only into plaster: the bracket holds only in the plaster, or in plasterboard without a stud, and gives way the first time someone leans on it hard
• Wrong height: with a low rail you have to stoop, with a high one your hand has no natural support, which matters most on the way down
• Brackets too far apart: the rail sags between them and the joints work loose
• Too little room for the hand: if the rail sits too close to the wall, your knuckles scrape it, so leave a clear gap of at least roughly 40 to 50 mm
• Timber not acclimatised: a rail brought straight from a cold store moves once it is fitted in a warm house, so it should rest in the room for a few days first
• Sharp ends: a square cut end catches sleeves and bag straps, so ends are rounded off or returned to the wall

You can fit a rail to a flat, solid wall on an ordinary staircase yourself if you have a drill, a spirit level and some patience. If you are unsure about the wall, the staircase is a winding one, or the rail is part of a balustrade that keeps people from falling, leave the job to a carpenter. Electric cables and pipes can run inside walls, so always check each spot with a detector before drilling.

1. Leave the rail in the room where it will be fitted for a few days.
2. Measure the vertical height from the nosing of the first and last step and mark both points on the wall.
3. Join the marks with a straight line using a laser or a straight batten and a spirit level.
4. Mark the bracket positions, placing the first and last a short distance from the ends of the rail.
5. Check every drilling point with a cable and pipe detector.
6. Drill the holes with a bit suited to the wall material and clear out the dust.
7. Insert the plugs or anchors and fix the brackets, without fully tightening them yet.
8. Offer up the rail, check the line and height at every step, then tighten the brackets.
9. Screw the rail to the brackets from below, with screws short enough not to break through the top.
10. Round off or cap the ends and treat the cut surfaces with the same finish as the rail.
11. Push on the rail from the side and from above with the force of an adult and make sure it does not move anywhere.

• The rail does not move when pushed hard sideways or downwards, and the brackets do not creak
• The height is the same along the whole length, measured from the step nosings
• The rail starts at the first step and ends at the last, not halfway up the flight
• There is enough room between rail and wall to wrap your hand around it comfortably
• No screws, joints or sharp edges can be felt under the palm
• The ends are rounded or returned to the wall and nothing catches on them
• The finish is even, with no lacquer runs and no unsanded patches
• The wall around the brackets is clean, with no torn plaster or old holes left