How to Make a Stair Rail
Railings are essential for home safety, but a railing can also serve as a stairway embellishment. Unfortunately, quality stair railings can be expensive; at homedepot.com, a leading lumber and hardware retailer, the cheapest railing is an 8-foot red oak railing for $54.42. Larger or higher-quality railings run upward of double or triple this price. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Tape measure
- Long piece of wood
- Table saw
- 60-grit sandpaper
- 120-grit sandpaper
- Polyurethane or paint
- Paintbrush
- Stud-finder
- Handrail mounting brackets
Instructions
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Measure the staircase from the bottom-most step to the top. Always measure in advance, making sure you get a single piece of lumber long enough to span the entire stairway. A single, solid, seamless piece of wood looks more uniform than a rail made from several sections pieced together. It also adds stability.
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Get a solid piece of wood to fit your personal preferences. Generally speaking, many railings are about 2 to 4 inches and 2 to 3 inches wide, but these dimensions are not set in stone. Grip the wood to see if it feels comfortable. Any hardwood will work well, but typical railings are made from cherry, red oak or maple.
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Cut the wood to fit the length of your staircase using a table saw.
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Sand the piece of wood with 60 grit sandpaper to remove rough edges from sawing. At this point, you can also shape the edges of the rail to be smoother and rounder. Generally speaking, home-made railings have a contemporary, modular look. However, if you really want a rounder-style, you can achieve it by sanding off the corners.
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Sand again with 120 grit sandpaper for a finer, smoother finish.
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Apply a coat of paint to match your color scheme, or brush on a coat with polyurethane if you want the wood itself to show through. If the first coat does not cover fully, wait for it to dry and apply a second coat---two thin coats will look better than one thick coat. Be sure to paint the entire length of the wood; even if you won't see part of the wood when it is mounted, the paint or polyurethane helps seal the wood and keeps the railing's grip uniform.
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Attach the mounting hardware to the wood before screwing it into the wall. There are several mounting options available, but so-called handrail brackets work best (see Resources). When attaching the hardware, make sure it will line up with your wall studs when mounted. An electronic stud-finder makes this process easy.
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When finally mounting the finished rail on the wall, OSHA recommends placing it at a height between 30 to 34 inches for optimal safety.
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