How to Build a Wood Stair Rail

Building a wooden stair rail can be a complicated process. It requires some knowledge of carpentry before you tackle the installation, but the results can be a beautiful hand-built rail that will last for years against even the toughest level of everyday use. The rail can be built entirely with tools and equipment found at most home improvement stores.

Things You'll Need

• Carpenter's pencil
• Railing posts
• Drill
• Jigsaw
• Carriage bolts
• Nuts and washers
• 2 x 4 plank
• Carpenter's level
• Measuring tape
• Clamps
• Handsaw
• Chisel
• Router
• Lag shield
• Lag screw
• Wood glue
• Nail gun

Instructions

1. Check local building codes to determine the necessary height of the railing and the spacing needed for the balusters (the small vertical posts that support the upper rail). Design your railing with these requirements in mind. The railing should be designed with an eye towards fitting in seamlessly with the design of the rest of the staircase and the home.

2. Install the post by positioning it on the tread of the lowest step of the stair and tracing around the base. Use a jigsaw blade to cut the hole for the post. Slip the post through the hole and then use a post level to check that the post is vertically level. Secure the post to the staircase by drilling two countersink holes into the post one atop the other and clearance holes within the countersink holes through both the post and the staircase. Place a carriage bolt through the holes and secure with a washer and nut inside the staircase.

3. Clamp a 2 x 4 practice rail to the post and use a level attached to a measuring tape to measure the distance between the rail and second staircase. Clamp the top end of the rail to the ceiling or wall where the rail ends, so that the height between the last stair tread and the railing is the same as that between the second step and the railing, marking the placement with the pencil. Draw a line on the post using the bottom of the 2 x 4 as a guide to cut the post to fit the railing. Cut the post to the proper angle and height set by the drawn line.

4. Install a tab into the top of the post that will create a joint between the post and the stair rail. Create the tab by drawing a cutting line on the post the height of your proposed groove of at least 1/3-inch in depth. Use a handsaw to cut along this line, leaving a tab that's the width of the intended rail groove.

5. Cut the groove that fits the tabs into the underside of the handrail using a router.

6. Install the stair rail by aligning the rail along the previous markings. Drill a hole into the ceiling or wall where the rail ends and place a lag shield into the hole. The lag shield is designed to hold the unthreaded lag screw used to attach the railing. Attach the railing firmly into place with the lag screw and a washer.

7. Glue the rail onto the post and secure it into place using a nail gun. Measure and cut the remaining baluster rails to the height between the tread and the rail using the proper angle at the railing. Each baluster should be the same width as your railing groove. Install two per step by gluing each baluster in place and securing them using a nail gun.

8. Sand the edges of the railing and finish the staircase with two coats of polyurethane finish.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear safety goggles and work gloves when cutting and nailing the staircase materials.

References

• Fischer's Place: Installing Out Stair Railing
• Ron Hazelton's Housecalls: How to Build a Stair Railing

Resources

• Do It Yourself: Wood Rail Types