How to Replace Wood Bannisters With Wrought Iron

New banisters offer a modern updated look in a home.

Banisters offer a place to hold while going up or down a flight of stairs, making them a necessary safety feature. Some banisters have intricate designs to add interest and an element of design to the staircase. A banister refers to all parts of the handrail, including the upright supports or balusters, brackets and newel posts. Replacing wood with wrought iron only differs in terms of the look you are trying to achieve.

Things You'll Need

• Screwdriver
• Saw
• Chisel
• Hammer
• Medium-grit sandpaper
• Vacuum
• Epoxy-based adhesive
• Wall anchors
• Wood putty
• Flexible putty knife
• Fine-grit sandpaper

Instructions

1. Remove all screws holding the wood banister to the wall. Screws are located through the brackets and secure the banister to the wall.

2. Cut through the balusters and newel post with a saw, cutting as closely as possible to the stair treads without damaging them. Balusters are the upright posts that support the handrail. A newel post is the upright support that is at the base of the stairs and at any turns in the direction of the staircase. It is larger than the balusters.

3. Chip out the base of the balusters and newel posts with a thin chisel and a hammer carefully so as not to damage the stair treads. Carpenters use wood glue to secure the balusters and newel posts into holes drilled into the stair treads.

4. Sand the holes in the stair treads with a medium-grit sandpaper to remove excess dry glue.

5. Vacuum the holes and stairs treads to remove sawdust, bits of dried glue and other debris.

6. Fill the hole halfway with an epoxy based adhesive.

7. Fit the new wrought iron balusters into the existing holes in the stairs.

8. Screw the brackets into the wall, using the old screw holes as a guide. Place anchors into the old screw holes and screw into the anchors to prevent a loose banister.

9. Place railings through the brackets and over the top of the balusters into the pre-cut holes on the underside of the handrail. Secure the handrails to the balusters with epoxy-based adhesive.

10. Allow the epoxy-based adhesive to dry completely, usually four to six hours.

11. Fill in the depressions around the base of the balusters with wood putty. Use a flexible putty knife to press the wood putty into the hole deeply and build it up to sit slightly higher than the surface of the stair tread.

12. Allow the wood putty to dry completely, usually three to four hours.

13. Sand the wood putty smooth and level with the stair tread using fine-grit sandpaper.

Tips & Warnings

• Have someone hold the handrail, while you saw through to avoid having the banister fall.

References

• "Floors, Stairs & Carpets"; Time Life Editors; 1994
• "The Simon and Schuster Complete Guide to Home Repair and Maintenance"; Bernard Gladstone; 1987