Home Improvement Stack Exchange
Home Improvement Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [handrail]

32 questions
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5 answers

Dwelling code imposition on landscape stairs

I just had a retaining wall and patio installed in my back yard. There is a stairway set in the retaining wall with nine steps. We just had what was supposed to be the final sign-off, and got a different inspector who is new to the town. She is…
Matt Auger
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3 answers

Attach bath grab bar into tiles with cement board backer (without those special behind the wall anchors)

Is cement board (1/2in Durock to be exact) strong enough to hold a grab bar without those special anchors? My bathtub had drywall behind tiles. A few tiles fell out so I decided to just upgrade to cement backer. I told my guy I intended to install…
Joe C
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2 answers

How can I join two mitred handrails?

I have an old staircase with winders, so if I want 32 inches between handrail and nose of stairs, I'm going to have to cut some angles. If the overall run of the handrails is going to be about 180 inches, and I'm cutting a 17 degree miter about 40…
Rob Latham
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1 answer

Proper way to repaint aluminum rails

Background... We have aluminum rails that have been painted over a few times over the years. I believe that they were originally powder coated, but I'm not sure. They have now gotten to the point that large voids have formed between the paint and…
GaTechThomas
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2 answers

What type of cleaner should be used to remove "hand sludge" from a varnished wood railing?

You know what I'm talking about, right? That dark grey sludge that builds up on hand rails over the years? I inherited a case of sludgy hand-rails when I bought my first house and I'd like to clean them. I've tried using lemon oil-based polish and…
Charles Burns
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1 answer

Stair Handrail loose, but not due to screws loose

I have stair handrails held on by brackets like the one in the image. The bend in the loop piece has a larger diameter than the diameter of the post on the bracket that it loops around. Also the post on the bracket sticks out a bit longer than the…
FoamyGuy
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2 answers

What tools to cut square post hole in composite decking board?

I need to cut 9 holes in potentially 9 pieces of decking board (composite). I am thinking about using this method: Drill a big hole ~1.5" using hole saw bit (for the door knob) in the middle Drill 4 holes at 4 corners of the square Then either (a)…
HP.
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How can I secure my spindles?

My house has 3 stories, and from the first floor to the second it has spindles. My issue with them is that they seem very rickety, and don't support any weight what so ever. Is it possible to secure them? The top set seem to be much worse than…
Terry
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2
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3 answers

What are the code regulations for stairs off an exterior french door?

Do the stairs off my french doors need to be the width of both doors or can they be just the width of the most used side? How big does the landing have to be at the top and bottom? Can I just attach a guardrail to the exterior and forgo the…
Ann
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1 answer

How can I attach a handrail to the wall so that it will be easily removable?

I need a handrail on the wall of a narrow stairway that can be removed easily to transport furniture up or down the steps. Are there brackets that can be racheted off the wall instead of screws? Or 2 piece ones with flat base profile removing rail…
Cindy in PA
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2 answers

How to secure a rail butting up to the wall

I am out of ideas on how to fasten this rail butting up to the wall. I don't think that using a bracket would give it enough strength if someone were to lean on it as its span is 6 feet and so there's a lot of torque. (Besides, a bracket would look…
Wynne
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How to fix loose box newel handrail post

Here's a link to the post and a video on it wobbling. https://photos.app.goo.gl/huCeNoR4D79aDTJR9 In one video, you can see the whole post is moving quite a bit. As you can see in the photos, I have access to underneath the stairs. And it appears…
Oggie
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How to mount handrail brackets to a concrete block wall?

I'm installing a handrail for a short flight of stairs at the bottom of an interior staircase which is adjacent to a solid concrete block wall. The options I've been considering for fixing the handrail brackets to the wall include countersunk sleeve…
jrcollins
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Can a handrail with a baluster channel be used with wall brackets?

Can the type of handrail shown in the photo be mounted onto a wall using brackets for use in a stairwell? As you can see it has a groove cut out of the bottom.
jrcollins
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How can I fix railings that lack newel posts?

In my new house these two rails: are wobbly and feel unsafe. It seems to me that whatever I do to the existing pieces, they're always going to be rather unsafe—they're low (less than 3 feet high) and will always have a tendency to get wobbly…
jez
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