How to attach balusters to steps and railings? It's not as difficult as it seems at first glance. Especially if the staircase railing is made of wood, because wood is soft and malleable to processing.
Some components
Stairs are different. Installation of some requires professionalism, while others can be installed independently. And, of course, what is a structure without a protective part. It can be installed even on a steep spiral staircase.
Please note that the maximum distance between balusters should not exceed 15 cm.
If it is larger, then, firstly, it is difficult to say about the staircase that it is beautiful. Also, such a design will become dangerous for children. There are cases when children stuck their heads between the bars, but were unable to pull it back out on their own.
The length of the balusters cannot exceed 90 cm, otherwise even adults will find it difficult to lean on the railing when going up or down the stairs.
Fencing elements can be different: ordinary, without frills, with stucco or other decorations, elaborate, with a bend, figured.
They are made from various materials: glass, plastic, metal, wood, plaster. Home staircases are often made of wood, and attaching wooden railings is much easier than any other.
The wooden fencing part looks beautiful and durable. It is easy to restore and replace individual elements in case of breakdown.
A feature that greatly simplifies their installation is that all these elements have thickenings at both ends.
In structures where there are special fastenings, attaching balusters to the stairs is simple. There are recesses in the railings or railings, the parts of the fence are installed evenly and snap into place. The balusters are attached to the steps using special balusters. But if there are no special devices, you will have to tinker a little longer. Even the home owner can do this kind of work.
Methods of fastening the fence
The fence can be attached to wooden bases using pins, self-tapping screws or wooden dowels.
Fences on smooth railings and steps without grooves are attached to homemade fasteners for balusters made of studs or self-tapping screws.
Before installation, it is necessary to determine at what distance they will be from each other. Depending on the thickness, they are installed on all steps or through one.
Next steps:
- The installation of support pillars is required at the beginning and end of the stairs. Thus, the fence will not “walk” and will stand firmly.
- The required number of elements is taken, holes about 80 mm deep are drilled in their bases, these are fasteners for balusters.
- The studs are screwed into them so that their edges protrude beyond the edges of the bases at a level of no more than 60 mm.
- Holes with a diameter of at least 14 mm and a depth of up to 80 mm are made along the edges of the base of the stairs to attach balusters to the steps.
- Next, the balusters are attached to the steps of the stairs.
- A rope is stretched from the top to the bottom post. Thus, from the steps it becomes clear at what angle to cut those elements that are between them.
- After they are leveled, the same holes are made in the railings or railings. The studs are tightened.
- Railings or railings are placed on top, and the studs are screwed in. This is how the railings are attached to the stairs.
- If the railings are first attached to the fence, the railings are attached from above.
Then the surface of the posts and fences is sanded and varnished or painted, taking into account the preferences of the owners, the style of the house and design solutions. That's it, the railings are ready.
Another process of installation to the stairs is carried out by putting them on spikes (dowels). This type of fastening of wooden balusters is used when there are recesses in the supports or railings, and the steps have special holes.
Wooden spikes are installed at the base of each element. Holes are made for them. The dowels are lubricated with glue and driven into the bases. Installation is carried out in the same way as in the case of studs.
Installation under dowels involves only vertical fastening. If individual parts of the fencing part need to be arranged horizontally, you will have to additionally use hardware.
Attaching the fence to the floor
Attaching a wooden fence to the floor is a task that does not require special qualifications. However, it has its own peculiarities.
It greatly simplifies attaching balusters to the floor if the owner, when installing the floor covering, provided for the installation of the stairs in the future and installed pins along its perimeter. Then attaching the balusters to the floor becomes simple - by placing their bases on prepared self-tapping screws.
But how to fix the fence on a wooden staircase if there is no such blank? If the floors are wooden, “capercaillies” are used - these are pins or screws whose caps break off.
The threaded rods themselves are screwed into the base of the floor along the perimeter of the staircase structure, and fencing elements are mounted on top.
They are attached to a concrete or cement floor using special impact dowels.
The method of fastening wooden balusters - horizontally or vertically - does not matter in this case. But it should be said that screwing them to the floor using self-tapping screws, “wood caps” or dowels requires vertical installation.
Using these methods, wooden elements are fastened. These are the most common and reliable techniques. You can make a staircase railing from the same material yourself, without outside help.
Video about marking and attaching balusters to steps.
It is more difficult to install elements made of concrete or glass due to the characteristics of the fasteners and the fragility of the elements themselves. Therefore, craftsman assistants will be required - one or more, depending on the amount of work. It is important before starting work to clearly determine which fasteners for balusters will be performed and in what sequence.
Balusters are parts of stair railings. Stair railings are attached to them.
The most common are wooden balusters. They are most often used in the construction of purely wooden stairs and less often in combination with stairs made from other materials.
Also, the materials for their manufacture can be:
- Concrete or stone.
- Metal.
- Plastic.
The cross-sectional shape of balusters can be very diverse:
- Round.
- Square.
- Multifaceted.
Round products made on lathes. Hardwoods are usually used for these purposes:
- Birch.
Balusters made from wood are the most decorative in comparison with similar products made from other materials.
Attaching to the steps of a flight of stairs
Before you think How to attach balusters to steps and railings, it is necessary to decide the compositional component of the overall design of the staircase. There are two options here. First option: one step - one baluster. Second option: two balusters per step.
Depending on this, the thickness of the products is selected. Their paired placement means less thickness.
For safe use of the stairs, the distance between the balusters should not be more than 150 mm. In a pair version, the distance between pairs may differ from the distance within the pairs.
To secure the baluster to the step, you really need to worry about this at the stage of its manufacture. A cylindrical pin is machined in its lower part sufficient thickness and length 20−50mm.
A recess of the same diameter as the pin on the baluster is drilled into the step. The pin is lubricated with glue and driven into the hole on the step. The connection must be very tight. The ideal option: the pin is driven into the hole by hitting the top of the baluster with a heavy hammer. So that the glue, when compressed, can come out of the recess and allow the product to sit in place, a special through groove should be made along the pin, along which excess glue will come out.
For precise drilling of holes For recesses, it is most reliable to use a special template. It can be made from a piece of thick plywood. The right hole is drilled in it in the right place. The size of the template must correspond to the width of the step. The size of the other side is arbitrary. All corners of the template must be straight. Having secured the template to the edge of the step, drill a recess for the baluster through its hole. Now on each next step it will be strictly in a place similar to the first recess.
If it is not possible to make products with a ready-made pin, there is another similar method: fastening to dowels, which are the same pins, but made separately. When using them, in the lower part of each baluster you will have to drill a corresponding hole to the diameter of the dowels used.
The disadvantage of this method is precisely that the necessary holes, made by hand, are not always obtained in the center of the end of the baluster.
Fastening to railings
Attaching to railings in the same way, like steps, is very difficult to do. The railings are at a large angle in relation to the vertical balusters, which greatly complicates any form of work.
To attach the railings in a simpler way, it is necessary, first of all, to cut off the top of the balusters along one line parallel to the flight of stairs. Markings can be made using a cord or laser level.
The top of all balusters of one staircase The march is tied on top with a rafter strip 10-20mm thick. Its width should correspond to the dimensions of the upper cut. The rail is fastened using screws.
From the bottom of the wooden railing a longitudinal groove must be made in width and depth corresponding to the width of the tie strip. The railing is put on the rail with a groove and secured with glue or the same screws from below through the body of the rail.
The railings of adjacent flights can be connected to each other, or they can be independent of each other. Railing connections from flight to flight have various options, up to the most complex rounded shape.
Special elements of stair railings
In some staircase designs, the outer posts that mark the top and bottom of the flights of stairs are made distinct from the rest of the balusters and are called support pillars. Their tops are not cut along the common line, but remain above the level of the railing. They are usually decorated with additional decorative elements. For example, large wooden balls. The support pillars must be secured to the floor very securely. The dowel for this purpose must be of a much larger diameter.
The rafter rail rests end-to-end against the support posts and is secured using a metal angle and screws. It is preferable to do this on top of the slats to subsequently hide the fasteners under the railings.
You can fasten the railing to the support post in another way: through a through hole using a long screw, but in this case it will have to be covered with additional decorative elements made of wood or plastic, and this may disrupt the decorative integrity of the appearance of the staircase.
At the junctions of the marches, support pillars are installed on the floor in pairs. For greater strength, it is permissible to connect them together using additional fasteners.
Although material costs with this method, the construction of stairs increases, but the complex connection of railings of adjacent flights becomes unnecessary.
Metal stair railings
Unlike wooden balusters, their metal counterparts cannot be produced at home. Unless in a very primitive form from ordinary metal pipes. Industrial elements of metal stairs Available in the form of stainless steel pipes. Their surface is polished to a shine and has no decorative excesses. Stair railings made of similar materials are used for a certain interior style.
Unlike wooden elements, metal harmonizes well with stone stairs.
Methods for fastening metal parts fences are presented in sufficient quantities on the Internet in the form of recordings of video master classes.
Cast or forged metal balusters can be made exclusively for external stairs. Such staircases are installed as part of the architectural structure of cities at the entrance to large public buildings, as structural elements of bridges, various staircase descents and passages. Especially often such stairs are built in park areas for decorative decoration.
Forged products are attached during the construction process by concreting their base into the overall mass of the structure.
Stone stairs
Concrete or stone balusters are also used mainly for decorative purposes to design large-scale urban structures.
They are also used in private rich households, but more often from natural or artificial stone.
Such balusters are attached to the floor of stone staircases using metal pins.
In the case of concrete products, the pins are inserted into them during the manufacturing process. Then, when installing the baluster In place, these pins are inserted into holes prepared on the planes of the steps, with the addition of cement mortar.
When using natural stone, holes are also prepared in the balusters themselves. Metal pins are first mounted in the steps, and then balusters are put on them.
When assembling stone stairs in rich houses they can do without metal pins using modern types of adhesives. The fit of the stone parts of the staircase, in this case, must be ideal and be carried out by specialized enterprises with a full cycle of work: from the manufacture of parts to their installation.
For the convenience of potential clients Such organizations are required to provide photographs of their products and videos of similar work performed by their specialists.
The issue on which the safety of the staircase structure largely depends is the fastening of the balusters to the surface of the steps. Regardless of the configuration of the building, it is necessary to ensure the presence of fences for safety and ease of movement. Railings are attached to the balusters, but initially the task is to install the supports themselves. How to do it?
Installation of fences and balusters
According to safety standards, special fences with handrails must be located at the edges of the stairs. They play an important functional and aesthetic role.
Fences consist of several parts:
- support pillars,
- intermediate balusters,
- cross bars,
- railing
The load-bearing elements of the structure are the balusters and supports. The stability of the entire structure as a whole depends on the quality of their installation. Before you figure out what is best to use to attach balusters to steps and strings, you should understand the structure of this element.
Supports and balusters - load-bearing structural elements
The design of pillars can be divided into three components:
- support,
- central part,
- base.
It is the extreme elements that serve as the basis for their fastening. It is important to consider the material from which the structure is made. It could be:
- tree,
- metal,
- concrete,
- stone.
The most options are available for wood products. Massive concrete and stone structures are usually laid at the stage of construction of the staircase itself.
Installation methods
The main question: how to securely attach balusters to the stairs? Balusters can be attached to steps in several ways:
- on dowels;
- on threaded studs;
- on self-tapping screws or self-tapping screws.
You can fix the base of the support pillars directly to the floor. To save space and not take up valuable space on the staircase itself, balusters are often mounted to the bowstring or stringers.
Using the same methods as for connecting to steps, you can attach balusters to the floor using an additional connecting element - a baluster strip. The same element allows you to fix the railings. However, its use is not a requirement.
The baluster strip is an additional connecting element that simplifies the method of fastening
Dowels
All methods of installing railings to stairs are not particularly complicated. In this case, one can still highlight one of the simplest options. In this case, the use of so-called dowels is assumed. At their core, these are wooden plugs that are inserted into prepared grooves and reliably connect two elements. The so-called tongue-and-groove connection method is followed.
Installation of balusters to the stairs using dowels
Naturally, dowel fastening of balusters and pillars to the stairs is only suitable for wooden structures. It is best to fix the fence not to the steps themselves, but to the string. In this case, at the same distance in the bowstring, recesses are drilled, approximately equal in diameter to the size of the dowel. The same is done with the end part of the base of the balusters. The dowel should fit tightly into the hole, without the slightest gap.
Before attaching the balusters to the dowels, coat the joints with wood glue. This will ensure a more reliable fixation of the elements to each other.
Hairpins
Another popular method that is used to attach wooden balusters to the string of a staircase and its steps is the use of threaded studs. Here we should consider the issue from two positions: the installation of support and intermediate pillars, as well as the installation of railings to them.
First, you should pay attention to the installation of balusters. First of all, you need to mark the mounting locations for all fencing elements. A hole is drilled in the bowstring or steps and a fastening in the form of a pin is screwed into it. Then, from the end of the support, you need to drill a small hole clearly in the center of the base. After this, the product is placed on a pre-installed pin and screwed tightly.
A popular method of attaching balusters to the string of a staircase is using hairpins
The second question: how to attach balusters directly to the railings. In this case, it is best to use not simple straight pins, but so-called screw-in loops. With their help, you can easily fix the railings, as well as connect their sections to each other, in particular, at turns. In this case, it is not even necessary to file down the supports if there is a recess in the railing on the reverse side. The handrails are placed on a pin and pressed tightly. If we are talking about an end connection, a nut is additionally used to fix the railing. It is screwed through an additional drilled hole.
Self-tapping screws
A universal method of attaching balusters to the floor, steps and string is the use of screws and self-tapping screws. With their help you can secure both wooden and metal products. There are several approaches to consider here:
- use of a baluster;
- base plate;
- direct fixation.
All methods are essentially similar. A reliable connection to the steps can be ensured by using a plate. In this case, it holds the support, and itself is screwed to the floor with four screws. When using a baluster, you can hide the place where the self-tapping screw is inserted into the base of the post.
Using self-tapping screws, you can easily attach balusters to the railings
If the steps do not have a riser, it is very convenient to place the mount on the bottom. If the risers are removable, you can disguise the connection points.
Since attaching balusters to a thin bowstring using similar methods is not always convenient, they use another rather interesting technique. To do this, it is necessary to add an additional rotating element to the structure and use it to connect the balusters and the side part of the stringer. Thus, it is possible to save space on the steps and move the fence beyond them.
When carrying out work, it is important to prevent damage to the supports. To make them, choose only those types of wood that can withstand such installation and have good resistance to splitting.
The staircase located in the room is the main object of attention, defining the interior of the entire room. Do not forget that the staircase is a rather traumatic structure. Both parameters are equally important during its construction. Installing balusters helps solve these problems.
Rules and requirements for installing balusters
Structurally, balusters are an indispensable element of stair railings in the form of a vertical support, the shape of which matches the style of the interior space and transforms a conventional structure into a design element, and often becomes a work of art. For the manufacture of these staircase elements, the following materials and their combinations are used:
- tree;
- natural and artificial stone;
- metal;
- glass;
- concrete, brick.
Structural safety is ensured by reliable fastening of balusters, which, regardless of their shape and material, must comply with the general rules:
The horizontal or vertical arrangement of balusters does not play a big role in ensuring the safety of the structure, since the load-bearing function of these elements is comparable; they are usually chosen depending on the style and design of the staircase and the interior.
The fastening of balusters depends on the material from which they are made.
How to fasten wooden balusters?
There are two options for attaching balusters to a wooden staircase:
- Balusters are attached to the steps. With this fastening, a slight narrowing of the width of the flight of stairs occurs. Depending on the size of the balusters and the width of the steps, 1 or 2 balusters are placed on one tread; the main thing to remember is that the distance between them should not be more than 15 cm. Before attaching the handrails to the balusters, they must be cut at an angle equal to the angle of inclination of the stairs.
- Attaching balusters to the bowstring. If, during the construction of the staircase, a string of sufficient width was used to place a baluster on it, this will avoid narrowing the flight of stairs. With this method of fastening, the balusters will need to be cut at an angle equal to the angle of inclination of the stairs on both sides.
You can install balusters on a wooden staircase with your own hands in one of the following ways:
- fastening with studs;
- fastening using a wooden dowel;
- connection using self-tapping screws.
It is not recommended to fasten with nails. As a result of the constant load aimed at loosening the structure, this will cause the nail to expand the hole into which it is driven and lose its function. Let's consider each of the acceptable methods in more detail.
Using a dowel
Dowels are small sticks with a diameter of 8-12 mm and a length of 100-120 mm. In addition to the dowel, you will need glue. It is allowed to use PVA glue or special wood glue.
Let's consider the option of attaching balusters to steps; the only difference from attaching to a bowstring is that for the bowstring it is necessary to cut the bottom of the baluster at an angle.
- At the bottom of the baluster, mark the center of the base and drill a hole 1-2 mm larger than the diameter of the dowel to a depth equal to half the length of the dowel.
- Fill the resulting hole with glue and install a dowel in it. It is important to make sure that the dowel does not deviate to the side, otherwise it will not be possible to install the baluster evenly. After installing the dowel, all excess glue that was squeezed out after installation should be carefully removed and the remaining glue should be allowed to harden well.
- We mark the installation points of the balusters on the steps and drill similar holes.
- We fill the holes in the steps with glue and install the balusters. It is necessary to fix the balusters until the glue completely hardens (about 2-3 hours).
- Similar steps are performed to attach balusters to the handrail.
Fastening with studs
The length of the pin is desirable to be at least 10 cm, the diameter depending on the type of wood is from 8 to 10 mm, for hardwoods a smaller diameter is possible. Additionally, prepare PVA glue or wood glue.
Fastening balusters to a wooden staircase using a pin is only possible for perpendicularly located elements. This fastening is carried out when the balusters are located on the steps:
- For fastening with studs, it is also necessary to drill holes equal to half the length of the stud, but the diameter of the hole should be 2 mm less than the diameter of the stud.
- Pour glue into the prepared hole in the baluster and use a gas wrench to tighten the pin so that the side with the screw remains outside.
- Add glue to the tread hole and screw the baluster into it.
The drilling depth in hardwood is greater than the screwing depth, otherwise the pin may break.
Fastening with self-tapping screws
This is the simplest mounting option considered. Before fastening it in the balusters, it is necessary to drill holes with a diameter smaller than the screws used. In the upper part, the hole must be widened in order to hide the screw head.
After installing the balusters on the stairs, the drilled holes for the screws must be masked using wood putty.
A staircase is indispensable in a building with several floors. Moreover, if the staircase structure has more than five steps, then a fence must be provided for it. There are a number of requirements for balusters (vertical posts) regarding the number per square meter and height.
In this article we will look at how to attach balusters to the stairs to get a truly reliable stair railing.
If you follow the rules, the stair railing should have the following parameters:
- The height of the stair railing should be not less than 0.9 meters from the step to the top of the handrail.
- There must be a distance between the posts no more than 15 cm.
Advice! If there are small children in the house, then the distance between the posts should be reduced up to 10 cm so that the child cannot squeeze between them. In addition, pay attention to the special stair safety barrier for the safety of children.
When installing a staircase with your own hands, you will probably be interested in how the balusters are attached to the staircase, to the railing or string. Such posts can have different shapes: square, round or flat. They can be either smooth or textured, made from various materials: stainless steel, wood, tempered glass, or forged.
Advice! When thinking about the shape of the balusters, you should take into account not only the appearance of the elements, but also what the voids between them will look like, since they should also have an attractive silhouette.
The most popular are wooden products, and their price is acceptable to the consumer. However, their main function is still not aesthetic, but mechanical - preventing falls from the stairs, so the main thing remains the correct fastening of these elements.
How to install balusters
Wooden balusters have three parts:
- Base.
- Central part.
- Handrail support.
The central part acts as the main decorative element. The support and base are made in height with a small allowance, which allows the elements to be adjusted “on site”.
The base should be fixed to bollard(special rail) or on step. The supports are attached to lintel or themselves railing.
Now let's figure out how to install balusters on the stairs. The instructions provide several mounting options:
- Installing balusters on stairs using studs on a string:
- First you need to drill a hole with a diameter of 12 mm in the middle of the lower end of the post. Hole depth – 80 mm.
- Carefully cut the bottom and top edges at right angles depending on how the post will be installed on the bowstring.
Advice! It is advisable to make cuts with a miter saw.
- Glue the pins into the holes. To do this, use standard galvanized studs with M6 threads. We use PVA glue. The ends of the hairpins should protrude 6-7 cm.
- We drill holes in the bowstring (diameter 14 mm, depth 80-100 mm).
- We install wooden balusters with installed studs into the holes. First, the two outer racks are installed, and then all the rest.
Advice! Before you start gluing, you must accurately mark the installation location of all the posts.
- The racks are fastened from above in the same way into the support rail or into the groove of the handrail. A railing is a wooden strip that should be glued into the groove of the railing from below. First, you can put the rack on the railing, after which the entire structure is glued to the handrail. However, some craftsmen attach it directly to the railing without using a support rail.
- Fastening for dowels.
Since the racks will not experience heavy loads, they can be attached to dowels. A dowel is a wooden spike. With this fastening method, the main stages of work correspond to those described above. The only difference is that larger holes must be drilled for dowels than for metal pins.
- Wooden dowels coated with glue should be driven into pre-drilled holes in the ends of the balusters. For fastening we use PVA glue.
- Next, the base of the first support with a dowel should be placed on the bowstring.
- To additionally secure the stairs to the floor, you should put a supporting baluster on an anchor that is mounted into the floor.
- We place a rail (baluster) with drilled holes on the bowstring and fasten it with screws.
- The lower ends of the posts should be inserted into the grooves, and the upper ends should be attached to the railings.
- Self-tapping screws.
There is an even faster way to attach balusters to wooden stairs. In this case, they are mounted directly to the treads. This option is suitable if the ladder is installed on stringers.