Do-it-yourself installation of balusters on a wooden staircase

Any staircase with two or more steps must be supplemented with balusters and railings. This is done so that the main load of the structure is evenly distributed among the supporting elements. Of course, real professionals in their field will correctly and quickly complete the manufacture and installation of this device. But why overpay, if you can go the other way - installation of balusters on a wooden staircase with your own hands is possible for any novice builder who will take every step according to the instructions given in our article. Today we will acquaint you with the list of material for the manufacture of such a structure, as well as give useful tips on installing balusters in various ways.

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Balusters Requirements

Before installing balusters on a wooden staircase, you must know the norms and requirements that must be observed when installing these wooden elements. This information will help you make the structure stable, and moving around it safe.

So, we made the requirements the following list:

• Make gaps between balusters at least 15 m. And if there are small children in your house, it will be advisable to reduce the distance to 10 cm.
• Fasten the racks in two places - to the railing and the stairs.
• The optimal height of the handrails is considered to be a height of at least 1 meter.
• If for some reason you cannot put one baluster on each step, then in this case you can solve the problem by installing two racks between the two main supporting elements.
• Handrails should be as comfortable as possible when using - have a smooth surface, not be slippery.
• Balusters must be durable to support the weight of an adult. The most important thing here is to correctly calculate the possible load on the object.
• Make all supports from the same material so that the effects of temperature and humidity are the same.
• Do not use nails when erecting a wooden staircase. They can cause unpleasant creaks, and then completely turn into a crack.

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Design features of racks

Wooden balusters are divided into three parts:

• Base. It is neither the lower supporting part of the rack, it is made with a small margin of length for mounting the structure.
• Central part. This is the most beautiful staircase leaving, which carries an exclusively decorative function. Most often, it is decorated with carvings - from the simplest to sculptural patterns.
• Support for railings and handrails. This part of the baluster is attached to the sub-window and horizontal railings.

The following types of balusters are distinguished:

• Flat - made of plywood or boards.
• Flat supports - pieces of a certain size with a square or round cross-section.
• Point and figured - processed according to the finished template on special machines.
• Carved - are considered the most complex and decorative carved hand-made racks.

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Wood selection

In most cases, balusters are made of wood. Soft and hard woods are well suited for this.

Important! Such popularity is due to the positive characteristics of this material: wood is easy to process, milling, hand-painted or carved.As a result, you can get an amazing result that is unattainable in production models.

The following types of wood are used for supporting elements:

• Larch trees. It has increased strength and wear resistance during the operation of the structure. Due to its hardness, the material is not subject to decay and is resistant to moisture.

Important! Do not forget about one nuance - do not dry the wood too much so that cracks do not form in it.

• Pine. It is considered very popular in the manufacture of stair racks. It is easy to cut and grind, it copes with fungal diseases and temperature extremes. We note one more advantage - a fairly affordable price.
• Oak. These raw materials are preferred by true lovers of a combination of beauty and chic. The material is strong enough, durable. Oak balusters are not afraid of moisture, are not deformed and do not crack at all. If you make a ladder and supports from such a material, then such a design will serve you for more than one generation.

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Mounting Methods

Installing balusters on a wooden staircase with your own hands is a fairly responsible process that requires special attention when drawing up a drawing, calculating and carrying out all subsequent work.

Important! The strength and reliability of the design will determine the safety of your entire family. Often, older people lean on handrails to go down the stairs. That is why the design fence must be firmly fixed.

Methods for attaching stair supports:

• Hairpins.
• Dowels.
• Screws

Further we will take a closer look at each of the above methods.

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Stud mounting

You can install the drains on metal studs.

Important! On a wooden staircase, it is advisable to fasten galvanized elements up to 10 cm long with a thickness of 8 mm.

Training:

• We grind the ladder together with support rails, racks and other details. Now we thoroughly putty everything and impregnate the wood with a special protective antifungal agent.
• We drill with a drill on balusters and supporting parts of the structure of the hole with a depth of 8 cm.

Important! For alignment accuracy, you can use a guide bar suitable for the bottom end of the rack. In the center of one bar, we drill one through hole.

• We put a guide bar on the drill, which we then fix on a horizontal surface (board or chipboard sheet).
• We move the balusters to the drill so that the holes obtained are located exactly along one axial line.
• We install the studs in the holes. To increase their reliability, you can put them on glue. Outside there is 5 cm of hairpin.

Installation of railings on a wooden staircase:

1. We screw the self-tapping screw into the upper and lower steps, then tightly tighten the mounting thread between them. We note at each step the axial center of the studs. We perform the work using the square, taking into account the recommended interval between balusters.
2. We drill with a drill 5 mm shallow holes for studs. To maximize the verticality of the holes, we use a drill nozzle designed to drill the recesses we need.
3. We screw the prepared supports into the step for stability.
4. We check the verticality of the racks using the building level.
5. We fasten the rail with tape to the outermost racks at the required height, parallel to the flight of stairs.
6. With a pencil, draw a line on the upper parts of the support posts.
7. We cut balusters according to marks.
8. Install the rail under the bottom of the railing. We fasten it to each rack on wood screws.
9. We mount the handrail.

So our wooden stairs with their own balusters are ready!

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Installation on dowels:

1. We make the marking of the steps and support posts.
2. We drill a hole in the step and end of the support for half the length of the fastener (dowel).
3. We fill holes with PVA glue.
4. We install the spikes in the holes of the step, and then fasten the racks to the dowel.
5. We give time for setting the glue - 2-3 hours.
6. Install the railing.

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Installation on self-tapping screws

It is considered the easiest way to install the stairs with your own hands. The design on self-tapping screws will turn out to be quite reliable and wear-resistant.

Work Stages:

1. We prepare wooden racks. We screw the screws into the racks until a sharp tip remains a few millimeters.
2. We install balusters according to the intended marking on the steps.
3. We cover the resulting recess with putty on wood.
4. We fasten the screws until the cap disappears completely.

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Stock footage

Now it will not be difficult for you to build not only a beautiful, but also a high-quality staircase, because you already know how to fix the balusters on a wooden staircase. To carry out such construction work, you do not need an expensive and complex tool. It is enough to arm yourself with a small set of fasteners, and also take into account all the above requirements for racks.