Hello. I am currently trying to decorate my hall stairs and landing. The wife has asked if we can change the banisters from the old sixties style handrails etc to a new bannister and spindles. Now I have searched high and low and have found several answers to the following question but none that fit quite right!! The problem I have is that the handrail is very close to the landing and the return has now apparent room. I have attached some photos in order to show this. As I stated earlier, the return on the upper newel post doesn't really give me sufficient return to put a proper quarter turn handrail in: I know that I will need to make the upper newel post bigger in order to put a new newel post in, but it doesn't help me with how i put the spindles in on the stairs when it cuts through the bullnose on the edge of the landing.... So I'm hoping that there is someone out there that has covered this issue before and can give me some hints and tips for a newbie!! Many Thanks
Hi Simon, I guess this depends on how much time and money (if you are going to do yourself that is) you want to put in to this. You thinking of getting someone in or planning to do yourself?
Difficult a 'Double Newel',but it can be done, one job I wouldn't do myself though. A single Newel is easier, as in second image, also remember you cannot have a spacing of more than 100mm (horizontally) between spindles & the handrail has to be a minimum of 900mm high. Depending on the handrail length & with some simple mathes, you can adjust the spindle spacing to suit. I would get a few quotations to have the job done
Actually KIAB, the second picture is exactly what I want! I think my main issue is going to be the spindles as they pass the landing. I think the stringer of the staircase is too close for me to be able to put the spindles in. As you can see from the first picture, the current balustrade cuts through the bullnose of the landing edging. Fathands, I really want to do it myself, because apparently ' I don't have enough to do' according to SWMBO!!!!
Get a few quotes from firms who main work is staircases,they may come up with a solution, which you haven't seen & you can then pinch their idea.
Simon, isn't 'all' that's required is for the new handrail and 'foot' rail (whatever it's called) to be pulled an inch or so further on to the staircase side, so's it all misses the bullnose of the landing? Just how far over does the stair hand rail need to move? And isn't the solution to this to 'simply' add that short 90o return on the top of the new handrail so it joins the side of the top newel post - that should add the necessary distance? Depending on the distance you need to move the handrail, that 'return' might not even require any extra 'distance' to it, just a neat return for appearance sake? Mind you, that newel post could do with extra cladding anyway to add to it's bulk for appearance sake. What finish do you want your new posts to have - painted or natural wood? If the latter, then obviously it's more tricky. But if you are happy to keep it painted, then you can add to it's character with a little addition of more wud and stuff. And if you really want your new stairs looking like a wood finish, then you can keep the newel posts white and still have wood rails - they do work together. So, that top newel post - what size is it? 4x3-ish? - could have 4x1 added to the two narrow sides so's they stick out at the front and back, and then quadrant beading added to that recess to make it look like a panelled newel post. The point is, this would provide the extra inch or so extra width required to be able to move the handrail further out that extra inch. Or, if the newel post is already 'wide' enough to provide the required movement of the hand rail, then add that cladding to its front and back instead - blimey, it needs it If you have a gander around Wickes or similar, you'll see the staircase parts they have. There are 'foot'-rails - the timber mounding that you attach to the top of your stringers, and handrails of various sizes and styles. I know one of the 'foot'-rails is around 70mm width, so wider than your average string. This means it has an overlap on each side when fitted, but if you were to move it over so's it's not sitting centrally - eg almost flush with the non-stair side, it'll then have a much greater overlap over the stair steps, and this would have the effect of moving the balustrade away from your upstairs landing bullnose. (If this overlap looks a bit excessive - not that you can actually see it in practice - you could add quadrant beading underneath to make it 'part'.) If you want to be ambitious, here's a straight-forward (time-consuming, but not actually difficult) way of getting a 'wrought-iron' ballustrade for little money; buy metal spindles of your own choice, such as twisted, and twist-with-basket. These are surprisingly cheap to buy from metal forgers. Then you need to drill and shape suitable-sized holes in the foot-rail insert strips and ditto for the hand rail (The hand and foot rails have these strips which are designed to be cut to length and packed in between the timber spindles - you cut them to provide the correct 100mm-min spacing) but I stipled-painted them (with masonry paint...) to look like metal strips to match the metal spindles (with I smooth-painted with - guess - masonry paint.)
Excellent cheers for that Devils. I was kinda getting to the thought of the footer overhanging the stringer so thanks. I know it can be done. Guess just wanted to get some clarification!! When I'm done, I'll upload som photos!!
This is somthing I did on a small property development I was very happy with the result artistic license . It may give you ideas.
Not the akshull 'stairs', treads and stringers; that was made and fitted by the joiner who altered the whole upstairs roof shape to give a room upstairs. I chust finished it off - fitted the rails and balustrade.
The top section of the staircase needed to be solid as this gave a little extra privacy as someone walked onto the landing .It was a very small property and it made sense to get maximum use of every bit of space. Joiner 1959 this is an old photo and my back hurts thinking about lifting that tv . We propped the house to make it looked lived in and it sold in a breath . Thanks for liking my work guys.
Think I may have found the solution to the landing/stairs newel post issue. Found this pic online: Could help with not requiring the 90 degree turn...
Ideal solution. (Cough - as explained in a post above: "So, that top newel post - what size is it? 4x3-ish? - could have 4x1 added to the two narrow sides so's they stick out at the front and back, and then quadrant beading added to that recess to make it look like a panelled newel post. The point is, this would provide the extra inch or so extra width required to be able to move the handrail further out that extra inch.)