Wood has been the main building material for a long time. Of course, a variety of synthetic analogues have been created, but natural wood is preferred to be used to create bases, as well as a finishing material. Wooden railings for stairs are an excellent solution not only for aesthetic reasons, but also due to the suppleness of the raw material.
Key design component
In private homes, wood can be used to create both the staircase itself and comfortable, attractive handrails. It should be noted that the type of structure and its configuration does not matter. She can be:
- straight;
- marching;
- swivel;
- screw;
- combined;
- curved;
- curvilinear.
Wooden railings for stairs are not only an important functional component for going up and down stairs. Such railings also add an aesthetic component togeneral interior. They help to limit the space on the stairs, which also affects safety.
They are made from a variety of materials, but when choosing the future appearance of the stairs, it is extremely important to consider how it will look against the general background. Nowadays, steps can often be installed directly into the wall, or they are created using clear glass and plastic. Nevertheless, the feeling of complete safety and reliability should always be in the first place, and the ideas of the designers should be inferior to the general standards of safety in the house.
It is worth noting that the absence of such limiters is allowed only in small flights of stairs, which consist of no more than 5 steps. Installing stairs without handrails can cause accidental falls with irreparable he alth consequences.
What are the railing requirements?
Wooden railings for the stairs in the house give it a complete look and are the main support during the descents / ascents. Given the characteristics of this material, it is necessary to make the railing smooth enough to avoid the possibility of injury to the palms. To do this, it is necessary to carefully sand the wood or sand it, apply 2-3 layers of varnish and treat with enamel.
In addition to the appearance, it is important to consider the future ease of use of the stairs: the handrails should be of a comfortable height so that people of average height can hold on to them without any problems. According to the standard: handrails are not made higher than 100 centimeters, if measuredfrom step level. There are times when an auxiliary row of wooden railings is made for stairs intended for children.
They have a very simple design:
- handrails (plain or decorative);
- support posts (regular balusters or turned).
Decoratives should be placed at a specified interval so that a child cannot accidentally fall out through the hole. One support post per step is entirely sufficient. However, if the descent is too gentle and the steps are wide, and also taking into account certain design features of design solutions, the racks are placed in the range from 10 to 15 centimeters.
Moreover, there are intermediate and supporting balusters, and the bases of the stairs are made on a thicker support than the secondary support already on the railing. It is also not worth making the fence too light: in any given section, the handrail must withstand a significant load, about 120 kg / m.
What will you need to have?
Before you start making wooden railings for stairs with your own hands, you must:
- learn the basic building codes;
- calculate all material consumption;
- prepare the necessary tools, as well as woodworking machines;
- create sketches, drawings and designs;
- calculate the width of the step of the stairs, as well as the placement of balusters on them.
Key components are best made from beech, oak or maple, which are less likely to dry out and crack. A ladder like this won't startcreak even after many years, if it was designed correctly. Finishing elements can be made from cherry, walnut, yew, rosewood or ash. To further emphasize the natural structure of the wood pattern, try not to paint the handrails, but to treat them with stain immediately after polishing and varnish them. Looks great wooden staircase with wrought iron railings. The combination of metal and wood is always very harmonious and interesting.
Tip on how to install a railing on a wooden staircase: always try to check the vertical and horizontal with a block in order to make adjustments in a timely manner. If the level starts to slide on the board, temporarily fix it with tape.
What are stairs?
The design of the stairs cannot be created separately from the general style of the entire interior, because it is a key aesthetic component, and often its business card. Stairs are:
- indoor and outdoor;
- service, architectural, landscape, house;
- checkpoints, interfloor, entrance;
- single-march and multi-march;
- transformable, portable, stationary;
- rotary and straight.
Guests may not pay attention to some images on the wall, but they will certainly remember the impressive spiral or suspended glass staircase. When building a staircase, it is important to contact professional architects who will be able to offer interesting designs for your home. Moreover, the specialist will tell you what typedesigns will work best:
- on the bolts;
- on stringers;
- on a string, etc.
Types of stairs
- Cantilever stairs. This design has a spectacular appearance, because it has no visible support. At first, your guests will feel a certain amount of anxiety as they walk up the stairs. In fact, the steps are very firmly held on a vertical plane and are able to withstand a huge load. Such a system occupies a relatively small space, but people of age are extremely reluctant to use it. For a more confident climb, you should limit it with wooden railings for stairs.
- Structures on stringers are held on support beams, which are fixed by a special method. This method has been used for a long time, so you can be sure of its safety and reliability. It is chosen for large areas.
- The ladder on the string has a very light and elegant look. It is often used as an interior decoration, combining the hall and the living room together. The ladder slightly resembles a stretched rope structure, but made of more reliable materials.
- A spiral staircase is used in cases where it is not possible to create a rise up the stairs along the wall in the room. The first floor is connected to the second with a simple hole. Such a staircase occupies a very small area, but it is not considered convenient for everyone, because two people who will walk towards each other will experience difficulties when trying to miss each other. However, heraesthetics are often beyond doubt, and handrails are a must for her.
In the entrances of multi-storey buildings or in private buildings, standard stairs can be one-, two- or multi-flight. A march is an inclined part of a staircase with steps, which is connected by a platform between levels. Landings between them provide an opportunity to exit, move to a new march or turn around. Turning stairs are:
- left;
- right;
- two-sided.
It is not necessary to understand the structural features of staircases, as well as remember their names, but it is important to understand what kind of stairs you will put in your house. Must be based on these parameters:
- functional (where it will lead);
- where is she indoors;
- design;
- material from which the load-bearing supports were created (plastic, wood, reinforced concrete or metal).
Each type of stairs has its own set of possible handrails, as well as restrictive elements, as well as types of fastening. It is best to seek advice from professionals, because they will tell you which connection between the elements to use: glue, groove or hidden.
On narrow stairs, no more than 130 centimeters, the railing is placed on one side only. On a wide staircase, where movement in the opposite direction is possible, handrails are made symmetrically with respect to the angle of inclination. This angle should correspond to the degree of inclination of the flight of stairs, copying its geometry.
SizeThe handrail should not be too large, but sufficient to wrap your hand around it. Roundings are placed at the very beginning and end of the handrails. All of these subtleties are certainly reflected in the calculations.
How to make a wooden railing for stairs with your own hands?
Ladder installation is a very important, complex and painstaking process that can be quite exciting. The simplest wooden railings for stairs in a private house can be made on the basis of balusters. Nowadays, in construction supermarkets there is a huge variety of blanks and ready-made components for railings. They will help to greatly simplify the installation of the entire structure. The most attractive are chiseled balusters, which resemble skittles in their appearance. The design of future railings should be selected based on the general set of tasks, materials used, as well as wood processing capabilities.
Simple railings
To create the simplest wooden railing with your own hands, you need to cut off two racks from the finished timber, the size of which will be 100 x 75 millimeters. Such blanks are fixed on the outside of the bowstring, as well as on both sides of the march. Immediately check the accuracy of the vertical with a level.
Adjust the vertical fastening with screws. Then, according to the line of attachment of the support in the middle of the span, a third rack of timber is placed. Already on them you need to display all the remaining handrails.
Threeblanks, the size of which will be 150 x 40 millimeters. Use a planer to work the edge to make it more round. In the future, this will be the basis for our handrail. Such treated boards must be installed with the same interval between them, fastening from the back side.
When installing the railing on a wooden staircase, you need to make sure that the support is slightly higher than the handrail - about 50 millimeters. Only then can the central support be cut to the required size, and the entire surface thoroughly sanded.
How to make beautiful railings?
Photos of wooden railings for stairs with decorative balusters, many of you have seen. To build such a railing at home, you need to work with a woodworking machine. In practice, people often face difficulty in how to make such a complex configuration. All you need is professional carpentry skills and reliable equipment for the job.
However, for the installation of railings and balusters of a wooden staircase, you can take ready-made products to be machined the way you wanted. Such railings have a support of three parts. The base of the trapezoidal baluster is securely attached to the bowstrings with spikes. They should have a special groove in the base at the top so that you can put a support post.
Then, to mount the railing of a wooden staircase, you need to fix the decorative element to the support in the center. This will be a head that was created using a lathe and carefully sanded. Using spikes, it is necessarypush it firmly into the grooves. It is important to carefully check each element, adjusting them as required, before moving on to assembling the entire system. Now you can apply special glue to the spiked joints and connect all the parts. It is necessary to let the components stand and not load them with anything for several days.
Middle balusters machined with a lathe must be assembled sequentially. The supports must be fixed using dowels to the bowstring, carpentry glue is applied to the base. The base of the support is securely fixed to the floor with anchors so that the edges of the stairs do not move during loading.
A rail with a groove, which corresponds to the size of the base of the intermediate balusters, is attached to the bowstring, connected with screws. After you need to fix the middle rack in the same way. We place the intermediate support with the bottom side into the grooves of the rail, lubricating them with special glue. The tops of all balusters are placed in the correct grooves on the prepared handrail.
What else do you need to know about how to install a railing on a wooden staircase?
Each baluster must be cut before installation at an angle that matches the slope of the stairs. When measuring their length, take into account the correspondence of the dowels and the depth of the groove: both in the base and in the handrail. Regarding the first baluster, before you carry out the final fastening with grooves, you need to check the level. After placing all the marks, put the final bevel at a given angle. Then we can use the finished part as a stencil for other elements.
In what order is the fastening done?
How to make a wooden staircase railing:
- In the groove of the lower bar, pre-lubricated with glue, we place a beam of a suitable size and shape, check the distance between all intermediate balusters.
- The necessary support is placed in the groove of the handrail. Glue is used as fastening, however, you can always use nails.
- The first baluster is inserted into the grooves that were prepared in the bottom rail and plank, the edge must be treated with glue.
- We place the slats of the intermediate slats in the grooves between the handrail and the balusters, treated with glue. The distance between them should be identical with the distance between the balusters.
- Place all the following elements using the same method.
- Installing the handrail to the support post is done using a metal angle screwed with a nut.
- At the end of the handrail, you need to make a nice rounding.
- Once the adhesive has set, the handrails will be strong and ready to use.
The tree looks noble, so you should take a closer look at this option.
