Railings are an important part of the stairs, providing safety. On the other hand, they decorate the structure and make it complete and harmonious. You can make wooden railings for the stairs yourself. For this you will need a basic wood material, fasteners, several important tools, and knowledge.

What wood is suitable for construction

By building regulations security stair railings must withstand a load of 100 kg/m. p. This means that all parts must be securely fastened, and the material must be durable.

The railings are made from hard deciduous trees - beech, ash, oak. Spruce, pine, and larch are also used. It is permissible to use other soft wood, but it must be taken into account that it will shrink more and wear out faster. It is advisable to make all parts from the same type of wood.

Note! The humidity of the wood should not be more than 18% so that the railing parts do not subsequently become deformed.

The appearance of wooden railings varies. But since we are talking about making it yourself, you need to choose a design that you can make.

Design elements and requirements

To do something, you need to imagine in detail what it looks like. The main parts of the railing are:

• balusters. These are durable racks fixed to the steps. They are installed at an equal distance from each other;
• handrails They consist of a top element, which is held by hand, and include a bolster, which is installed on top of the supports;
• a cabinet or pillar is a massive stand to which handrails are attached.

The height of wooden railings, like any other, should be 90–100 cm. It is recommended to keep the distance between supports in the range of 14–21 cm. The exact distance can be calculated based on the width of the steps. If there are small children in the house, then the distance should be chosen smaller so that no one can stick their head between the balusters and fall down or get stuck.

There are also requirements for handrails for wooden stairs. They should be smooth so that no one hurts their hand. The thickness of the railing should be comfortable to hold on to.

Note! The simplest option for making wooden railings is with flat balusters 100 x 30 mm. They are easy to process; you can cut out a pattern, chamfer, or sand them.

If you have experience working on a lathe, you can turn beautiful round balusters. If a lathe is not available, then there is an option - to order individual elements from a carpenter, and then assemble them into a single structure.

What tool will you need?

Preparation of the tool will depend on which parts of the wooden railings will be made by hand. If you order all the parts from specialists, providing them with drawings, this will significantly speed up and simplify the work. All you need is a screwdriver, self-tapping screws, bolts, wood glue, clamps, and a hacksaw. And, of course, a pencil, ruler, corner or level.

It is more convenient to use a modern power tool, which allows you to cut or sand something as quickly as possible. But sometimes it becomes useful hand tools. So, the edges of the cuts are often polished sandpaper. Correct the shape of the parts with a chisel or cutter.

If you want to make all the details with your own hands, then you need a surface planer and a jointer to trim the bars, slats, and boards. You will need a miter saw, router and lathe woodworking tool or jigsaw (if balusters are cut from thin boards), sanding machine.

General procedure

To make smooth and durable railings with your own hands, you need to draw a drawing with dimensions and calculate the required amount of material. We need to think about how the balusters will be installed. If you are planning a tenon connection, then to grind it you will need to increase the size of the baluster board.

If there are two balusters on one step, then the length of one of them will have to be reduced (since the staircase rises continuously). Exactly how many centimeters the support needs to be reduced depends on the inclination of the stairs.

The manufacturing process can be divided into the following stages:

• taking measurements on the stairs, measuring the width of the tread of the steps (where the foot steps), calculating the number of balusters and the distance between them, the length of the railing;
• drawing up a sketch. On it, each part is numbered and the dimensions of all the main elements are indicated;
• sawing bars to fit balusters;
• turning parts by hand and on a machine to give them the required form, polish;
• production of handrails;
• production of pedestals (support pillars);
• installation of parts on the stairs.

The cabinets are cut from thick bars. They are often decorated with balls at the end or decorative carvings. A regular pole with a cap on top will also look good. They are secured to the floor with thick screws.

Installation of balusters

When constructing a wooden staircase railing, the pedestals are installed first and the balusters are already aligned along them, on top of which the railings are attached.

Bolt-on mounting

The issue of securing balusters on steps deserves special attention. It is best to use bolts for this. First, a hole is drilled in the step and a bolt is screwed in from below.

Balusters are installed along a guide that connects the pillars at the beginning and end of the stairs (as the railings go). You can take a board as a guide and attach supports to it with clamps to make it easier to mark for drilling holes for bolts. For leveling, stretched string or a metal profile is also used.

Each support is numbered, a line for the passage of the railing is drawn on it, and the place where it will stand is marked with a pencil. What is it for? The fact is that after preliminary installation, the balusters will need to be removed and cut at an angle, just like the railings. After this, they are installed in accordance with the numbering. The installation is perfectly smooth and correct.

Advice! All parts can additionally be glued with glue so that the stairs do not creak.

Mounting on chopsticks

Another way to install balusters is using wooden choppers. They are installed in holes drilled in the steps and glued. Holes are drilled in the balusters in accordance with the size of the chop and placed on top, coated with glue. In this case, exclusively wooden fasteners are used.

If there are no strict requirements for appearance, for example, the staircase is located on the street, in the country, then you can use open fasteners - metal corners.

Through the bar

You can make flat balusters from boards 100 mm wide and 30 mm thick. A pattern is cut out on them using a cutter or jigsaw, sanded, the sections are cleaned with sandpaper, and polished. It is recommended to attach thin flat balusters not directly to the step, but through a block. This will give the structure greater strength.

A railing strip is installed on top of the balusters and the railings are secured. All fastenings can be made with self-tapping screws, tightening them with a screwdriver. When correct marking This method will take a minimum of time.

Handrails

The handrail can be made from one board if its length does not exceed 1.5 m. Otherwise, you will need to join the parts. This is due to the fact that the structure must be rigid.

To make wooden railings, use a block with a cross-section of at least 60 mm. Its upper part must be rounded. The section itself after processing can have any shape.

Wider railings are made of three parts - a central bar and side slats, which are glued together and clamped with clamps. The resulting box is planed with a plane and milled into shape.

Handmade wooden staircase railings are varnished or treated with stain. You can paint them, but in this case the wood texture will not be visible.

Advice! If the wooden staircase is outdoor, then the railings can be made in an antique style. To do this they are burned blowtorch, pass a layer of stain on top.

There is also the option of curved handrails. The result is more elegant railings, but the work of making them is very difficult. They make bent handrails from sectors, folding them into an arc, carefully adjusting them and connecting them with dowels.

Variety of railings

Stair railings can be combined with other materials, and they are made in a wide variety of configurations. Wooden handrails look especially beautiful in combination with forged metal fencing. Perhaps someone will come up with their own railings that best suit the layout of the existing room.

If the staircase is adjacent to the wall, then the railing is usually made on one side, but sometimes a double-sided design is used. In this case, it is better not to glue the balusters, but only screw them in so that you can remove them and wash the wall or carry out any repair work.

In the very simple version The railings are posts on which a level handrail is placed on top. Perhaps this is where we need to start mastering the manufacturing process. If you manage to make a small, narrow railing for the porch garden house, then you can confidently begin construction wooden fence in a cottage or apartment.

A country house is a multifunctional and important part staircase design in general, which should not only ensure safety when climbing upstairs, reliably protecting against falling, but also be aesthetically attractive, fitting harmoniously and naturally into the overall stylistic concept of the room.

A railing is a fencing for staircase flights, which, on the one hand, protects the person climbing (descending) from falling, and on the other, serves as a support when climbing, which is especially important for older people. The fencing structure consists of the following elements:

• balusters– these are the support posts to which the handrail is attached. They perform both a practical (load-bearing) function and a decorative one.
• handrails are an element used as support when moving up stairs. Can be installed on two or one side of a flight of stairs, and can be attached either directly to the wall or to balusters

• fence fillers - an element that fills the space between balusters. Often they perform a purely decorative function and in some designs, especially modern styles, fillers are abandoned altogether. However, if there are children in the house, they are required for installation - their presence significantly increases the safety of moving up the stairs.

According to current regulations and standards, minimum height handrails on the stairs must be at least 90 cm. If the width of the stairs exceeds 1.25 m, handrails must be installed on both sides.

Advice! If there is a child in the house, then the distance between the balusters is selected so as to exclude the possibility of sticking their head between them.

Railings for stairs: selecting material

If the design of the staircase is simple in execution and there are no special design requirements for the railings, then they can be made of simple materials. Another thing is a staircase of an exclusive design or which acts as a central detail, bearing the main decorative load in the interior - here the railings will have to meet increased requirements. Otherwise, the simplicity and unpretentiousness of the railing design will spoil the whole effect. Therefore, it is important to choose the right material from which the staircase railings will be made (photos make it possible to compare various options). In this case, it is important to follow two rules - compliance with style and unconditional compliance with safety requirements.

Metal railings

A very popular option, in no small part due to the large number of design options - from simple, minimalist, consisting only of posts and railings, combined by welding, to very complex structures. They can be made of steel, iron, aluminum, and also in combination with other materials - glass, PVC, wood. Any type can be used metal profile– from fittings and simple pipes to profiles with complex patterns. They are very durable, resistant to dynamic and static loads– even the thinnest handrails can withstand great pressure. They can be used both indoors and outdoors. At the same time, railings for stairs made of metal (photos will serve as proof of this), in addition to the main one - protective, also do an excellent job of decorative function.

Wrought iron railings

They are often installed to favorably emphasize the chosen style of decorating a room, so they are most often used in the style of Rococo, Baroque and traditional classics. Besides elegance and beauty, forged elements they look elegant and sophisticated, which is often lacking in wood fragments. Typically, such railings are easy to perceive and visually “transparent”, thus the staircase does not consume space. Forged staircase railings will get additional charm if you use gold, silver or platinum finishes.

Stainless steel railings

Perhaps the most reliable and durable, primarily due to the manufacturing features. Such railings are usually made using the welded method, i.e. They are not collapsible, so they can withstand very heavy loads. In addition, they are durable - the stainless steel coating will reliably protect the metal from corrosion, plus no periodic touch-up is required. Stainless steel railings will harmoniously fit into modern (high-tech, minimalism) interiors.

Wooden railings

Wood remains one of the most popular materials in home construction. First of all, it is the environmental friendliness, attractiveness and affordability of the so-called “non-elite” types of wood. It is also important that wood is tactilely pleasant to the touch, so very often, even if the railings and balusters are made of metal, handrails are installed from wood. Even with minimal processing, the wood looks very attractive.

The natural beauty of wood makes it possible to achieve attractive combinations using various shapes frame racks. Possibility of high-tech processing wooden blanks provides the opportunity to get a handrail for a staircase made of wood (the photo below will serve as confirmation) of an unusual shape. At the same time, the attractiveness of the design will in no way affect the fulfillment of safety requirements.

PVC handrails are indispensable if country railings are installed on the street. They are very durable, resistant to rot, corrosion, fungus or mold, and are easy to clean. Plastic can be chosen in almost any color so that the railings fit as harmoniously into the interior/exterior as possible. In addition, they have a non-slip structure - in this case, this is very important.

Nowadays glass fencing is gaining popularity. Despite their external simplicity and fragility, they are very reliable - they are used exclusively strained glass or triplex. If used absolutely clear glass, this will help to visually enlarge the room - by transmitting light through itself, it will create a feeling of lightness and weightlessness. Patterned, stained or tinted glass will add uniqueness to the interior, and the railing itself will become a bright and attractive accent.

What is polycarbonate? It's lightweight and completely transparent material, from which barriers are made. It consists of honeycombs (longitudinal cavities), in addition to fences, it can also be used for arranging greenhouses, roofing, etc.

Variety of polycarbonate colors

The material appeared on the market relatively recently, but is already gaining popularity. He looks great, quite handsome. As for the cost, it is much more affordable in comparison.

Advantages of polycarbonate and its disadvantages

Among positive aspects it is worth noting:

• Resistant to rust and corrosion.
• Polycarbonate is not afraid of temperature changes.
• The material is not afraid of mold.

Let's consider other advantages of the material. On the one hand, polycarbonate fences are translucent. They close the house, so no one will be able to see what exactly is happening in your yard. But on the other hand, such a fence does not shade the plants, so you can plant anything you like near the fence. And polycarbonate fencing looks much more impressive.

By the way, light transmittance directly depends on color. Bronze is considered the most popular. It goes well with load-bearing structures- for example, brick, metal. No less popular is green, which goes well with the color of the grass.

A polycarbonate fence does not require special care. All you need to do is wipe the surface with a damp cloth from time to time. But it acts as a shield, protecting the area from unnecessary noise. If you live near a busy road, highway, or railroad tracks, polycarbonate fencing will protect your area from excess noise.

Of course, if polycarbonate were ideal material, all landowners would have switched to it long ago. There are some shortcomings, but in our opinion they are quite insignificant:

• Relatively low strength. The surface is easily covered with scratches, and if some “bad” passer-by throws a stone at the fence, it may break.
• The rigidity of the sheets is also weak. This means that you will not be able to use them as a supporting structure.

Rigidity depends on the strength of the frame itself. This is why it is so important to choose a metal of sufficient width.

How much does such a fence cost?

An impressive portion of the costs during fence construction will go to polycarbonate sheets. Market prices change very quickly, so we cannot give an exact amount. But you should know: the cost polycarbonate sheet depends on many factors. For example, on the quality of the raw material and its thickness. Thanks to the use of quality raw materials, famous manufacturers They produce goods of the highest standard. Below is a table with the price list of one of the Kaliningrad companies as an example.

When buying cellular polycarbonate, ask the seller if his product has protection against ultraviolet rays. By the way, very important parameter, which you should always pay attention to. It directly affects the durability of the material. If there is no UV protection, the fence will definitely not last more than 3-5 years. When exposed to sunlight, it will turn yellow and become brittle. But if there is UV protection, the purchased material can serve you for 15 years or more. If the installation was carried out correctly, the polycarbonate will retain its original characteristics.

What should be the optimal protection for the UV layer? For sheets with a thickness of 4 to 6 mm it is 25-30 microns, for 8-10 mm - at least 30 microns.

Design features may also affect the cost:

• or metal.
• Is foundation pouring necessary or not?
• Will there be a base or not?

When you buy polycarbonate sheets, always pay attention to the thickness. For example, a thicker layer always looks smoother, has no waves and is better protected from various types of damage. He can handle it without any problems low temperature. If the sheet thickness is from 6 to 10 mm, it can be considered optimal. Thick and dense variations are mainly bought by residents of cold, northern regions.

Installation features

For installation sectional fence from polycarbonate you will need metal ones - usually with a cross-section of 60x60 mm. Installation directly depends on the type of soil - it can be either regular driving or backfilling, or concreting.

The pillars are securely buried in the ground to a depth of 1 meter and concreted. How to secure cross beams? The most convenient way to do this is by welding or self-tapping screws. The sheets are attached to the frame with outside, self-tapping screws with washers are used for this. When exposed to heat, the material expands, so it is better to make holes for screws 2-3 mm larger.

It doesn’t matter whether the fence is wrought or welded. Sooner or later it may be overtaken by corrosion. To ensure this happens as late as possible and with minimal consequences, all metal elements are cleaned, coated with a primer and. Then the structure will last many times longer.

Polycarbonate fences: main types

The main types of polycarbonate fences will be discussed below:

Stacked, sectional

What is a section? This is the frame from profile pipe or a metal corner. A polycarbonate sheet is attached to its back with self-tapping screws or clamps. The section turns out very neat. It is incredibly convenient to work with, and installation does not take much time.

Polycarbonate + brick pillars

Fences with brick pillars look no less attractive. Installing them will require much more time - you need to prepare the foundation, and the work itself is labor-intensive. However, in terms of reliability and durability, such structures have no equal. The construction technology is no different from fences with metal profiles.

Wrought iron fence + polycarbonate

An interesting solution would be a forged fence with polycarbonate sheets. The sheets are installed behind the forged sections (from the yard side) using welded brackets. A great way to protect your territory from the prying glances of your neighbors!

What conclusion can be drawn? Polycarbonate is, albeit new, a popular and fairly reliable material. Negative reviews about it in most cases are associated with the choice of low-quality products. This is why it is so important to buy products from trusted suppliers. When using high-quality sheets and proper installation, a fence made of polycarbonate will last you at least 15 years.

Hello, Semenych! I really liked your story about how to arrange a staircase yourself - very intelligently and even without grammatical errors, which is simply amazing in our time. I am writing in hopes of getting advice. experienced craftsman. The point is this. We built a 2-story extension to old apartment. Due to financial difficulties, a primitive wooden staircase was built (without railings for now). A young family with a 9-month-old child lives upstairs, while we, the old people, live downstairs. The child is very active, and the question arose about installing railings to avoid trouble. For the same financial reasons, we cannot afford to invite specialists to make wooden railings ourselves - we lack the skill and knowledge. On family council We decided to make the railing in the simplest version: the posts were made of a “square” metal pipe, spaced 0.5 m apart, the filling between the posts was transparent polycarbonate 6-10 mm thick. The technical characteristics of polycarbonate (strength) seem to allow its use in this quality. The problem is its attachment to the racks. What advice would you give about this and the whole project?

Sincerely, Izmailov Vladimir, Ulyanovsk.

Hello, Vladimir from Ulyanovsk!

The question, as they say, is certainly interesting. My grandson is exactly the same age as your grandson (or granddaughter?). And he climbs wherever possible and where absolutely impossible. These guys need an eye, and you always need an eye.

The issue can be solved radically by changing floors for living. Which, of course, will not save you after a couple or three months from the child running up and down the stairs.

The idea of ​​using a profile pipe and polycarbonate sheets to install stairs deserves attention. No one can give a 100% guarantee that such a ladder will not be broken by a child (meaning polycarbonate). But you can try to foresee all sorts of incidents.

I am interested in the statistics of childhood injuries in our country. There are many accidents with children who get injured on swings, especially metal ones. Sometimes “smart” designers make a swing so that there is a distance of about 10 centimeters between the swing stand and the fittings on which the seat is attached, which is commensurate with the child’s head. With all the consequences. Or the mosquito net on the plastic windows of the loggia is not securely fastened, as a result of which it may end up on the ground with a child leaning on it. And much more.

Many years ago, my teacher, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Grigory Illarionovich Leskov, said words that are etched in my memory: “Every mechanism or design must be designed for a fool.” What was meant was not that all people are fools, but that everything should be like this, or strive for such perfection, so as not to provoke a person into any kind of trouble.

If you reach into the electrical panel, then when you open the door the electricity should turn off. If you walk up the steps concrete stairs, That ceramic tile They should not be slippery in any weather. If there is a staircase, then the more landings and turns it has, the less likely it is that if a person “crashes” on the top step, he is guaranteed not to reach the bottom step.

This means that for any design of your staircase, it should not be steeper than 45 degrees, and it is better to have a slope of about 30 degrees. Have wide and low steps. And platforms two or three steps wide, every meter, maximum one and a half, will not allow you to roll far.

I won’t bore you with the calculations that need to be made before you start building a staircase, especially since you don’t even ask about it. Nevertheless, steps with a height of about 150 millimeters and a width of about 300 millimeters are considered optimal in individual housing construction. At least these are the dimensions in old merchant and lordly houses, as well as in monastic cells, or rather the staircases leading to them. And everything is made there from boards with a thickness of 50 to 70 millimeters. Baluster posts on such stairs are usually installed at each step.

That is, if we compare it with your intention to install metal profile pipes every 0.5 meters, then their distance is slightly less. But since you intend to install between the racks safety fence in the form of polycarbonate sheets, then this is quite acceptable.

Thickness cellular polycarbonate It’s better to take a 10 mm one, it’s more reliable. There is no arguing about tastes, but of all the colors of polycarbonate I choose yellow, it makes a joyful impression on a person even in cloudy weather and indoors, and a sheet of it (6/2.1 meters in size) costs only a couple of hundred rubles more than a transparent one.

To use the cut more economically and reduce material waste, the cell structure of polycarbonate sheets can be positioned not strictly vertically in relation to the floor surface, but perpendicular to the plane of the staircase string (unless, of course, you have stringers).

It is best to fasten polycarbonate sheets to metal racks made of profile pipes using self-tapping screws with a press washer. Self-tapping screws are taken with carvings for metal, not wood. Such a self-tapping screw has a point at its end - something like a drill and can be wrapped in metal without first drilling a hole in this metal. However, first try to practice on a workpiece that you can then throw away. Otherwise, you risk, without proportioning your efforts, damaging the polycarbonate sheets and breaking them at the fastening point.

If this does not work, then first drill holes in the places where the polycarbonate sheets are attached to the metal racks with a drill with a diameter a couple of hundredths of a millimeter smaller than the outer diameter of the self-tapping screw. And only then tighten the self-tapping screw. All this is done with an electric drill or a screwdriver and a bit or a screw head.

To prevent the top edge of the polycarbonate sheets from damaging your hands when going up and down your homemade stairs, it is covered with a handrail (railing) on ​​top so that the edges do not stick out. Better yet, cover this cut from below and above where it joins the bowstrings with a wooden fillet. Fastening the fillets with self-tapping self-tapping screws so as not to tear the palms of your hands.

(By the way, about the railings. In your version with metal posts, of course, they can also be made from a metal profile pipe and welded to the posts with electrodes. Or from wood, purchased, but then the metal posts, cut at the angle of the railing, are attached with wood screws with by pre-drilling the posts at right angles for these screws.

It is better to mount polycarbonate sheets on the side of staircases. When the height of the pipe racks is about 0.9 meters, fastening is done with two or three self-tapping screws.