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Can You Nail Balusters?
You can nail balusters, but only some of them, and it’s not the strongest way. Square-top wood balusters that sit in a plowed handrail are glued and pinned with small finish nails. For the bottom of a wood baluster, a dowel screw ($0.43) holds much better than a nail. Iron balusters are never nailed. They’re set in epoxy.
How Each Type of Baluster Is Attached
| Baluster | Top | Bottom |
|---|---|---|
| Wood, pin top with a dowel on the bottom (like our 5015) | Glued into a drilled hole in the handrail | Dowel glued into a 3/4″ hole in the tread |
| Wood, pin top with a square bottom | Glued into a drilled hole in the handrail | Dowel screw into the tread |
| Wood, square top | Glued into a plowed handrail, fillets between, pinned with finish nails | Dowel screw into the tread |
| Iron | Epoxy in a drilled hole | Epoxy in a drilled hole, base shoe on top |
How to Install Wood Balusters
- Measure and cut. Measure from the tread to the bottom of the handrail at each spot. For pin-top balusters, like our 5015 balusters, add the length of the pin.
- Set the dowel screw (square-bottom balusters only). Skip this if your baluster has a dowel on the bottom, like our 5015. Otherwise, drill a 1/4″ hole, 1-1/4″ deep, in the bottom of the baluster. Drive the dowel screw into it with a dowel screw driver in a reversible drill.
- Drill the tread. Drill a 1/4″ hole for a dowel screw, or a 3/4″ hole for a 3/4″ bottom dowel.
- Drill the handrail. For pin-top balusters, drill a hole in the underside of the handrail sized to fit the pin. Drill it deep enough that you can push the baluster up far enough to clear the screw or dowel on the bottom.
- Install. Put a little wood glue on the pin, slide it up into the handrail, push it up, swing the bottom over the tread hole, then twist the screw into the tread until it’s tight, or glue the bottom dowel into its hole.
For square-top balusters in a plowed handrail, glue the top into the plow, tack it with a finish nail, then glue fillet strips into the gaps between balusters.
Why a Dowel Screw Beats Nails at the Bottom
A nail driven at an angle through the bottom of a baluster into the tread can split the wood and works loose over time. A dowel screw is hidden inside the baluster, pulls it tight to the tread, and costs less than 50 cents. It’s the standard way to set wood balusters.
Installing Iron Balusters Instead?
Iron balusters go into drilled holes and are set with epoxy. See how to install iron balusters and what glue to use on iron balusters.
Baluster Install FAQ
Can you nail balusters?
Square-top wood balusters are pinned with small finish nails at the top, in a plowed handrail. At the bottom, a dowel screw is stronger than a nail. Iron balusters are never nailed.
What screws do you use for balusters?
A dowel screw, for wood balusters with a square bottom. It goes into the bottom of the baluster, and the baluster twists into a 1/4″ hole in the tread. Balusters with a dowel on the bottom are glued into a hole instead.
How do you attach wood balusters to the handrail?
Pin-top balusters glue into a drilled hole in the handrail. Square-top balusters glue into a plowed handrail and get tacked with a finish nail.
Can you install balusters without removing the handrail?
Yes. Wood balusters go up into the handrail hole and then into the tread, and iron balusters go up into the handrail hole and drop into the tread.
