20% OFF COUPON CODE = SAVE2026
Free shipping on orders over $750
20% OFF COUPON CODE = SAVE2026
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…
Baluster shoes aren’t required, and most people only use them at the bottom. A shoe is a small metal cover that slides down the baluster and hides the hole where it goes into the tread. Top shoes, where the baluster…
To cut a square hole for a baluster, use a hollow-chisel mortising bit, or drill a round hole and square the corners with a sharp chisel. But for 1/2″ square hollow iron balusters, you may not need a square hole…
Iron balusters that go into drilled holes aren’t cut at an angle. Cut them straight across (90°). The holes are drilled straight up and down, so the baluster stands plumb even though the handrail slopes. The stair angle only matters…
The most common stair baluster size is 1/2″ square iron, about 44″ long. For wood, it’s 1-1/4″ square, 36″ to 42″ long. Iron balusters also come in 9/16″, 5/8″ and 3/4″ for a heavier look. Whatever size you pick, space…
For a 1/2″ square iron baluster, drill a 3/4″ hole. The rule: a square baluster needs a hole wider than its corner-to-corner width so it can turn, and a round baluster needs a hole about 1/8″ bigger than the bar.…
Attach a wall handrail with handrail brackets screwed into the wall studs, about every 3 to 4 feet, with the top of the rail 34″ to 38″ above the front edge of the steps. At the ends, finish the rail…
You can screw a handrail to a newel post, but it usually works loose. The right way is a rail bolt: a hidden bolt that pulls the end of the handrail tight against the newel. Our S-9600 rail bolt kit…
A baluster is one of the vertical posts that runs between the handrail and the stairs. Balusters hold up the handrail and fill the open side of a staircase so nobody can fall through. They sit on the treads of…
Most balusters aren’t attached to a wall at all. They go into the treads or floor below and the handrail above. When you want balusters to mount to a vertical surface instead, like the side of the stairs, a knee…