How to Install a Wood Handrail and Rosette

Step 1: Find a stud (or add backing)

Use a stud finder to check for a stud where the rosette goes. If the house was framed right, there should be one there. If there is, skip to Step 2.

No stud? Add plywood backing. Trace the rosette on the wall and cut a rectangle out of the drywall inside the traced line, so the rosette will cover it later. Coat a piece of 3/4″ plywood with construction adhesive, slip it into the hole, and pull it tight against the back of the drywall with a few drywall screws. Then put the drywall piece back in the hole and secure it with adhesive and screws.

Step 2: Install the rosette

Put construction adhesive on the back of the rosette and press it onto the wall. Mark where the handrail will sit on the rosette, then screw the rosette to the wall with two wood screws inside that mark, so the handrail covers them when it’s on. Stagger them off center, one high and one low, so they don’t hit the rail bolt or angled handrail screw.

Step 3: Mount the handrail

Cut the end of the handrail to match the stair angle so it sits flat against the rosette. Then attach it one of two ways.

Option 1: Rail bolt (cleanest look)

A rail bolt pulls the rail tight to the rosette from the inside, and the access hole gets a wood plug, so no hardware shows. This is the way we recommend.

1. Mark the center of the handrail end and the matching spot on the rosette.
2. Drill a pilot hole through the rosette into the stud or plywood backing, and a matching hole straight into the end of the handrail.
3. On the underside of the handrail, a couple of inches back from the end, drill a 1″ access hole up into the rail until it meets the bolt hole.
4. Drive the screw end of the S-9600 rail bolt through the rosette into the stud with a rail bolt driver, leaving the threaded end sticking out.
5. Put construction adhesive on the end of the rail, slide it onto the bolt, add the spacer and nut through the access hole, and tighten until the rail pulls snug against the rosette.
6. Glue in the 1″ wood plug that comes with the kit and sand it flush before you stain.

Option 2: Angled screw (quicker)

Put construction adhesive on the end of the rail and set it against the rosette. On the bottom of the handrail, drill a counterbore first: a 3/8″ bit about 1/2″ deep, angled up toward the wall, so the screw head sits below the surface. Then drill a pilot hole through the rail and rosette, and drive a 3″ wood screw into the stud or plywood backing.

The screw leaves a hole on the underside of the rail that people will see from the stairs. Fill it with stainable wood putty or a 3/8″ wood plug, let it dry, and sand it flush before you stain or finish the rail. If the rail is already finished, use a color-matched wood filler.

Running a handrail along the wall? Use our handrail brackets. For the other end, see how to install a wood newel post.