Stair railings provide support in a stairway and a place to grip onto if you lose your balance. It is important to keep railings in safe condition. The screws in railings sometimes loosen and become wobbly. If this happens, the railing will be unsafe. The mounts in the railing can also damage the wall because they will be moving against it as the railing wobbles. While the repair may be as simple as tightening screws, it could be more involved if the screws are stripped. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Inspect the mounting brackets along the railing. Look for loosened screws on both the wall and railing mounts.
2. Tighten any loose screws on the wall and railing mounts with a screwdriver. Make sure that any screws you tighten are entering the railing and wall securely.
3. Unscrew the railing mounts from the wall if any of the screws fail to tighten into the wall securely. This means that the holes in the wall are stripped and will not hold the railing securely. In this case, you'll have to mount the railing to a board and install the board onto the wall.
4. Position the 1-by-4-inch board on top of the stairs with the 4-inch side flat against one wall. Mark the angle at the ends of the board along the trim boards at either end with a pencil.
5. Cut the ends at the required angle with a miter saw. Adjust the saw to cut each angle and guide the saw down through the wood in a steady motion just fast enough to cut the wood.
6. Prime and paint the board using a paintbrush. Allow the primer coat to dry at least four hours before applying the top coat of paint. Allow the paint to dry at least 24 hours.
7. Center the railing over the length of the board. Drive the railing mount screws you removed from the wall through the mounting holes into the board with a screwdriver to fasten the railing to the board.
8. Slide a stud finder along the wall where you plan to mount the railing and mark the location of each stud with a pencil. Hold the board with the railing mounted to it in position against the wall. Drive two evenly spaced wood screws through the board at each stud marking along the board with a screw gun to mount it to the wall. Drive the screws just below the surface of the wood.
9. Fill the screw holes with wood putty and allow it to dry for 24 hours. Sand the putty flush with the surface of the wood using a fine-grit sanding pad. Dust the board off with a tack cloth.
10. Touch up the filled screw holes with primer and paint using a paintbrush. Allow four hours between primer and paint.
Tags: board with, railing mounts, against wall, each stud, four hours
