Stair Handrail Kit

We’ll provide all the fasteners you’ll need, including screws for attaching the post to wood and plastic, as well as anchors for cement and masonry. The installation process will be easiest with a handheld power drill or hammer drill, and a set of screwdriver bits — but any set of screwdrivers will work in a pinch. If you need to cut your handrail to size, a cutting tool such as a hacksaw, angle grinder, or die grinder will come in handy.

The most important factor you should consider is to ensure the kit you choose is the right size for your installation scenario. If in doubt, it’s best to err slightly larger as you can always cut down the rail to fit. When selecting a kit, you should also ensure it’s sturdy enough to withstand the weight it’ll have to bear, and can withstand extremes of hot and cold.

All our rail kits are designed to be easy to install in an hour or less. As long as you’re comfortable with using simple power tools, you should be able to handle the job without any special assistance. In fact, more than 3,000 happy customers say their railings were remarkably fast and easy to install!

We have two options for scenarios such as this:

Stair Handrail Kit Wall Extension

This option is recommended for customers who prefer a more cost-effective alternative. However, the extension requires that the gap between your Stair Handrail Kit and the wall be less than 4 feet, and that you have a post or wall with structural integrity to attach it to.

Horizontal Handrail Kit

This option involves connecting the Stair Handrail Kit to our Flat Rail Kit via our Top Rail Connector, which you’ll need to purchase separately. We recommend this option for customers whose wall distance from the handrail is more than 4 feet or whose walls have no structural integrity. Depending on your landing depth, you may need to cut the Flat Rail down to size.

Read more about these connections in our installation guide.

Depending on the type of connection and your layout, the distance will vary. However, the tolerance for any discrepancies or errors is only 1/4".

However, we suggest for you to wait for all parts and rails to arrive before you begin installing the railing system as the top rail positioning will determine where posts will be placed. Repositioning the posts, once installed, will also require more effort. As such, for the smoothest installation experience, we recommend that you wait for the top rail connectors so you can fit out the top rails and position the posts accordingly.

Building a metal handrail from scratch is a fairly time-intensive process, and requires several professional tools. You’d need to start by measuring the height and depth of your steps, as well as the offset distance between the edge of the steps and the post markers. Then you’d need to determine the angle of the rails, as well as the length of each piece of pipe, and buy correctly angled fittings as well as a sufficient amount of pipe. You’d likely also need to choose the correct flanges, swivel fittings, and malleable plugs, as well as fasteners for wood or concrete. After placing the flanges to mark the position of each fitting, you’d secure the fittings to the wood or concrete surface using a power drill, insert the vertical posts, then attach the fittings to the horizontal post and secure it in place.

Building your own handrail from scratch can be a fun weekend project, but our DIY prefabricated rail kits enable you to complete the installation in an hour or less. We include all the components and fasteners, so all you’ll have to do on your end is saw the lengths of metal down to size (if necessary) and secure the components in place.

• Wood drill bit: 5/16” (M8) W x 3” (75mm) L
• Masonry drill bit: 5/16” (M8) W x 4-3/4” (120mm) L
• Wedge anchor: 5/16” (M8) W x 3-1/8” (80mm) L
• Lag screws: 5/16” (M8) W x 1.9/16” (40mm) L

When installing our posts on any type of flooring (e.g., composite wood) and it is too thin, you will need to purchase longer screws or anchors elsewhere in order for the products to be mounted properly on the inner floor.

Like any product made of metal, our rails will heat up a bit on sunny and/or hot days. However, our 5-layer protective powder coating is weather-resistant, and will prevent your railing from becoming too hot to touch. In the unusual circumstance that your railing becomes too hot, simply wiping it down with cold water will quickly cool it off again.