Balusters - vertical supports under the handrails and railings, fixed below on the steps or side of the staircase frame. They are designed to create safe railings for stair climbs and provide the necessary rigidity for the railings attached to them. An additional, but no less important function is to decorate and create a certain style of the entire staircase.
The correct fastening of balusters and pillars of the stairs ensures the safety of people when moving. The railing must be strong and stable. Therefore, the question of choosing the technology of fastening the support elements is very important in the construction of stairs.
Types of balusters
The supporting posts for the installation of handrails are made of wood, metal, natural and artificial stone, gypsum and concrete mixtures, plastic and even glass. They are selected depending on the design and materials of the flight of stairs.
You must admit that wooden balusters on a stone staircase look ridiculous, and stone supports with their weight can simply break through wooden steps. Therefore, in most cases, the material of the posts corresponds to the surface finish of the steps.
Ways of fixing wooden balusters
The fastening of balusters and railings made of wood is carried out in various ways, but the following three are most common:
- metal threaded rods;
- wooden dowels;
- steel wood screws.
The carving on the studs is the same along the entire length or is divided into two parts: on the one hand, ordinary metric, and on the other - resembling a long screw of large diameter. With a long length of such products, the thread is cut only to a certain length on each side. The middle remains smooth.
Dowels, or wooden nails, are the oldest and very reliable type of fasteners. They are round wooden studs with a length of 50 mm and a diameter of 8-12 mm.
Wood screws used to fix balusters & mdsah; a special type of screw with a wider thread pitch. The diameter of these hardware products is 5-6 mm with a length of 50-80 mm. Hat under the cross bit or socket wrench. The screw-in screw cap is usually closed with a plastic decorative overlay.
Fastening with a threaded rod
Do-it-yourself installation of balusters on a wooden staircase with the help of studs is carried out only if the mounted parts are located at an angle of 90 degrees. In the case of fixing the structure on the bowstring, studs are not used. Hairpin length not less than 80 mm. There are 3 ways to fix balusters on metal threaded rods.
In one embodiment, a hole 10-15 mm deeper than a part of a stud with a metric thread is drilled at the end of a wooden column. Its diameter must exactly match the size of the fasteners.
A small amount of glue is poured into the hole. After that, the metric threads of the studs are also lubricated with adhesive, sprinkled with fine sawdust and twisted into a baluster. Emerging excess glue is immediately removed.
On the plane of each stage, mark the installation location of the mounted column. A hole is drilled along it, the diameter of which is 1.0-1.5 mm less than the size of the conical thread of the stud. Lubricate all contact surfaces with glue and install by twisting the baluster with the inserted hairpin.
In another case, the fastener element is screwed into the end of the column from the side of the tapered thread, leaving no surface metric. In the step, a corresponding hole is drilled and one or two metal nuts are glued inside it. After that, a baluster is installed. The main advantage of this method is the ability to disassemble the structure if necessary.
The following method of fixing the balusters to the stairs with your own hands can be used with a small thickness of the steps and the possible access from below to their back side. In this case, the pin is fixed in the baluster similar to the previous version, but a through hole is drilled in the step. The elements are coupled by installing the washer and tightening the nut on the underside of the step.
Installation on wooden dowels
The installation technology of balusters on dowels is fundamentally very similar to the use of metal studs. A hole with a diameter of 0.5 mm less than the size of the connecting part is drilled at the end of each column. A small amount of glue is poured into it and a dowel of the required length is lubricated with the adhesive composition.
A hole is prepared in the surface of the step. The butt of the baluster and the protruding part of the dowel are lubricated with glue. After that, the column under light blows of a rubber hammer or mallet is installed in place.
The length of the dowel, providing a reliable connection, is 100-120 mm. The diameter of the connecting part is 8-12 mm. Moreover, the softer the wood balusters and dowels, the larger the diameter used. Ideally, the tree of the connecting stud should be of the same density or breed with an installed column.
Drilling the end hole must be done in 2 stages. First, a drill with a diameter of 5 mm is used, and after that they are drilled to the required size. This method will provide good accuracy and prevent possible cracking of products.
Use of screws or self-tapping screws
Using taper screws with a wide thread pitch is the easiest way to install balusters on steps or an inclined bowstring. The disadvantage of this technology is the need to install decorative caps in order to hide the hardware elements visible on the surface of the cap. However, with a small thickness of the step, it can be drilled through, and the screw is twisted from the lower invisible side.
Another option involves the upper oblique screwing of self-cutting hardware through the body of the baluster into the step, string or baluster. The twisting is done using an electric screwdriver until the cap is slightly recessed in the wood.
The self-tapping head will still be visible and decorative caps are inserted or glued to hide it.
The length of the fasteners is 50-70 mm with a diameter of 5-6 mm. To strengthen the strength of the joints, a round steel washer can be placed under the screw head.
Features of fastening wooden balusters to surfaces
The fastening of the stair railing must be reliable and as strong as possible. The safety of people who will use the stairs depends on this. At the bottom of the baluster can be attached to the floor, steps or bowstring.
Floor fixing
Floor installation of poles is provided for the lower and upper supporting elements, on which the rail of the handrail subsequently rests. To fix their position in the floor, a hole is drilled and can be installed:
- expansion anchors for concrete floors and reverse tapered monoliths;
- embedded elements for reinforced concrete monoliths;
- steel studs with metric thread on one side and tapered, as on screws, on the other for wooden floors.
IN the first caseBefore fixing the balusters to the floor, a hole is drilled in the concrete corresponding to the diameter of the anchor. When the metric thread is screwed in, the stud is bursting and the fastener is firmly fixed. After that, the wooden support column is screwed onto a conical thread protruding from the floor, previously lubricated with glue.
In second option in a concrete monolith, a recess of at least 80 mm is knocked out and a mortgage element with a tapered or metric thread in the upper part is installed in it. The embedded part is poured with cement mortar and, after hardening, a baluster is wound on a vertical hairpin.
With wooden floors, you can install the stud in the floorboards and then wind the column or do the opposite. The baluster with a hairpin is screwed into the hole drilled in the floor.
Both options are equally reliable. It is not recommended to use self-tapping screws in this case, since they will not be able to provide a sufficient level of reliability for the extreme support pillars.
Installation on the plane of steps
Installation on horizontal wooden surfaces can be performed using studs, dowels or self-tapping screws. The technology that describes how to fix balusters on a wooden staircase along the steps has been discussed in sufficient detail above.
When installing the columns, it is recommended to cover the end surface with glue. This will increase the strength of the connection, although it will eventually make it completely non-separable.
Mounting on an inclined bowstring
The presence of an inclined plane does not allow for the rotation of the balusters during installation. Therefore, wooden dowels or self-tapping screws are used to fix them. The lower part of the baluster should be trimmed in accordance with the existing angle of inclination of the mounting support.
Installation can be greatly simplified if you use a baluster - a longitudinal rail of a certain section. It is temporarily fixed on the surface of the bowstring, marking the installation locations of the elements and remove.
After that, the balusters are screwed and the already assembled structure is returned to the string surface. Further, the baluster itself is fixed with screws in open areas between the posts.
Securing railings to balusters
A feature of the installation of the railing is the need for the same bevel at the ends of the balusters, corresponding to the angle of inclination of the stairs. It is best done in advance, immediately after the installation of the flight of stairs.
To do this, take one column, put it on the side of the stairs and draw a line on it parallel to the string or level rail, laid on the steps. All other columns will be cropped to this pattern.
Fastening the railing can be done with:
- wooden dowels;
- self-tapping screws screwed at an angle;
- flat longitudinal wooden slats.
The length of the screws should be such that after screwing the sharp edge of the hardware does not extend to the surface of the railing. You can install the handrail with the help of a rail in the same way as using a baluster while mounting the posts on a string.
Features of fasteners for metal enclosures
The design of metal balusters should include the presence of fasteners. To install metal parts on your own wooden stairs on the top and bottom of the posts, weld the side mounting plates with holes and use ordinary screws. Fastening to concrete surfaces is carried out using expansion anchors or dowels.