Attaching railings to stairs can be a little tricky. I have certainly had to redo one or two in my time! My funniest result was putting my posts in straight initially, only to have every one of them leaning by the end. Even with the years I’ve put in as a contractor, and all the mistakes I’ve made, I still find stairway railing installation to be a bit of a challenge.

There are two main types of railings--adjustable (rackable) and non-adjustable, and in this post we’re going to talk about what both of them entail and why you might choose one over the other. No matter how handy you are, you’re definitely going to want the full rundown on stair railing installation, because putting up railings involves a combination of getting it right aesthetically, securing them solidly, adhering to building codes, and being patient enough to have some fun while doing it.

The First Step: Are My Stairs Up to Code?

Before attaching any posts, make sure you have enough walking space to be in adherence to the local building codes, otherwise you could go through an inspection just to have to do the whole thing again. If you find that the stairs are too narrow and you aren’t inclined to increase the size of the treads, you can attach the railings to the joists on either side of the stairs, as there are now code-tested systems out there built to safely do that. In fact, even if you have enough room on the stairs to install directly onto the treads, in my opinion it’s always nice to have more space than less.

Second Step: Attaching the Posts to the Treads

When installing railing onto wooden stairs, you’ll first decide where to put the posts, which also has some code considerations. Once the spots are marked, then you will typically have to add some pieces of 2x4, generally called “blocking,” underneath the marked spots. These blocks are screwed into the main stair joist, the bottom of the riser, and can even be angled into the tread too. These are there to provide the posts something deep and solid to be bolted into.

When installing a stair railing, I will typically fully anchor the top post, making sure that it’s plumb with my level, while leaving a certain amount of flexibility in my bottom post by not tightening it as much as the top post. If more than two posts are needed for the staircase, I will generally work my way down in the same fashion. I prefer doing it this way because it allows me to make the little adjustments that come with aligning the rails.

Third Step: Lining Up the Rails

Here is where my preference for rackable, or adjustable, systems comes from. Lining up the rails and getting the balusters in place can be tricky. This is what that means if you’re using a non-adjustable or non-rackable system.

Non-adjustable systems: These systems typically come with all of the parts separate and unassembled. Before getting started, there is often another building code to consider, and that is the spacing between the bottom rail and the stairs. If the stairs are uniform in height, use c-clamps (if you don’t have any help) to hold the rails onto the posts to make sure they will work where you want to place them. To mark my spots, I like to use a bright colored sharpie. As long as this isn’t a project put together via welding, most fencing systems will have brackets or another method of inserting the rails into the post.

With non-adjustable systems, time often has to be spent measuring and cutting the balusters and then inserting them into the appropriate spots in the rail. This process takes time, and I’ve messed this step up in the past, as some railing systems don’t have as much room for error in terms of how long or short the balusters can be. Some systems have specific places to insert the balusters, which is partly due to building codes that regulate the proper spacing of balusters. Other systems require you to go along and make careful measurements on the top and bottom rail, followed by double checking whether or not the baluster is square and plumb, making sure to do so with each and every baluster. This is where a lot of patience can be very helpful. There’s a certain amount of customizability with this method, but for me, the tedium isn’t worth it.

Adjustable systems: A high-quality rackable system saves time on all of these tasks and reduces hassle and expense. The parts of the railing arrive in pre-assembled panels with parallel rails able to adjust to the angle of the stairway, and with the balusters already attached to the rails. Assembly is easy--once the posts are in place, measure and line the panels up with c-clamps to make sure all the measurements are good and the code spacing requirements are met. Then, unless you are a bit lucky, you’ll need to cut the panel down to size and attach the rails to mounting brackets on the posts. Here again, I like to start at the top and work my way down. Before tightening everything, make sure that the posts are square and level, and that the bottom of the panel is going to be a uniform and code sanctioned distance from each of the steps on the stairway. When satisfied that everything is square, level, and where it needs to be, go ahead and tighten it up.

The difference between a rackable system and a non-rackable system generally boils down to the time required for installation and the ease of installation. I generally recommend these systems to both my DIY clients, my friends, and my colleagues in the building trade. Fortress Building Products manufactures an excellent rackable railing. With sturdy, easy-to-attach adjustable brackets, and balusters attached via an internal pin hinge system, they take a lot of the pain out of installing railings on stairs. Fortress railings also go through a unique, multi-layer coating process, in which galvanized steel is topped with a zinc phosphate coating, a moisture-resistant e-coat, and a UV-resistant powder coat. If you have a larger project, I highly recommend taking a look at Fortress Building Products’ larger catalog of unusual, beautiful, and durable building materials. It’s a good place to find more products as innovative and user-friendly as their rackable stair railings.