I dare you to look at this beautiful thing and not stop to stare. At least that's what I do every time I go upstairs!
I DIY'd this handrail for my stairs myself with just a couple of products from Amazon!
I originally saw the hand rail for sale on Etsy for upwards of $1,500.00 and thought, that is just something that I have to have! Non-negotiable. But the more I thought about it and looked at the detail, the more I realized there had to be a way to do this on my own and cut the cost. After some thought and research, I decided to tackle the task. And surprisingly, it was so freaking simple. Honestly, it's a joke how easily this thing came together.
Once all of our supplies arrived, it was just a matter of minutes before we had the thing up!
W H A T Y O U N E E D
2" diameter acrylic rod cut to the length of your existing hand rail
Two or more 2" brass center posts (depending on how long your rod is, you may need more than two. Personally, we used three for support and ours is 96" long. These come in other finishes and widths if you don't like the gold look or want to go with a different size diameter rod) (Amazon).
Sugru Moldable glue (Amazon)
Stud finder (Amazon)
Drill (Amazon)
Heavy duty drywall anchors (Amazon, if you cant find studs where you need them)
Step 1:
-First you need to order your acrylic rod and have it cut to the length of your current handrail. I ordered mine through nationwide plastics. Click here to fill out a quote form and they will send you an email with the price and order info. Don't worry about the fact that they consider this a curtain rod, its the same thing!
-My old handrail was 96" but due to shipping costs, I had them cut it down about 2 inches and that saved over $100.00. If the shipping seems high, ask what length will allow it to travel by regular truck delivery which will be less expensive. As long as it is not too much length being taken off, it shouldn't matter if you're missing a couple of inches. You do have to pay for the whole rod even if you have it cut down!
-Unless you plan to cover the ends of the rail in some way, it is very important to tell them that you want to have each end of your rod polished so that is clear! This is an additional charge of around $15.00. Totally worth the money. I forgot to have them do it on mine, so I am considering trying to gold leaf the ends! That is an option as well, if you prefer that look!
Step 2:
Order the center brackets from amazon in the diameter of your rod and finish of your choice! Hopefully you will have a stud near the top and bottom of your handrail to mount the posts into it like I did, but if you don't you'll want to use the anchors first and mount the posts to those.
I personally chose to do a middle post because I liked the look and sturdiness of three!
Step 3:
-Mount your brackets approximately 32" up from each step and angled the same or as close as you can get to the same angle of your steps.
-Figuring out the correct angle is best done with a friend. I looped my rod through the post and had my handyman hold it up to the wall so I could physically see and test the angle. Once I was satisfied, we marked where the brackets would go on the wall. We just used a pencil inside the holes on the bracket where screws would go! After we took the handrail out of the loops, we mounted the brackets to the wall exactly as marked.
-Be sure to note that I had enough room in my stairwell to slide the rod back into the brackets after mounting them. If you do not have that much room, be sure that you mount the rod inside the loops of the brackets all at the same time. (see alternate step 4 if this is the case)
Step 4:
-After my brackets were in place and we slid the rod in place, the rod might slide out because of the angle. This may not be a problem for you but if it is there is an easy fix! Use the Sugru glue by covering the inside of the brackets after you mount them to the wall and before sliding your rod into place.
-If you use the brackets we linked from amazon, there are tiny screws for each bracket and we actually did use them to screw into the acrylic rods themselves as an extra safety precaution! This isn't necessary if you use the sugru, but it makes it sturdier and fills the little hole that clearly would have a screw in any other situation!
This is a moldable glue and its kind of like a putty. Once you get it out of the package it creates a strong bond to anything it is holding together once it dries. Follow the package instructions and then immediately slide your rod in to place. You may have to do some innovative rigged engineering to hold the rod in place while it dries, stopping the rod from sliding out! If you get any excess sugru on the brackets, just wipe it off gently with a kleenex! The sugru will dry overnight and then you can take down your redneck engineering that is holding the rod in place and preventing it from slipping.
-If you dont have space to slide your rod in after mounting the brackets to the wall, alternatively apply the sugru to the brackets on the ground, move your rod into the brackets and space them evenly and allow to dry off the wall, over night. After it is completely dry and secure, mount your brackets to the wall with the rod already in place!
Aaaand ta-daa!
This may sound like a lot but it is such an easy and rewarding project! The hardest part is getting the angle right!
I hope this gives you some inspo for DIYing your own handrail for your stairs!
If you have any questions, comment and let me know and I'll be happy to answer what I can! Happy DIY'ing!
xoxo, Morgan