If you've never installed a handrail on a wall before, no worries, it's not that complicated! This step-by-step guide will show you everything you need to know to Nail Your Rail project and includes video guides that will walk you through the process from start to finish.
We've included a full (6 min) video guide below on how to install your handrail. We recommend watching it because it will give you a very clear idea of what all goes into the installation. We have also broken out this process step-by-step in sections below so that you can easily reference each step once you go to do the installation.
Full Video Guide: How to Install A Handrail On A Wall (6 minute watch)
Before You Start: Choose the Right Handrail
While this guide is focused on showing you how to install a wall handrail, we do not want to fail to mention the importance of choosing the right handrail first.
We've included resources below on the various things you should be aware of in order to know how to buy the handrail that's right for your project:
- Know your Handrail Code Requirements
- Know the 3 Main Types of Handrails
- Choose the Right Wall-mounted Handrail for Your Project
- We have a Wall-handrail Buying Guide Here
Quick Tip: Our wall-mounted handrails come with the essential hardware you need for installation, including:
- Brackets
- Drill bit (we do not provide the drill)
- Screws (either wood screws or concrete screws)
- Self-tapping screws
- Touch up paint
Tools Needed for Installation:
Have the following tools on-hand for the job:
- Electric drill (we include a drill bit for you)
- 4ft box level (not completely necessary but recommended)
- Tape measurer
- Pencil or marker (be careful when marking wall)
- Painter's tape (usually color blue tape)
- A thin piece of string that is slightly longer than the length of your handrail
- You can use a chalk line but be aware that the chalk may stain the wall
- Magnetic stud finder (recommended) or stud finder of your choice
Step 1: Measure The Optimal Handrail Height for Your Steps and Mark Where The Handrail Brackets Should Be Mounted On The Wall
Now the work begins. First, you need to identify the optimal handrail height for your steps. This is the height at which your handrail will be installed on the wall.
The handrail height code requires the handrail to be between 34" - 38" inches above the stair's surface. This is a handrail's standard height and it should be consistent throughout the handrail's run.
Use the following tools for this process:
- A tape measure and 4ft box level (I prefer to use a 4ft box level with 36" marked on it because this helps ensure we keep everything level)
- Painter's tape
- Thin string or chalkline (please note: chalk lines can be hard to get off some walls, so if you are uncertain you could run painter's tape for the handrails run and then use the chalk line on the painter's tape to avoid the risk of staining the wall)
Follow these steps to measure and mark the height for the handrail:
Step 1a: Measure and mark 36" above the Top Nose Landing (top stair)
- Add some painter's tape around this area and then mark the 36" height on the blue tape with a marker
Step 1b: Measure and mark 36" above the Bottom Nose Landing (bottom stair)
- Repeat the process in step 1a above for marking the top nose landing
Step 1c: Run Your String (or chalkline) From The Top Stair 36" Mark to Bottom Stair 36" Mark
- Use some painter's tape to attach your string to the 36" mark above your top nose landing, then run the string down to the 36" mark above your bottom nose landing and attach it there with painter's tape also.
Now that you've marked the ideal height for your stair hand railing, it's time to move onto Step 2.
Step 2: Identify & Mark the Ideal Stud Locations for Your Handrail Brackets
Before you start looking for studs, you need to understand how to determine the optimal placements of your handrail brackets on your handrail. Your stud locations may alter this a bit, but as long as you know the ideal spacing between each bracket, you will be good to go.
Brackets are usually placed 2'ft-4ft apart. If your handrail length is 5ft or less, you will only have 2 brackets so it is up to your discretion on where to place the brackets. The main consideration is that you want your starting bracket and ending bracket to have the same amount of space between the ends of the handrail.
If the length of your handrail requires more than 2 brackets, then bracket spacing may need a little more planned out. Below is an example of spacing 4 brackets on a 10ft handrail 2ft apart throughout the run of the handrail.
Once you have a good idea of how far you'd like to space your handrail brackets apart, it's time to get your magnetic stud finder. I recommend a magnetic stud finder because they're a lot simpler than digital stud finders and are more accurate.
The amount of studs that you will need to locate will depend on the amount of brackets that come with your handrail. The longer your handrail, the more brackets that will come with it.
Start by placing the magnetic stud finder on the wall. Move it across the wall surface slowly. Once it finds a stud it will attach to the wall where you can let go of it and it will still stay positioned on the wall.
Add painter's tape above the stud finder and use a marker to mark the center of the stud.
Step 3: Install Your Handrail Brackets
Now that you've marked the center of your stud, it's time to install your handrail bracket. Studs are typically 1.5" thick, while the width of our screw holes for the brackets are only about 1" apart. This allows you to screw both holes into one stud.
Be sure to only drill in/tighten one screw on your handrail brackets to start. This allows the handrail brackets to swivel, making it easy to adjust the angle of your bracket as you start to place your handrail onto the brackets.
First, start by pre-drilling a pilot hole where you want to add your screw. Next, drill your screw into the pilot hole and make it tight enough to hold the bracket in place but loose enough to allow the bracket to swivel.
Step 4: Mounting Your Handrail Onto the Brackets
It helps to have a helping hand on this step. First, you want to lay the handrail down on your brackets and adjust each bracket to allow the handrail to sit flush to the surface of each bracket.
Once you have your handrail brackets adjusted just right, it is a good time to screw in the second hole of your bracket to secure your bracket.
Next, you can attach your handrail to the bracket by using 1 of 2 methods.
- If you prefer to make this a lot easier, first use a 1/8" drill bit to pre-drill a pilot hole. Afterward you can drill in your self tapping screws and it won't require nearly as much force.
- If you can apply a lot of force, you can drill the self tapping screws (that come with your order) directly into the handrail
That's it! You've successfully installed your handrail.
If you've mainly been reading, be sure to check out our full video on how to install your wall-mounted handrail (we shared it as the first video in the top of this article and it's the last video in this article as well). It will make this process a lot easier for you.
Q&A: Common Questions & Problems When Installing A Handrail
Q: I cannot find the wood studs. What do I do?
A: If you cannot locate the wood studs, you can use wall anchors to install your handrail. However, using wall anchors will not make the handrail as secure as installing the brackets into wood studs. We've linked to the last part of our How to Install A Handrail video here (skip to 4m29s into the video) that shows how to do this.
Q: How high should handrails be?
A: Handrails should be 34" to 38" above the top nose and bottom nose landing. 36" is the sweet spot. For more information on handrail code requirements, please reference our guide on handrail code compliance.
Q: How many steps require a handrail?
A: OSHA requires a handrail on a stairway with four or more risers, or if the stairway is taller than 30 inches. However, local building codes or other regulations may require a handrail even if there are fewer than four risers.
Q: How to measure the handrail length needed for stairs?
A: Please view our guide on how to determine what handrail length you need.
Q: Are handrails required on both sides of stairs?
A: For a residential home, only 1 handrail is required. For a commercial property, handrails are required for each side. To learn more about handrail code requirements, please view our guide to handrail code compliance.
Q: Where to buy handrails for stairs?
A: Here at Optimum Works, we are a top handrail and railing manufacturer in the USA. We deliver top tier customer service, use the highest quality materials and have highly skilled ironworkers. We sell wall handrails, ground-mounted handrails, and assembled stair railings and we handcraft our products right here in the USA. You can make certain customizations to products right on our website and order online, or you can call (or submit a custom order form) to place an order with us if you need assistance or would like to place a custom order.