Arranging your Staircase Banister
There are several ways banisters can be positioned on stairways. Depending on your preference, banisters can be positioned with an angled top/horizontal base, angled top/angled base, or closed stringing.
Before I describe more about the variations in each structure, let me breakdown a beneficial term. Rake or rake angle is the angle of the handrail above the horizontal plane. This angle is easily determined by measuring the rise and run of your staircase. If your rise is 7 ½ inches and your run (tread depth) is 10 inches, then your rake angle is 7 ½ over 10.
In an angled top/horizontal base method the bottoms of the banisters are horizontal with the treads. The top of the balusters mirror the rake angle or the angle of the hand rail. These balusters require the fashioned section to vary in size from piece to piece to accomplish the angle throughout the tops of the banisters.
Angled top/angled base suggests the tops and the bases of the balusters reflecting the rake angle. Though the general size of these balusters varies, the “turning length” of the banisters is the same. In other words, the machined portion of the baluster stays the same while the final length changes to sustain the continuous angle.
Closed stringer is like the angled top/angled base arrangement except the banisters are not attached to the treads. Instead there is a small “knee” wall that mounts above the treads so the bottoms of the banisters are cut at an angle permiting the tops and bottoms of the balusters to match the rake angle of the railing. To attain the closed stringer, the banisters are formed identical to each other.
Alternating banisters is contrary to the theme but it may be helpful to those planning stair project. One illustration of an alternating banister arrangement would be where the balusters vary between a spiral and plain. Alternating banister arrangements can be build using the angled top/horizontal base, angled top/angled base, and the closed string systems. It should be noted that if you are emloying this technique, the baluster profiles should be identical. The only contrast should be that one piece has a cylindrical taper while that segment on the following banister incorporates spirals, twists, or fluting.
I should also insert at this point that banisters can be set up two per tread or three per tread. The count of balusters per tread is not always a matter of free will but, in many communities, a matter of complying with codes. Some building regulations stipulate that a 4 inch ball cannot be inserted between two banisters (This is because a child’s head is larger than 4 inches and would prevent his or her head from being lodged between two stair banisters). It is possible to get by with two balusters per tread but, generally, when incorporating a small banister and a deeper tread, you will be required to use three banisters per tread.
We hope this brief article is helpful to those of you in the midst of planning your next staircase project.
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Tags: architecture, home improvement, home remodeling, interior design