Hand Railings
In a previous HowTo about building a concrete pad we talked about securing posts to our concrete stair pad with steel post connectors. If you are setting your posts in the ground then this part of the HowTo will still help you align your posts with the deck railing however you will need to dig your hole and backfill it with concrete or gravel as needed.
When you have your stairs installed you will need to build some handrails for safety. Since you have already built deck railings you will should be ready to get going if not here are a few tips.
Railings on steps and decks or any elevated platform must have openings of no more then 4 inches.
To provide a uniform baluster spacing the easiest way to space your openings is by using a scrap piece of 2×4 which is actually only 3 1/2 inches wide.
If you try to make the openings as large as allowed by code you risk problems when your pressure treated lumber shrinks and any mistakes you may make in measuring.
The first thing we need to do is install the 4×4 posts at the base of our steps.
Read the directions (oh wait there aren’t any) find the pieces of the post base and secure them to the concrete pad. To get the right distance from the deck attach a 2×4 with one nail to the post on your deck and also to the base post you are installing. Don’t drive the nails all the way in.
Once the positions of the posts are correct you can secure and nail the post to the base.
Cutting the top and bottom 2×4 railings is pretty easy but because we will be installing a cap we need to leave about a half inch room.
Find the height on the base post and the deck post for the top railing.
Make a mark and measure down to allow for the cap.
Mark the posts in the center allowing room for the balusters to fit under the railing cap.
To find the angle for the 2×4 railing just overlap it on the post and draw a line for cutting.
Now attach the railing with construction adhesive and screws.
Repeat the same process for the bottom railing making sure that you place the railing low enough to allow overlap of the balusters in the step area. Remember all areas must be less then 4 inches. You must extend the balusters to fill the triangular gap of the step.
The handrail cap can be placed on last and you should use construction adhesive and rust resistant deck screws.
Building steps can be pretty easy or somewhat difficult depending on the number of times you have done it and your skill with measuring and tools. Since it is the last part of a deck or porch project then you should have most of the skills needed.