John TenEyck
07-19-2011, 3:16 PM
This is a follow-up to an earlier posting about how to undertake this project. I put in a stair balustrade a couple of years ago. I saw the owner a month or so ago and he told me that the railing was slightly loose at it's termination at the wall. Not very loose, but a little. Subsequently, he told me that it was less loose since the weather had gotten hotter which implies to me that expansion/contraction due to humidity changes was playing at least some role in the problem. After consulting here for advise I made the repair last evening.
First I measured back about 3-1/4" from the top of the rail and drilled a 1" dia. hole about 9/16" deep.
202368
Then I drilled two holes where the corner of the side wall and bottom of the 1" hole meet. I drilled those holes at 90 deg to the wall and at a slight outboard angle so that they would miss the screw installed during installation. You can just see the old screw plug between the new 1" hole and the wall. The new screw holes exist the railing at about its horizontal centerline. Then I installed two 4" long x 1/4" Spax self threading screws. I used the Spax screws because my drill bit would only reach just through the end of the railing and not into the studs. The Spax screws drove in without problems and I snugged them tight a couple of times with my impact driver. You can see them in the bottom of the hole in the picture above. There's no play in the railing whatsoever and, hopefully, it will stay that way now that it is held with screws at 3 different angles.
Lastly, I installed a 1" diameter tapered plug that I made (and posted about how to do so a few days ago) with just a few dabs of glue - in case I ever have to go back, again - cut it off and carefully "planed" it smooth and flush with a chisel. I made sure to determine the "downhill" direction of the grain, and installed it facing the wall, so that the chisel would not cause any tearout as I planed it smooth.
202369
Just a dab of stain and finish and it should be good to go. Thanks for looking.
First I measured back about 3-1/4" from the top of the rail and drilled a 1" dia. hole about 9/16" deep.
202368
Then I drilled two holes where the corner of the side wall and bottom of the 1" hole meet. I drilled those holes at 90 deg to the wall and at a slight outboard angle so that they would miss the screw installed during installation. You can just see the old screw plug between the new 1" hole and the wall. The new screw holes exist the railing at about its horizontal centerline. Then I installed two 4" long x 1/4" Spax self threading screws. I used the Spax screws because my drill bit would only reach just through the end of the railing and not into the studs. The Spax screws drove in without problems and I snugged them tight a couple of times with my impact driver. You can see them in the bottom of the hole in the picture above. There's no play in the railing whatsoever and, hopefully, it will stay that way now that it is held with screws at 3 different angles.
Lastly, I installed a 1" diameter tapered plug that I made (and posted about how to do so a few days ago) with just a few dabs of glue - in case I ever have to go back, again - cut it off and carefully "planed" it smooth and flush with a chisel. I made sure to determine the "downhill" direction of the grain, and installed it facing the wall, so that the chisel would not cause any tearout as I planed it smooth.
202369
Just a dab of stain and finish and it should be good to go. Thanks for looking.