Old banister and railing-architectural salvage or trash?

[Zachary Hoyt]

I have been asking a lot of questions lately about the old house I am trying to repair, and today I have an even more than usually random question. The house has a massive banister/railing assembly that is original from when it was built. It has some little carvings and some millwork (if that's the word) that is somewhat fancy, but it is too big for the stairs and also not long enough, so I intend to remove it and put in something more practical. Also it has about 1/8" of built up paint on it.

At the top there is only about 19" between the 6" square post and the wall opposite the stairhead, so it's a tight squeeze. By moving the upright out of the landing I can gain another 4" or more, which would be most welcome. At the bottom the newel post (again I am not sure of my terms) is by the 3rd step, and the first two have no banister. I'd like to make a banister that runs all the way to the bottom step, and use a skinnier newel post. There is 28" from the fat one to the wall, so I am not able to move the 30" deep shower/tub wall piece up the stairs.

I'd like to remove the old woodwork and put in something temporary with 2x4s screwed together that will be safe but easier to get things around while I'm working, and then to build a proper hardwood setup later, once other things are done. My question is whether there is any likelihood that someone would want this kind of banister and railing, or if I should just rip them out and take them to the dump. The pictures are from last fall but it still looks the same. I'll be grateful for any guidance.

[Mitch schiffer]

If it comes apart decent take it to habitat for humanity or architecture salvage yard. I have looked for sections of matching handrail in these places before. I have seen several of these that were walnut under all the paint. To me its always better to save it if it is feasible. Sometimes it isn't possible without a bunch of extra work. Good luck on your renovation.

[Mel Fulks]

Agree with Mitch. And it’s a pretty steep stair. Newel post is interesting, and the painted rail might be the work of someone who didn’t like
mahogany or walnut. Certainly it should have a new chance .

[Thomas McCurnin]

I try to salvage original millwork. If the railing doesn't work, then I would still try to save it with shop made matching pieces. It's original to the house and part of the home's history. I don't think you're going to save any space with a new railing. I know that's not the answer you wanted, but you asked for opinions.

[Scott Winners]

Since you aren't modifying the stairwell, you ought to be able to put the original stuff back in. Do you know +/- original construction year? When I was in Schenectady before the turn of the century I was renting a flat in a home built +/- 1910 with analine dyed white oak for all the trim. It was magnificent, my flat was on the main level. The original upstairs trim was a stained softwood I could sink my thumbnail into.

Before you take the old railing to habitat or a salvage yard, look it over carefully. It would probably need a need some reinforcement to be reinstalled, but it will fit perfectly if you can patch it back together for a robust install. If it is a pine maybe let it go, it really comes down to available time and space, cost of stripping versus cost of remaking, either setup would need finish when you are done with the carpentry part.

[Jim Becker]

Architectural salvage or Habitat for sure. The former might net you a few shekels and the latter would net you some tax deduction if you itemize.

I think the idea of not writing it off from use in your project is also sound. Don't be in a hurry to off-load that kind of stuff unless and until you determine it really cannot be used. If you begin to lean to the former, get it professionally chemical striped to restore the detail. You may very well be wowed by it and it would be a nice ode to the house's history.

[Zachary Hoyt]

Thank you all for the advice. The house is circa 1920. I do see that the woodwork has more historical value in place than it would elsewhere, but it is not at all practical for the size of the stairway, in my opinion. I'll scrape off some paint on my next trip and try to find out what kind of wood it is. When the drywall is installed on the wall there will only be something like 27" between the posts and the wall on the stairs and 19" on the landing, so it makes it hard to move things up and down the stairs. I need to replace all the stair treads at some point since they are softwood and deeply worn in places on each tread. My plan has been to make a built in bookshelf in the upstairs hallway that would also act as a railing, and would not take up any more room than the current configuration, and then to put in a smaller post and narrower banister in, so that there is a bit more room for moving furniture and such. Also I would like to make the banister run all the way down to the bottom step, and make the last two steps match the others instead of being deeper. It's not up to code as it is now, and my mother will be living there and will be 69 by the time we move in, so safe and practical stairs seem more important than originality. I think the banister was designed for a room with 8 foot or so ceilings instead of 9 feet as in this house.

[Bill Dufour]

It will have lead paint so be careful.
Bill D

[Lee DeRaud]

Might be different where you guys are, but the Habitat place near me is incredibly fussy about what they'll take as donations.
It might just be a space/inventory issue, but their attitude is worse than yard-sale customers'.

[Zachary Hoyt]

Yes, I will watch the paint and will just scrape a bit off with a chisel in an inconspicuous place. The nearest ReStore is 95 miles away and I doubt they would take this, as it is not clean or even close, but I may be able to find someone who wants it on Craigslist or something. The nearest architectural salvage companies I have found are in Albany, which is most of 3 hours away, so I doubt it would pay enough to cover the gas to go there.

[Alex Zeller]

I would buy a lead paint test kit. Most places wouldn't touch it if there's lead paint on it. Depending on what type of person you are you don't want to breath in any dust when removing it. The good news is most dumps will take it without issues.

[Brian Elfert]

The Habitat Restore store near me has gotten really picky. Basically, if it isn't new building materials they don't want it. I was at the store about a month ago and it has mostly turned into a thrift store for furniture. This is a store in a suburban area that was developed in the 60s, 70s, and early 80s.

They also have a Restore in the heart of the city of Minneapolis that probably takes more old stuff as the houses are from the early part of the 20th century.