Varieties and fastening of balusters for stairs

Baluster for stairs is an important element of the construction that connects the steps with the handrails.

Balusters not only support the railing, but also make the use of the stairs safe.

In addition, they perform a decorative function.

What are the balusters?

Types of balusters depend on the materials from which they are made.

There are such kinds of balusters:

• wooden;
• metal;
• forged;
• glass;
• stone;
• concrete, gypsum, cement.

Wooden elements are made usually from birch, beech, oak, pine or ash. Such products are considered the most environmentally friendly.

Most often they are ordered from masters who make them manually. Often, wooden products are whole works of art.

The photo shows a variety of wooden balusters.

A variety of wooden posts are carved balusters for stairs.

These are exclusive products that are often made from precious wood. However, even carved pine products will look very attractive.

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Wooden posts usually have a standard size of 50 to 50 mm.

But, if necessary, you can order columns, the size of which will be more or less, so that your staircase fits into the interior.

Metal baluster is usually an unusual design product. They are cast iron, bronze, stainless steel and various alloys.

Produce metal supports from a square and round rod, as well as from a metal pipe or profile.

The shape of such metal products can be either straight or curved. The peculiarity of such products is a very long service life.

Forged balusters for stairs - a luxurious solution for connoisseurs of beauty and originality.

Forged products can have different shapes and styles, making each product a unique element that can hardly be found in anyone else.

If you decide to decorate your staircase with forged balusters, you should know that this is not only a beautiful and extraordinary element, but also a very strong support that will last for many years and protect your ladder.

In interiors of country houses one can also often find cast-iron cast elements.

Cast iron bars are very durable, this is a whole work of art, as molding can have any shape and size.

In the photo, examples of the use of elements from stainless steel, cast-iron supports.

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Extraordinary look balusters made of glass.

These are made of crystal glass, resulting in a reliable seamless element, which is not only aesthetically attractive, but also carries the burden of the entire ladder.

Some designers offer to complement the glass products with a multi-colored illumination, due to which fantastic elements of the interior are obtained.

Columns made of stone are quite expensive and beautiful material that will make any staircase majestic and thorough.

This staircase will be a highlight of the interior and create an atmosphere of luxury.

Stone balusters can be made of such materials:

• Granite - this material is resistant to temperature changes, so it can be used both outside the building and inside;
• Marble - this material will never be covered with fungus and mold, so it can also be used in the home and on the street;
• Sandstone - these balusters can be polished and unpolished. Such products have a bright texture and a varied palette, are hardy and durable.

Supports of glass and stone in the photo.

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Safety of staircase construction

Balusters ensure the reliability and safety of the entire staircase.

Regardless of the shape and origin of your supports, there are general rules for attaching balusters to the ladder:

• The distance between them should not be more than 15 cm, no matter what their size. Such a distance between the elements will ensure the safety and reliability of the handrail, especially important when there are small children in the house;
• Comfortable to use the height of the balusters - 80-100 cm. If the house has small children, the size of the railing should be immediately increased to 120 cm. In addition, it is possible to equip the ladder with additional handrails, the size of which is 45 cm;
• Each baluster must be fastened both at the top and below.

Balusters do not perform carrier function, so the size, thickness or cross-sectional area does not matter, but remember that the distance between the elements plays an important role in the safety of the entire structure.

Select the thickness of the element in accordance with the style and design of the staircase and the room as a whole.

Columns of different materials are attached in different ways.

The upper and lower balusters support the main protective function of the railing, so it is important that they are installed correctly.

However, and the intermediate bars should be fixed according to all rules. The guard must withstand a person's weight of up to 100 kg if he leans his elbows on the railing.

The installation of the handrail with your own hands can be divided into several stages:

• Mounting of the outer pillars - supports( upper and lower);
• Marking of the location of poles. The distance between them can be marked with a cord or laser level. It is important that the distance between the balusters is the same on all sections of the handrail;
• In the center of the balusters, they put a mark - the center of the axis;
• Prepare the upper edges of the supports. To do this, they are filed in such a way that the bevel corresponds to the slope of the railing. The lower edge of the supports are filed when the strings are fastened on top of them.

How to fix wooden balusters?

Elements of wood are very easy to fix and you can do it by yourself, if you have minimal skill, and also strictly follow the recommendations.

The lower edge of the product is attached to strings, steps or strings by means of special pins, screws or screws.

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Wooden elements are attached to the wooden ladder only with the help of metal active metal, so that the fasteners do not weaken during operation.

Nails, dowels and similar fasteners are strictly prohibited.

The upper edge of the product is inserted into a special groove, which is made in the handrail. Its dimensions should be commensurate with the area of ​​the section of the balusters.

There is also a fixing bar between the handrail and the post, which is fixed with carpentry glue and nails.

If the ladder needs to be installed between walls or its width is more than 1.5 meters, then the handrails must be additionally fixed to the walls with special brackets.

To make your stairs safe, the height of them should be 80-90 cm, and the size of the side in section - 3-8 cm.

Video:

If you buy posts and handrails, it is better to take the products from the kit, rather than scattered.

Assembly of wooden elements with your own hands on video.

How to fix metal balusters?

If you chose metal products for yourself, they usually get them with special means of fastening to stone, wood or metal.

Usually it is brackets, hinges, fastenings to strings, steps, косоурам by special screws which carry out not only fixing function, but also aesthetic.

If your ladder is decorated with forged elements, then their fastening is usually provided by the manufacturer.

How to attach products to the base, will be described in the instruction, it is important only to correctly carry it out with your own hands.

In the interior in the style of high-tech, industrial or techno often use pillars of stainless steel.

Polished or matte metal will decorate with its beauty any room, besides such supports are convenient and practical to use, resistant to environmental influences.

Fastening of such elements usually occurs with the help of special hinges or brackets, which not only securely fix the element, but will also become an excellent decoration of the structure.

How to attach metal balusters to the stairs, look at the video.

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How to fix glass balusters?

In the interior design there are such kinds of glass balusters - flat and separately standing.

The installation of glass rails with their own hands will not be difficult either.

Most often, the glass is fixed with hinges or inserts flat parts in special metal attachments that are fixed to the base with screws.

Flat elements are also often installed in a sliding manner in a furrow cut in a tree.

For safety reasons, construction triplexes are used in the construction of stairs - multilayer silicate glass, the balls of which are connected by a polymer film.

Such a material can not be broken, and when it strikes, only cracks remain.

How to fix concrete and stone balusters?

If you have chosen a concrete fence, you should take care of the type of fastening of the poles in advance.

In the upper and lower part of the baluster, at the manufacturing stage, metal pins with a length of 10 cm at the bottom and 5 cm at the top of the baluster are installed. In some cases, the armature passes through the entire post.

If the material of the ladder and the rail is metal, the pins are simply welded to the base.

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In the case of a concrete base in the steps, holes are drilled into which the struts are inserted and filled with concrete.

Balusters made of stone are also fastened with metal pins, staples with pins and stone spikes.

After the marking and the holes for the pins have been made, the pins are inserted into the nests, then the cement slurry is placed there and the balusters fixed before solidification.

Installation of concrete structures on video.