How to Build a Handrail for Outdoor Steps
Whether it’s for your house or someone else’s, outdoor stair handrails are needed to allow safe access to the home. Even if you personally don’t need it, someone who visits your house may benefit from the aid of a stair handrail.
Beyond the benefit it provides to others, you may be required to install a stair railing due to code or insurance requirements.
For you DIY-ers, we have a step-by-step guide with useful tips to help you design, purchase, and install to ensure you have the correct handrail and (hopefully) an easy installation.
Let’s start this off easy with all the steps, then we’ll get into more detail later.
Step 1: Determine Your Mounting Points.
Step 2: Measure the Length and Angle of the Space.
Step 3: Choose Between DIY or Kit
Step 4: Gather the Necessary Tools for the Job
Step 6: Attach Flanges to Wall or Surface
Step 7: Attach Posts to Flanges
Step 8: Attach Handrail to Posts
Step 9: Completing Your Handrail
Analyze the Area for Your Outdoor Handrail
There are a few things you NEED to consider before you start searching for your handrail.
Step 1: Determine Your Mounting Points.
Is your railing going to be wall-mounted, surface-mounted, or a combination of both? This is important to decide before beginning the search for a handrail.
This is because how you mount your handrail will determine which handrail kit or flanges you need to purchase.
Tip #1: Wall mounted handrails can save you space, but if you don’t want to mount into a wall or have a wall to mount it to, then a surface mounted handrail is the way to go.
Step 2: Measure the Length and Angle of the Space.
This is where some simple measurements and maybe a little math comes into play. You can use the rise-and-run method where you measure the length and height of your stairs and then use the Pythagorean theorem of a2 + b2 = c2. This will help you figure out the length of handrail you’ll need.
There are two other direct methods which would be using a tape measure where you grab a friend measure the length from the posts will be located. Or you can use that same buddy and use some string to measure it, or if you’re at a point where no buddy (pun intended) is around then you can use a stick at one end to hold and measure the length of handrail you need.
Tip #2: We recommend rounding up to the nearest half-foot when custom ordering a handrail. If you purchase a kit from us, then rounding up to the nearest foot is recommended. Both allow you to cut the pipe on-site to ensure the perfect fit for your steps.
Step 3: Choose Between DIY or Kit.
Do you want to buy a handrail kit that comes with all the parts needed? Or do you want to go down the DIY path and find all the parts yourself.
With our kits, you get everything you need including mounting hardware. If you do it yourself, you’ll have to ensure you have everything you need. However, our team of project specialists are available to assist you, just give us a call!
Tip #3: You can save time with a kit, or you can save a couple dollars going a full DIY route.
The Tools You Need to Build Your Outdoor Handrail
Installing a handrail doesn’t require a wide range of tools to install, but here are some important ones to point out.
Step 4: Gather the Necessary Tools for the Job.
At the very least, you will need:
- Standard drill
- Hex key
- Hammer
- Tape measure
- Rubber mallet
A standard drill for mounting on different surfaces other than concrete and attaching handrail flanges to posts if needed. Hex keys for all the set screws. A hammer to ensure anchors are fully in place. A tape measure for accurate measurements and alignments. And a rubber mallet for putting in malleable plugs into the ends of the handrail.
Tip #4: If installing in concrete, YOU NEED A HAMMER DRILL.
A standard drill will not be effective enough to drill the proper anchor holes into concrete.
Step 5: Wear PPE!
We can’t stress it enough. PPE is crucial to a safe and successful handrail installation.
This means eye, hand, and feet protection. When drilling into concrete or if you need to cut a pipe down in length, you don’t want particles flying into your eyes. Gloves will protect your hands for obvious reasons. Lastly, steel-toe boots protect your feet if any railing pieces are accidentally dropped.
Step 6: Attaching Your Handrail Flanges to Surfaces or Walls
Attaching a flange to the wall is simple, right? Well, yes, but there’s a lot more you need to think about before just drilling into the wall or ground.
You need to make sure you have the right anchors and mounting hardware. For attaching to the ground, we recommend sleeve anchors, and for walls, Tapcon screws work great.
Our handrail kits come with all the mounting hardware you’ll need so you won’t have to worry about finding the right ones.
Tip #5: Before drilling your anchor holes, make sure everything is inline.
Mark the drill holes on the ground or wall to ensure they are inline before anything gets drilled. Use a ruler, a flat box, or something that can properly tell you that the anchor holes are in line.
Tip #6: Your surface flanges can be parallel or perpendicular to the direction of your handrail.
Some will say that having them perpendicular to the handrail is better, but just know that they can go in either direction. This decision may ultimately depend on the space available on your stairs.
If wall mounted, there’s only one way to install which is in the direction of the stair and flange so hopefully there’s no confusion there.
Tip #7: If you are drilling into concrete, make sure the holes are going to be drilled 3 inches from the edge of the concrete step or landing.
This will preserve the concrete as a whole and won’t damage the integrity of the edge of the concrete.
Tip #8: Make sure your anchor holes are deep enough.
This is critical to making sure your flanges are secured and stable for the handrail. Another key point here is to make sure the holes you’ve drilled are cleared out of any dirt/dust/debris of concrete so that your screws fit properly.
Step 7: Attach Posts to Mounted Flanges
This step is crucial to making sure that the posts are mounted at the right height that you need.
Tip #9: Cut the pipe if needed.
This goes for both the posts and the handrail, but you can cut the pipe if the height or length is greater than you need.
Tip #10: Use a level.
While that may sound obvious, sometimes when you’re installing the posts you may think “well the flanges are flat so the posts will be flat”, that’s not always the case. Take the time to level the posts so they are perfectly upright.
Step 8: Attaching Your Outdoor Handrail to Posts
You’re almost done! But we need to make sure we don’t anything fall by the wayside as we near the end of our handrail installation.
Tip #11: Do not fully tighten down all set screws yet.
It’s obviously to screw down the set screws to hold your handrail, posts, and flanges in place, but it’s more important to not tighten down all set screws fully until you have given the handrail a test run. Which leads to the next tip.
Tip #12: Double check the railing is the correct height, give it a test.
While yes, you followed all the directions, you ordered the right height and length, but things can change. It’s important to give your handrail a test run before solidifying that’s where it is going to stay. Check the height and length to make sure everything is where you want it to be.
Completing Your Outdoor Handrail
We’re at the finish line! Just a few quick things to tighten up (pun intended) this handrail before we are officially completed!
Step 9: Tighten down all set screws.
Now that you’ve given it a test run and solidified its the right height and length. Tighten all the set screws down to make sure every part of your handrail is stable.
Tip #13: Clean up area.
Vacuum any dirt or dust and pick up any loose tools or screws.
Tip #14: Pat yourself on the back and grab your favorite drink for a job well done!
This is pretty self-explanatory.
In Review
I’m so proud of you for making it to the end with your newly constructed outdoor handrail!
If you’re looking to start building now, you can purchase a handrail kit today! Or you can contact one of our project specialists to help you design a custom handrail.
Once you’ve installed your handrail, we’d love to see it! Send us pictures or tag @simplifiedbuilding on social media!
