The baluster is a rack used to connect the railing and steps. The main function is to ensure safe operation and sufficient strength of the stairs. Owners of their own homes often use balusters. How to fix them correctly? The material below will help to understand.
Materials used for the manufacture of balusters
For the manufacture of balusters, you can use various materials:
- wood is not only the most environmentally friendly material, but also harmoniously fits into almost any interior;
- metal is a real find for the designer, as it allows you to get absolutely any shape;
- forging - the main positive qualities include elegance, unusualness and reliability;
- concrete is strong and durable;
- glass is able to give the house a fantastic look.
Features of the installation of wooden racks
The wooden baluster includes the following main parts: support, base and central massif. The base load will be borne by the foundation, therefore, it should be as strong as possible. The place of fastening of the support is the railing, and in order to ensure their reliable functioning, it is necessary to achieve their tight fit to each other. In the manufacture of these two elements, a small margin of length is made, which in the future will provide the ability to install racks. The array performs an exclusively decorative function.
The pillar structure is usually divided into 3 components: support, center and base.
Balusters how to fix? If there are small children in the house, you need to carefully monitor the distance between the racks, otherwise the child may simply fall out.
Support posts can be connected directly to the floor. To save space on the staircase itself, balusters are often attached to a bowstring or braid.
To install balusters made of wood, you can use screws, studs and dowels. The simplicity and convenience of the first method is fully manifested when there are stairs on the kosoura. This case involves fastening balusters to the treads. The screw is screwed directly to the step so that the tip half protrudes. Then you need to mark the point on the bottom cut of the rack, which will serve as the place of screwing.
Stud mounting sequence
Balusters how to fix by means of hairpins? The lower part should be twisted into the tread, and with the help of the upper fasten the rack. Before proceeding with the installation, it is necessary to stock up on the following tools and materials:
- standard galvanized hairpins;
- a drill;
- face saw;
- wooden racks;
- glue.
Now you can proceed to the installation:
- The bottom end of each wooden baluster must be equipped with a hole with a depth of at least 0.8 cm and a diameter 2 times smaller than the diameter of the stud.
- Then you should begin to manufacture the upper and lower cut by means of an end saw. It should be borne in mind that the angle of inclination should fit under the bowstring.
- The stud and hole must be joined with glue.
- How to fix wooden balusters? The depth of the holes in the bowstring should be at least 8 cm, and during installation you must not forget about the optimal order - first 2 extreme columns, and then all the rest.
Screws
How to fix balusters to the floor? In this case, the most universal way is the use of screws or self-tapping screws. They can handle the fixation of both wood and metal elements.
The following approaches deserve attention:
- balustrader;
- use of a support plate;
- the use of direct fixation.
All these methods are very similar to each other. A reliable connection with the steps can be achieved by using a plate, for the fastening of which four screws are usually used.
In addition, self-tapping screws make it easy to connect balusters with railings.
If the step is not equipped with a riser, then the removal of the attachment to the bottom is considered optimal and most convenient. And if the risers are removable, then there is nothing else left but to disguise the junction.
The presence of a thin bowstring does not allow fixing balusters by the method described above, but you can solve the problem using one rather interesting technique. It requires the addition of an additional rotary element to the structure that connects the baluster and the side of the kosour. This maneuver not only increases the free space on the steps, but also allows you to make the fence outside.
During the execution of work, utmost care must be taken so that damage to the supports does not occur. For the manufacture you need to find a suitable breed of wood that is resistant to splitting, which is able to withstand such an installation.
How to install balusters on rods and dowels?
How to fix balusters to the stairs? Wooden structures involve the use of ordinary round dowels. Their diameter should not exceed ¼ of the diameter of the rack, and the length should not exceed two diameters of the baluster.
Drawing a marking means each element - a handrail, steps, columns. The depth of the hole should be equal to half the diameter of the dowel. When installing fasteners coated with glue, the following order must be observed: first the steps, then the railing.
A metal stand cannot be called a complex installation
The use of metal in the staircase is considered traditional. Such elements are distinguished by sophistication, elegance, and the regular appearance of new ornaments and bends of lines remind of a new time, a new trend or a new fashion trend.
Metal balusters how to fix? Very simple, because complete with such racks are all the necessary details and detailed instructions. The standard installation sequence is as follows:
- the distance between balusters previously coated with paint is outlined;
- the stand is screwed to the tread with a bolt or self-tapping screw;
- the props are attached to the rack from above, after which the railing itself is glued.
Private houses do not involve the use of hollow balusters, they are much more popular in office buildings. The main advantage of such structures is a special protective layer, which prevents the appearance of rust, therefore, increases the service life. We fix the balusters with our own hands:
- On the steps you need to make labels, in the place of which in the future the columns will be located.
- To install each column, you must use bolts or screws.
- The lodgements, on which the railing will later be attached, can be rotated by the required angle.
Mounting Features
The safety of the structure directly depends on the reliable fastening of the balusters to the stairs, which, regardless of what material and shape were used for their manufacture, are subject to the following general rules:
- The optimum safe distance between two adjacent supports is considered to be 15 cm, especially if small children live in the house.
- The value of the support height comfortable for many users varies between 80-100 cm.
- Each support should be fastened at two points - upper and lower.
- The safety of the structure does not depend on the thickness or cross-sectional area of the baluster, since this element does not perform a supporting function, its choice is mainly influenced by the style and design of the stairs, as well as the interior of the room.
- How to fix balusters to supporting structural elements, railings and handrails? The answer to this question largely depends on the material used to make them.
Glass balusters
How to fix balusters made of glass? Despite the fact that such elements seem very fragile, they have sufficient strength and reliability.
For fastening the glass to any support, metal hinges or nozzles are used. The installation of glass shields requires certain profiles.