- 1). Hold the level on the inside corner of the first stair tread. Mark the height of the stair on the level with a pencil.
- 2). Measure from the marking on the level up 32 inches and make another mark on the level. This is the height of the railing.
- 3). Measure the diameter of the railing and the height of the mounting bracket. The mounting bracket is measured with a framing square. Hold the bracket in the corner of the square and record the measurement to the center of the bottom screw hole. Add these two measurements together.
- 4). Measure downward from your 32-inch mark on the level the length of the handrail plus the bracket and mark this location with a pencil. This is the height at which the mounting bracket fastens to the wall.
- 5). Hold the level in the inside corner of the first stair tread and level it to the wall. Mark the height of the mounting bracket on the wall with a pencil. Repeat this process at the top of the stairs.
- 6). Hold a chalk line between the two markings and snap a line on the wall. This line indicates where the bottom of the mounting brackets will be fastened to the wall. The line should be perfectly parallel with the staircase.
- 7). Find the location of the wall studs along the chalk line with the stud finder. Mark the locations with a pencil.
- 8). Hold a mounting bracket in the center of the wall stud at the bottom of the stairs. Align the center screw hole with the line.
- 9). Drill pilot holes in the mounting bracket's screw holes with a drill bit that has slightly less diameter than the mounting screws. Fasten the mounting bracket to the wall with the screws provided. Repeat this process to secure a mounting bracket to the top of the staircase.
- 10
Hold the handrail along the bottom side of the staircase and mark the start of the first stair and the top of the last stair on the handrail with a pencil. - 11
Cut the handrail along the two markings with a miter saw. - 12
Hold the handrail in place over the two mounting brackets and secure with the hardware provided.
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