Installing porch rail balusters
April 6, 2015 6:12 AM Subscribe
I'm repairing the railing on our wood front porch/stairs and ran into some issues installing the balusters. I tried using a nailing strip as in the video here (attaching the balusters to the strip then installing the strip between the top and bottom railing) but it didn't really work.
After attaching the balusters, it was tough to wedge the assembly into the rails. It racked over some and I lopped off the ends of the nailing strip to make it fit, but there is a big gap (about 1 1/2" inches) at one end where the nailing strip is lifted above the bottom rail. Surprisingly the balusters look still look more or less plumb and parallel to one another. I stopped working in it since it was getting dark, but I think I can get it to fit better by cutting the nailing strip into sections and possibly shimming.
My question is how to proceed with the rest of the railing. I still have several more sections of railing to do (about 90 more balusters): the other side of the stairs and then the horizontal sections around the porch, which should be easier I hope. It seems like the nailing strip method is not tolerant of any inaccuracy. Admittedly the rails I worked on are not totally parallel (off by about 1/4" over about six feet) though I did cut the balusters at slightly different lengths and to test fit them before screwing them into the nailing strip. I have an air compressor and was thinking about just getting this 15ga finish nailer and toe nailing the balusters into the rail. It looks like the old balusters were installed something like that. Maybe there is some advantage to using the nailing strip that I'm missing.
If it matters, we're using decorative turned balusters rather than the straight ones in the video I linked.
After attaching the balusters, it was tough to wedge the assembly into the rails. It racked over some and I lopped off the ends of the nailing strip to make it fit, but there is a big gap (about 1 1/2" inches) at one end where the nailing strip is lifted above the bottom rail. Surprisingly the balusters look still look more or less plumb and parallel to one another. I stopped working in it since it was getting dark, but I think I can get it to fit better by cutting the nailing strip into sections and possibly shimming.
My question is how to proceed with the rest of the railing. I still have several more sections of railing to do (about 90 more balusters): the other side of the stairs and then the horizontal sections around the porch, which should be easier I hope. It seems like the nailing strip method is not tolerant of any inaccuracy. Admittedly the rails I worked on are not totally parallel (off by about 1/4" over about six feet) though I did cut the balusters at slightly different lengths and to test fit them before screwing them into the nailing strip. I have an air compressor and was thinking about just getting this 15ga finish nailer and toe nailing the balusters into the rail. It looks like the old balusters were installed something like that. Maybe there is some advantage to using the nailing strip that I'm missing.
If it matters, we're using decorative turned balusters rather than the straight ones in the video I linked.
Best answer: I had to do this last fall and I ended up using a sort of improvised technique. I have a two-year-old and wanted the balusters to be strong enough for him to climb on without risking pulling loose, so I used nailing strips and deck screws. Also, I'm not a great carpenter and I wanted to be able to fit the stair balusters one by one while getting the angles and spacing right.
First lay a baluster in the center of the bottom rail for spacing and push a nailing strip up against either side. Nail one strip into the rail. Do the same for the top rail - I did this before installing the rail but you could do it with the railing already in place.
Now when you push a baluster against the two strips, you know it's centered up on your rails. Cut a baluster to length and test fit. Fiddle around until you get the miters and length just right. From the side with the nailing strips, reach through and pull the baluster toward you, against the two strips, get it plumb and positioned right, then put a nail into each strip. Install all your balusters like this, then place your other nailing strips on the other side and nail them to the railing and balusters.
At this point I put a 3" deck screw into the top and bottom of each baluster. The nailing strips held them secure while I put the screws in so they didn't try to pivot. I did the rails and balusters together in sections and then put them up, so I had good access to the top and bottom. The downside was that I had screw holes in the top of my railing; I ended up putting another 2x4 on top and screwing it in from the bottom.
Here's the result. I used the special steel pieces to attach the straight sections of rail, but for the stairs section I just used chunks of 2x4 to support the ends of each rail.
posted by pocams at 6:38 AM on April 6, 2015
First lay a baluster in the center of the bottom rail for spacing and push a nailing strip up against either side. Nail one strip into the rail. Do the same for the top rail - I did this before installing the rail but you could do it with the railing already in place.
Now when you push a baluster against the two strips, you know it's centered up on your rails. Cut a baluster to length and test fit. Fiddle around until you get the miters and length just right. From the side with the nailing strips, reach through and pull the baluster toward you, against the two strips, get it plumb and positioned right, then put a nail into each strip. Install all your balusters like this, then place your other nailing strips on the other side and nail them to the railing and balusters.
At this point I put a 3" deck screw into the top and bottom of each baluster. The nailing strips held them secure while I put the screws in so they didn't try to pivot. I did the rails and balusters together in sections and then put them up, so I had good access to the top and bottom. The downside was that I had screw holes in the top of my railing; I ended up putting another 2x4 on top and screwing it in from the bottom.
Here's the result. I used the special steel pieces to attach the straight sections of rail, but for the stairs section I just used chunks of 2x4 to support the ends of each rail.
posted by pocams at 6:38 AM on April 6, 2015
As an alternative, if you poke around at the hardware store, they probably sell some steel pieces that screw into the ends of your balusters and then have little flanges to screw into the rails. It'd be expensive and probably time-consuming, but you wouldn't have to toenail them in.
posted by pocams at 6:39 AM on April 6, 2015
posted by pocams at 6:39 AM on April 6, 2015
Response by poster: I think I have it sorted now. The video has them marking the baluster positions using two people and a level and measuring tape. I didn't have a helper so I just laid the nailing strips out and marked equal intervals on each, not appreciating the geometry involved. When I went to fasten the balusters to the nailing strips, they didn't line up on the second strip so I just fastened them "where they lie" which caused my problem since it was so imprecise.
I only had a short while to play with things but I'm pretty sure re-marking one of the nailing strips will do the trick. Also using shorter sections (instead of a single six foot section) looks like it will help.
posted by exogenous at 12:01 PM on April 6, 2015
I only had a short while to play with things but I'm pretty sure re-marking one of the nailing strips will do the trick. Also using shorter sections (instead of a single six foot section) looks like it will help.
posted by exogenous at 12:01 PM on April 6, 2015
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posted by jon1270 at 6:34 AM on April 6, 2015