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For those long-suffering in my various threads over the years, 'The house' is nearing completion after 5 years....really! (Kitchen aside 🙂 )
But having budgeted flooring, skirting, coving,plumber, sparkie and carpet for this final push and ready to go - I googled some simple oak handrails, nothing fancy. Just 2 solid oak lengths with some simple chrome fittings.
£400!
Even multi-piece options that use 1.2m lengths and enormous joins are the same price.
I've googled, looked at the local timber merchants website etc and the cheapest I've got to is £360.
Am I failing somehow in my research and one of you lot know of a better option, or is this another lesson in the joy of house renovation and I just have to suck it up?
Surely you could just nip down the local council offices and Rob it out of there?
Which is probably why it costs so much.
Oak is your problem. Its expensive. Stainless steel fixings as well
Don't use oak then. It's a majestic, long living (1000 years) tree and should be left in nature.
Just use cheap and cheerful cast iron.
With all the trees being cut down in the Amazon, you'd think hard wood prices would be through the floor....
Don’t use oak then. It’s a majestic, long living (1000 years) tree and should be left in nature.
It’s grown as a sustainable crop for wood-framed houses, it’s a marvellous material and a structure built from green oak can last hundreds of years.
And there was me thinking that people on her would be in favour of sustainability in building.
Obviously I was incorrect in that assumption.
https://simplehandrails.co.uk/collections/ luxury-timber-handrails/products/copy-of-stainless-steel-oak-handrail-flat-dome-end-caps-1
Have you considered non-luxury ones? Five seconds' googling gave me this which I think looks great: https://www.diy.com/departments/stainless-steel-handrail-kit-l-3600/958372_BQ.prd
Where are you getting £400 from? I've just measured my stairs banister and it's 3.5m which comes out at £180 (£150 with a join) on your link. [EDIT: I've just seen you said two lengths - is that two staircases or one on each side?]
Sows ear bit of oak coloured stain. Job jobbed (ish)
Thanks, Cougar and yes one each side.
And I want wood because it's a 100 year old house. I've made it modern where appropriate, but a metal set of handrails is more suitable for TKMaxx.
It would not have been oak in a 100 yr old house would it? It would have been painted pitch pine?
£400?!
Mine was something like this:
£60 3.5m oak
https://www.oakstoredirect.com/solid-white-oak-35m-mopstick-44mm-wall-mounted-staircase-hand-rail-20617-p.asp
plus some chromed brackets:
Rounded the corners of the ends and two coats of briwax
job jobbed.
I bought my rails from Shaw Stairs, their prices for Oak may be a bit less than you've been quoted?
https://www.shawstairs.com/oak-32mm-handrails-and-baserails-p-1678.html
Brilliant, thanks Wzzz. Just what I was hoping for 🙂
Thanks, Cougar and yes one each side.
Why do you need one each side?
Unless you've got someone in the house with mobility issues I'm struggling to even see the need for one let alone two. I live in a 100 year old house also (nearer 120) and it's only had one handrail for as long as I've lived here, it's shit wood and white gloss paint. I had a second fitted a couple of years ago but that was under some accessibility scheme or other (that looks a lot like the one in wzzzz's link above).
Solid decent quality oak? That'll be why.
Buy simple mopstick (like this) then add whatever chrome or stainless fittings you like. And treat with Osmo oil. All in, easily less than half your £400
Why do you need one each side?
This. Only one side required.
Not according to building regs if wider than 1m. Anyhow, I like symmetry 🙂
(And thanks imn)
Assuming this is new handrail on an existing set of stairs - I'm pretty positive building regs will not apply.
Obvs if you want two handrails then fill your boots but, as you can see, it will cost twice as much and TBH is not often done. Don't forget the extra width a second handrail will take out of your staircase.
Don’t forget the extra width a second handrail will take out of your staircase.
Today's random stair fact.
Under the building regs, the widest a public staircase can be is 2000mm before intermediate handrails need to be added.
Astonishingly there is no minimum width for a staircase (unless it's part a fire escape route).
You could build a staircase in your house that's only an inch wide and it'd pass Building regs.
Am I being totally weird then by wanting 2 handrails? I have no experience of observing handrails, but seems the work of a deviant to have such a one-sided approach*
I mean, which side would you pick? Surely two is the proper answer from an OCD, aesthetic and hand dominance equality perspective?
Of all the things I've had to deal with, I'd never thought this would be a conundrum.
*sorry
On a staircase the handrail should always be on the left.
On a staircase the handrail should always be on the left.
So if you want to go up AND down, you'll need two.
When I refitted our stairs 2 years ago, I put one each side on the basis that it was easier to do it now and in 8 years time I'd be 70. Find it useful now, while still reasonably fit.
Am I being totally weird then by wanting 2 handrails?
Yes.
We had none until Funk Jr arrived and Mrs F started freaking out. Had a whole banister built with vertical bits and everything for less than your handrail. Stairs were completely open before. Feels claustrophobic now and means I have to walk to the bottom. Used to love swinging my arms from the landing floor and dropping in to the dining room ninja style.
When I refitted our stairs 2 years ago, I put one each side on the basis that it was easier to do it now and in 8 years time I’d be 70
And 5 years later you'll have the dilemma of which one to take off to fit the chair lift 🙂
You can buy oak end pieces for the handrail which round them off really well, just stick them on and sand them , they look really professional
I mean, which side would you pick?
Anecdotally,
I live in a terraced house. The original handrail is on the right as viewed from the foot of the stairs. My mum lives further up the road and her house layout is the mirror of mine (ie, walking down my hallway as you come in from the front door all the rooms are on your left, at my mum's they're on the right). Her handrail is on the left. So based on a comprehensive sample of "two" and assuming your staircase runs parallel to the front of the house like ours do, the answer is "on the wall farthest from the front door".
Stairs were completely open before.
Sounds cool but I think I'd want a banister there if only because alcohol exists.
So based on a comprehensive sample of “two” and assuming your staircase runs parallel to the front of the house like ours do, the answer is “on the wall farthest from the front door”.
Based on your information and my assumption that your house was built before the days of CAD, the answer is "wherever it appeared on the plans on the original that was drawn and also where it appeared on the plans in the opposite handed version because the architect flipped over the big sheet of tracing paper he was feeding into the dyeline printing machine to save him the effort of doing a handed version"
Am I being totally weird then by wanting 2 handrails?
Definitely not, it'll make getting up the stairs far easier after a tough ride or an over enthusiastic visit to the pub. A second rail will be in my near future 😎
my assumption that your house was built before the days of CAD
I rather suspect it was built before the days of printing machines.
Huh. I was being silly just there, but Google would suggest that "whiteprint" started to replace blueprints in the 1890s. My house was built in 1896.
I rather suspect it was built before the days of printing machines.
Pre 1890's before the common use of the diazo printing process or pre 1842 before the invention of blueprints?
Bah: Too slow at googling
it’ll make getting up the stairs far easier after a tough ride or an over enthusiastic visit to the pub.
I thought this is what crawling was for?
I thought this is what crawling was for?
No, that's what you do when you roll in sozzled at 2am after "popping out for a swift half" and your missus is still awake.
Lots of nice quality hardwoods about without needing to pay the premium for Oak. Have a look at what you can get in Idigbo or similar.
No, that’s what you do when you roll in sozzled at 2am after “popping out for a swift half” and your missus is still awake.
The stealth effect is usually ruined by the kilogram of loose change in your pocket exploding all over the floor when you try to take your trousers off before getting in to bed.
I have nothing to add but my giggles.
Some great posts.
You lot are ace.
Pffhh, get some used scaff boards, sand, stain, bosh