How to Install Square Stair Balusters

Balusters do not hold a handrail up, but instead provide a barrier so that children and animals do not fall off the side of the stairs. Once the top and bottom posts, as well as the handrail, are anchored to the stairs, you are ready to install the balusters. The balusters do not need to be as securely attached to the handrail as the posts. Still, the balusters must be secured tightly enough to withstand the weight of a small child.

Pencil
Handsaw
Hammer
Finishing nails
Drill
Wood screws
Screwdriver

Instructions

- 1
  Hold one of the balusters on the middle of a stair tread. Mark where the bottom edge of the handrail touches the side of the baluster, using a pencil. Remove the baluster. Cut along the line with a handsaw.
- 2
  Lay the first baluster against the other balusters, using it as a template to draw a cut line on the other balusters. Cut all of the balusters along the line you trace, using the handsaw.
- 3
  Insert the balusters between the middle of the stair treads and the handrail. Drive finishing nails at an angle, attaching the balusters to the underside of the handrail.
- 4
  Drill guide holes from the underside of the staircase through the stair treads and into the bottoms of the balusters. Drive 3-inch wood screws through the stair treads and into the balusters.

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