How to Connect the Stair Railing to the Landing Railing

Hold a scrap 2-by-4 board on the wall next to the stairs, at the same angle and height you will mount the handrail. Lay a second 2-by-4 board on top of the first board. Position the second board parallel to the stair landing at the same height you will mount the landing handrail.

Set a level on the second 2-by-4 board. Adjust the board so it is straight, then set the level aside. Hold both boards against the wall with one hand and draw a pencil line along the second board's bottom edge. This transfers the stair's angle onto the first 2-by-4 board.

Lay the board with the pencil line on a flat surface. Hold a protractor along the board's bottom edge and determine the line's angle. This will be the angle to cut the handrail at.

Set a miter saw to the appropriate angle. Determine how long you need the handrail to be by measuring from the bottom stair's nose to the landing's nose. Transfer this measurement to the handrail and make a light pencil mark. Lay the handrail on its side and cut it on the pencil mark with the miter saw.

Determine how long you want the handrail to extend along the landing's wall. Transfer this measurement to the extra piece of handrail you cut off in Step 4. Move the miter saw to the same angle on the other side of the zero-degree mark. Cut through the handrail.

Set the miter saw to a 45-degree angle. Cut about 1/2 inch off the other end of both the handrail and landing rail. This allows you to construct returns at the end of each rail which gives the railing a finished look and prevents clothes and other items from catching.

Repeat Steps 4 and 5 with scrap 2-by-4 boards to achieve the same angle as the handrail. Hold the boards' mitered ends together and drive screws through them. Lay the boards near the edge of a work table, with the landing handrail pointing toward the floor. These boards act as a support frame when you connect the two railings.

Lay the stair handrail on the edge of the 2-by-4 board laying on the table and ask a friend to hold it in place. Apply a thin layer of 90-second epoxy to the stair handrail's mitered end and the landing handrail's mitered end.

Lay the landing handrail on the edge of the 2-by-4 board pointing toward the floor. Press the mitered end tight against the stair handrail's mitered end. Line up both handrails' contours to form an almost seamless bend. Hold the two handrails firmly together for about two minutes, using the 2-by-4 boards as a base.

Lay the connected handrails on the workbench and allow the epoxy to set for at least one hour.