How to Make a Graspable Hand Railing for Deck Stairs

Position wood posts on the top and bottom stair treads if no posts are in place. Trace around the bottoms of the posts and then remove them. Drill holes through the corners of your tracings, allowing you to insert a jigsaw’s blade and cut along the lines you traced.

Insert the wood posts through the holes you cut, and position a level on the sides and tops of the posts to ensure they sit plumb. Drill a pilot hole through the side of the stairs and into the posts, and then drive deck screws into the posts using the pilot holes.

Measure from the stair treads up 36 inches and make a mark on the posts. Position the tops of the handrail’s mounting brackets against the height line you marked. Drive wood screws through the mounting holes in the brackets and into the wood posts.

Lay the hand railing pointing down the stair treads, allowing the end of the railing to touch the ground in front of the stairs. Mark on the railing where it meets the edge of the top step. Clamp the railing to a pair of sawhorses and cut along the line you marked using a circular saw.

Sand the trimmed end of the railing until it is smooth to the touch. Lay the railing against the tops of the mounting brackets, lining up the trimmed end of the railing with the edge of the top step. Drive wood screws through the mounting holes on the brackets and into the handrail. Cut off any excess from the wood posts using a handsaw.