Adding stair handrails for accessibility / barrier-free access at home.
Finished Look
The new handrail is on the right side in the photo below. The left side rail was already there.
I also added a vertical handrail at the staircase landing.
Painting the Hardware
The handrail brackets are from the same “Eclair” series I used for the toilet handrail in a previous project (Japanese article available; English version forthcoming).
The original handrail on the other side has hardware I previously painted black, so I’m painting the new hardware black to match.
For better paint adhesion, spray the brackets with a primer (“Mitchakuron” multi-purpose primer).
Some-Q Primer Spray “Mitchakuron Multi” 420mL
Once the primer is dry, paint with a matte black spray paint.
Asahi Pen High-Durability Lacquer Spray, Matte Black, 300mL
Spray, then let dry.
Hardware painted.
Installing the Handrails
Handrails take a lot of body weight, so they need solid attachment.
The wall is mostly drywall (gypsum board), which won’t hold a screw under load. There are wood studs at intervals (every few tens of cm), and that’s where the screws need to go.
Locate the studs with a stud finder, mark them with masking tape. Anywhere within the marked range will hold a screw firmly.
Shinwa Sokutei Stud Finder Home 79151
Set the new handrail at the same height as the existing one on the opposite wall.
Mark this with masking tape too as a reference during install.
Cut a wooden dowel rod (from the home improvement store) to length with a circular saw.
HiKOKI 18V 165mm Cordless Circular Saw FC1806DA(BG) — battery, charger, case included
Attach the brackets to the cut dowel.
Same with the middle bracket of the handrail.
Test-fit the assembly against the wall. Looks good.
Screw the handrail into the wall (into the studs).
That section is up.
Now the vertical handrail at the staircase landing — running vertically as shown. There’s a stud here too.
This handrail is about 70 cm long, so just two end-bracket pieces (no middle bracket needed). Brackets attached:
Screw it to the wall — done!
(Side note: the two new handrails are slightly different colors because the home improvement store didn’t have two matching dowels in stock when I bought them.)
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