Freaking Out About My Stairs!
Hi, I'm really worried about my new handrail. We repurposed our old red oak handrail because the plan was to stain it black. Treads are white oak and soon to be installed flooring is white oak as well. The wooden posts are new.
Anyhow, today the railing was installed. And right away I could tell the left handrail was way too high. The carpenter created a new gooseneck at the top of the stairs and I think that's where the problem lies. At some points in the handrail it measures 38-43" from the tread! It's feels so uncomfortablely high! I have to bend my arm in such an unnatural position whole holding the rail.
I noticed the problem as soon as I came home from work. Fortunately, when we called our stair guy he suggested we talk about it tomorrow, so I'm hopeful this can be fixed.
Also, I'm hating the black stain! Maybe I'm just not used to it or maybe it'll be better once the metal pickets are in. I'm just having a hard time adjusting to this.
I was looking to update my 2000 era builder grade stairs and now I'm just rethinking all my decisions!
Any advice on how to correct the handrail would be helpful. Is it the gooseneck that needs a redo?!
I've attached photos of my stairs and the look I was going for.
Please help :(
Comments (20)
MGdecor
last yearMary Elizabeth
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last yearThank you Patricia. I'm hoping it's the new weird feeling that is giving me grief! We had a discussion with the carpenter and agreed that the gooseneck needs a redo and that will correct the issue of a too steep and misaligned handrail. Maybe that's why some of you mentioned the stairs are steep or narrow. I think it's the optical illusion with the improper placement of the handrail. Yes, the stairs have been refinished but the curve is original and never felt narrow or steep. Here's a photo of the before.
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last yearThis is the finished product. I really don't like all the black, way too much for me. Wishing I did a white oak handrail instead with a more contemporary post at the base and not this curvy volute. Lesson learned, I will not reuse a handrail during a renovation. There are also tons of installation mistakes that drive me nuts. At this point, I'm happy the carpenter is gone and I'm considering getting a new handrail. P.S. The issue with height of the handrail was on the actual stairs, not on the nosing upstairs. On the nosing upstairs the height is fine at 36".
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