I was refering to side mounted rails that are used by Kraftmaid which are side mounted expoxy coated rails with plastic wheels that slide down the tracks which are 3/4 extension. I am not that stupid to presume to know what the side mounted rails are like that are in your supposed custom kitchen. This thread is a good example of the blind leading the blind on here more often then not. For the info of anyone who wants to learn something and not continue to spread miss information soft close has an engineering purpose. The cabinet companies do not put them on cabinets to make you think they look cool. When you build a cabinet drawer to be rated for 100 lbs or more in weight the cabinet maker adds soft close mechanism so it is not possible to slam the drawer shut and crack the face frame of the cabinet. A side mounted full extension slide in an of itself is not superior an undermount full extension glide. I have several cabinet companies I sell that use them. They are not easy to slam shut they way they are made. They also have rubber bumper at the end of the track in the back of the cabinet which holds the drawer shut when you close it. Every cabinet I sell with side mounted full extension glides are the same as those on Husky, Kobalt, and craftsman mechanics tool boxes I keep my tools in. If you made cabinets that you are going to provide a warranty for, and you make the drawers to be rated for 100 plus pounds, would you want to warranty the cabinet frame would not fall apart in a home with domestic violence? The drawers would be slaming shut everytime someone is mad at another person and lets out their frustration on the drawers and doors. Their is a reason people make things the way they do. Just as I stated in the first post their is a reason the guy wants to use the side mounted that the person with the original post did not understand to restate.

We're building and doing no carpet. I've thought of putting a runner down the middle of the stairs eventually if we need the softness. But we're starting off bare. We're doing the balusters directly on the treads. Our friends had carpet on their stairs for a few years and just spent a lot of money to have their staircase redone so it's all wood and no carpet. Their carpet had been wrapped around the entire tread and riser, etc. so the baluster was directly on the carpet. They grew to hate it because of the wear and a family member that developed allergies. It was not an easy process to have redone.

Be sure to sell or give away that beautiful old railing and not throw it on a heap. I happen to like it. But indeed, it might look better in black. The railing you have posted instead gave me some shudders. Quite a contrary style and not one I'd welcome in my home. Way too modern for a ranch home, is what comes to my mind. If you are really going to get a new railing, I like the one Judy proposed, although I wouldn't want it in white at your place. Perhaps in black and the railing that matches the wood of the stairs? Or maybe something like this?

Okay so I really need your guys help! The original pic I posted was of the current house b/c I wasnt able to get to the new house at the moment. The carpenter who did this doesn't seem to want to make the time to come and fix it... Please see pics of the new railing, inspector said just to do a straight cut on both pieces of wood and to place an "S" piece of wood to connect the two. But where the spindle is concerns me, I feel like the "S" would almost skip over the spindle, and we cannot remove the top spindle because then the opening between spindle and wall would be too big! Attaching pics-opinions please..... (Carpenter asked US to pick up the pieces??! We have no idea how to measure and what we're doing?!). What else would we need? I think the inspector mentioned something about a plate to go underneath where it connects? (and I guess that piece against the wall, will need to come off). Thank you in advance..