Handrails that do not return to the wall present the potential to catch on the cuff of a long sleeve. The end of the rail could go inside the sleeve. Body momentum with a trapped arm could cause one to fall down the stairs. This is my guess about the requirement. It happened to me, no significant injury.

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.

Little trick from the John Mon>>> use 4x4 acq pt posts boxed in the frame, build post wraps out of 3/4 ipe 1x6, slide them over the the acq posts, bang bang!!! ipe posts at a little less costs than solid 4x4 ipe and a lot fasterSecond end of the year free trick from the John Mon>>> this will require a pin nailer that can fasten to ipe, that is I build the wraps in one unit. Senco makes such a nailer and Cadextools.com makes the same oneA big bent elbow with the Tecate to all the supper fine deck builders I have met over here and all the folks I have been mabey a little help to over the years. In Fact add a shot of Joe Crow to that!! To the tost\\ dont use t-junk,composite is a basic suck deal,ipe from the George at East Teak rules,water runs down hill and payday is on friday!! YouAll have a good season. J

First find out if either is to code where you live. I actually much prefer a glass and metal rail system to cable but that is just me.