Articles

Stair Supplies Handrails Stairs Balustrades Balusters Building Stairs Stair Design Newel Posts Circular Stairs Stair Spindles Stair Nosing Stair Manufacturers Custom Staircases Wood Staircases Stair Pictures Stair Rail Parts Contemporary Staircases Staircase Ideas Staircase Suppliers Wood Handrails Spiral Staircases Stair Parts Metal Stair Parts Cherry Stair Parts Hardwood Stair Parts Iron Stair Parts Oak Staircases Home Staircases Stair Treads Oak Stair Parts Boxed Newel Posts Wood Balusters Stair Turnings Oak Stair Treads Discount Stair Parts Creative Stair Parts Stair Part Distributors Buy Stair Parts Maple Stair Parts Hemlock Stair Parts More Resources About Stair Supplies

Stair Supplies

Boxed Newel Posts

by Andrew Kozlov

Boxed newel posts anchor the balustrade unit of your staircase both at the top and bottom of your staircase landing. You can carve ornate newel posts out of oak, hemlock, or maple, or you can design a more functional boxed newel post design simply to anchor the rest of the balustrade. Engineering structurally sound newel posts is critical, since the posts support the weight of the handrail and balusters.

If you run into a problem with loose spindles or a wobbly hand rail, chances are that the real issue is with your newel posts. While you may be tempted to finesse a solution to the wobbling--like gluing the balusters into the hand rail--it's probably smarter to recalibrate the entire balustrade system, beginning with the newel posts. That way, your wobbling problem won't come back.

Supporting Your Staircase with Boxed Newel Posts

What should you do if the problem is with the newel posts themselves? Replacing the anchor of the balustrade requires more than just simple woodworking. It involves developing a temporary support structure for your balustrade while you make corrections. That said, for more modern staircases, particularly spiral cases, the newel post assembly is less critical to the overall structural integrity of the unit.

Indeed, with many modern staircases, the newel posts are little more than vestigial. Their purpose in a spiral staircase is more to act as braces than to train the structure itself. To add a more classic style to your staircase, you may want to carve a new box for your posts. This is relatively cheap to do and lets you practice your wood craftsmanship.

Get all Building Supplies articles via