A stair railing gives you many design choices. There are few things in your home that give you as many ways to customize as your stair railing. A well designed stair railing can be the focal point of your entry and set the tone for your home.
There are three main areas that you can customize. The first is the railing. The railing comes in many shapes and wood species. You can have it stained or painted. The second design option is the newel posts. Newel posts start the railing and support it at corners. Newel posts come in two main shapes, turned and square. Turned posts start out square and have a middle section that is round and the top has a ball shape or the railing fits over it. Turned posts are usually smaller than square box posts and are cheaper. They are a good choice when you do not have a lot of room on your stairs or for budget concerns. Square posts or box newels are becoming very popular and make a bigger statement than the smaller turned
posts. Box newels come in many sizes and styles. They can be simple or have a raised panel look. Balusters can be made of wood or metal and can be combined together. Wood balusters are square or turned and can be painted or stained. Metal balusters are very popular and come many colors like black, silver, copper or stainless. They also have a tremendous amount of styles, from plain to baskets, spoons and scrolls. Metal balusters can be mixed and matched to give you a very unique look.
Stair railings can be made out of oak, maple, alder, cherry or paint grade. They can be painted any color or stained to fit your cabinets or flooring. With all the options available to you, your stair railing can be unique and add style and value to your home.
Traditional wood newel post
All white banister with shaker style posts
Knotty alder post with iron balusters
