bannister on stud wall

canaldumidi

Just had a stairlift installed on my dads stairs. Right hand side going up. The installers removed the bannister and we had a handyman booked next day to fix it on the left. He was unable to do so as it's a stud wall and he couldn't get a firm fixing. Though we do now have multiple holes in the wall!

We're keen to have a bannister, not least because dad wants to continue walking up, which is great for his mobility, and use the stairlift tocome down which he finds harder.

Any suggestions either for how to fix, or an alternative to the bannister?

stuart45

So the handyman couldn't find any studs?

plumb1_2

Find the studs, and fix a 4x1 (par)timber batten the fix the brackets to it

canaldumidi

stuart45 said:

So the handyman couldn't find any studs?

I wasn't there so assume not. Visiting tomorrow to take a look.

Is it basically a matter of tapping the wall to find a non-holow sound?

stuart45

You can usually tell by tapping the wall. Studs are usually around 600mm centres. 

tacpot12

You can probably use a probe through some of the new holes to feel where the studs are - a bent bit of wire is usually sufficient. I'd go with plumb1_2's suggestion of fixing some timber to the studs, and then fixing the bannister to the timber. Give the timber a coat of wood primer and gloss and you are done. 

If the wall is made of lath and plaster, you might get away with fixing the timber using these: TOGGLER® BM8 M8 Snaptoggle (Loose) (tcfixings.co.uk)

I would think that if you used enough of these, he would be ok. 

Bendy_House

I suspect the issue is that the studs didn't line up with the bracket positions on the supplied bannister? Do you know if that's the case, Cana?

Did the handyman find any 'studs', anywhere?

If the situation is as above - ie there are studs, but just in the wrong place - then the best answer is as Plumb1_2 says - first attach a nice flat timber batten to the wall, fixing it to the studs, and ideally also adhering it to the wall along its length (you really don't want any movement in this at all), and then fix the bannister to this batten.

I'd suggest the batten is at least 1" thick, and will probably need to be around 3"+ wider, and it can be neatly bevelled along its edges to make it look attractive and in keeping.

Doozergirl

Bendy_House said:

I suspect the issue is that the studs didn't line up with the bracket positions on the supplied bannister? Do you know if that's the case, Cana?

Did the handyman find any 'studs', anywhere?

If the situation is as above - ie there are studs, but just in the wrong place - then the best answer is as Plumb1_2 says - first attach a nice flat timber batten to the wall, fixing it to the studs, and ideally also adhering it to the wall along its length (you really don't want any movement in this at all), and then fix the bannister to this batten.

I'd suggest the batten is at least 1" thick, and will probably need to be around 3"+ wider, and it can be neatly bevelled along its edges to make it look attractive and in keeping.

I have never bought a handrail
with the brackets attached for thebprecise reason that you don't know the wall make up or where the handrail sits in relation to even correctly assumed centres.  

Even if they were already affixed.   Unscrew them and put the where the studs are.  My kids would know this.  

Bendy_House

Yeah, but your kids are brighter than me. :-(

tacpot12

Bendy_House said:

... - first attach a nice flat timber batten to the wall, fixing it to the studs, and ideally also adhering it to the wall along its length (you really don't want any movement in this at all), and then fix the bannister to this batten....

While using adhesive as well as metal fixings can make the connection to the wall more secure, I would advise not to use adhesive as it will make a dreadful mess of the wall when it is removed. Stairlifts tend to be temporary installations, and so might the bannister be. If you use enough metal fixings you can make it just as secure, and the holes for the fixing can be easily filled and decorated over.    

Doozergirl

Bendy_House said:

Yeah, but your kids are brighter than me. :-(

Sorry, I was thinking more of the person that is pretending to be and managed to convince the OP that they are a professional!