Some DIY staircase and balustrade starter tips
First and foremost, make sure you measure everything correctly; otherwise you will encounter problems down the line. Walls and floors must have good strength and be able to the hold heavy weight of the staircase. Check that the area is square and level and adjust accordingly. It is important that you have some prior experience of working with tools and have common sense using levels and spacings. Also, do not over tighten screws and bolts.
Steps to follow, when building a DIY staircase are:
o Measure area, floor- to-floor, length and width of stairs
o Select style of timber, colour, shape, etc
o Hire an experienced carpenter if you do not know how to drill, power saw, level and who has an assistant who can help him, whilst installing
o Cut stringer to length and bolt to floor and top beam
o Adjust stainless steel s assemblies to correct spacing
o Screw treads (steps) to stainless steel assemblies
o Varnish timber work i.e. central spine stringer and steps
o Cover up and protect timber treads
o Fix balustrade posts/stainless steel type posts to steps
o Once installed stainless steel posts, must fit the adjustable saddles to take the handrail
o Cut to length timber or stainless steel handrail and fix to saddle
o Screw handrail to posts
o Screw glass clamps to posts if you have a glass balustrade
o Screw 13 mm bar holders to posts, if you have a bar balustrade
o Fix 10-12 mm glass to glass clamps/template may be needed
o Fix 13 mm stainless steel tube to bar holders
o Cut to length with a grinder and fit bullet ends to tubing
Some of the most common mistakes people make when building a DIY staircase
The most common mistake that people make is that they do not research sufficiently and rush into starting and end up carrying out a poor quality job. Or they hurry too much and do not take the time to do the job properly, and do not follow basic setouts before cutting. Another typical mistake is that they use blunt drill bits, saw blades and poor tools. Also, amateurs fail to use thread lock glue on the bolts, which is required for a sturdy staircase.