Going All Bob Vila with Your Stair Spindles

If you’re like me, you probably hadn’t thought too much about stair spindles (or “balusters” for stair spindle aficionados!) until it was time to replace them. For the most part, stair spindles in houses are pretty mundane and straightforward. But planning the renovation of my house made me look into all of the possibilities that stair spindles can have in changing the look and feel of an entire room. For example, undulating modern balcony balustrades are reminiscent of the works of Antoni Gaudi and can make you feel as if you’re in a whimsical, dizzying dream world! Check out this website for an example: http://www.stairporn.org/.

So what are stair spindles exactly? Well, I bet you can guess just from your personal experience. Remember when you’re at the bookstore and you have to go to the second floor. You go up the stairs and hold onto the railing, perhaps, to steady yourself. And that’s just it. Stair spindles are the bases for the hand railing you hold on to when you go up stairs. They can be made of a bunch of different materials—metal, plastic, or wood (most common). Depending on your design aesthetic, stair spindles can be painted, porcelain, lacquered (47 coats if you’re Louis XIV!), mosaic-tiled or carved. Anything goes when you’re using your stair spindles as a defining style element in your home.

Because you’re now an expert on stair spindles, we’ll no longer use that term! As mentioned before, balusters can significantly affect the feel of a room by updating it, making it more elegant, or changing the room’s design theme. If you have a grand staircase (or even if you don’t), then the balusters will definitely be an element you want to focus on when selling or showcasing your home. It’s one of the first things people will notice.

If you want to bypass all the baluster thinking and planning (totally understandable!), you can purchase baluster kits which take care of all the design considerations and measurements for you. But if you’re into more of a hands-on approach, here are some things to think about. In choosing your balusters, make sure not to disrupt the design of the rest of your room and staircase. You obviously want to make things match. Some things you can do when shopping are to take pictures of your room and staircase (or bring samples of the physical material) and hold them side by side with the material you plan on buying for the balusters. Do they go together? And by going together, they don’t necessarily have to look exactly the same, but they DO have to complement each other and not confuse, frustrate, or annoy your eyes!

Take into account the materials you’re using too. If you have a wooden staircase, do you want to continue with wooden balusters? Most builders and homeowners do. However, alternating metal and plastic or ceramic and tile is a unique combination you might want to try out.

Oftentimes, hardware stores such as Home Depot or Lowe’s will have software programs that help you envision new building materials in your home. These programs and projections are often available free to those stores’ customers by virtue of shopping there. Instead of imagining your new creation in your head, have one of these stores’ associates recreate it for you in their home design programs. It’ll help to take away some of the mystery that shrouds the final product (mystery is good sometimes, but not in the case of balusters!).

Making such a design will also remind you to keep track of how much material you need to purchase (how many spindles, how many shoes to secure your spindles, how much material, glue, nails, etc.), the measurements, the paint color or design, and so forth. Keeping good records of such things is essential to any successful renovation—especially if you want to stay in budget!

Now’s the time for the actual labor! Remove your old balusters by sawing through them either with a power or electric saw. Make sure that you take away all the remnants of the old balusters—any old baluster shoes, nails, fabric, paint, or metal needs to go if you’re intent on creating a new look and feel in your home.

Remember the old adage: Measure twice, cut once! It’s the only way to do it and you MUST do it before you install your new balusters. Then fit your new balusters with their accompanying shoes and secure them with epoxy, wood glue (for wood), nails, or other fastening device/tool.

And just like that, you’ve added beauty and value to your home. You can make your new stair balustrade and balusters the focal point of a room or blend it in depending upon your design goals. Balusters are a double threat because they provide stability for you and your staircase as well as visual appeal to your home.

For more baluster design ideas, check out http://www.arden.net.au/styles.aspx for tons of pictures!

Also, check out this video which shows to easily install wrought-iron balusters. Go forth and beautify!