There are basically two (2) different types of wood newel posts available for stair handrail systems. They are "Turned newels" and "Box newels".

Turned newels are made with a design that is cut either by hand on a turning lathe by a craftsman or manufactured in mass in a stair parts factory. Box newels can also be built from scratch by craftsmen or in a factory in bulk.

The mounting of a stair post will involve several decisions based on the newel being used.

  • Is the newel a solid newel, or is it hollow?
  • Where will my balusters set either on the tread or on the landing tread, also known as stair nosing?
  • How does the handrail tie into the newel? What hardware is to be used to mount the newel?

We will take a look at the options available to you to help you make your decision.

For the turned newel, there are a number of options for mounting hardware. The first is known as the L bracket.

  1. Cut your newel to length.
  2. Screw the aluminum bracket to the bottom of the post on all 4 sides with the provided screws.
  3. Set the newel in the mounting location.
  4. Screw through the bracket into the floor or tread with the long screws also provided. (Predrill the holes to eliminate splitting).
  5. Check to make sure the newel is plumb, and add shims to adjust it until it is.
  6. If the trim kit (wood base) provided is not already cut to length, cut a 45 degree angle on one end. Holding the extra long piece to the side of the post, flush the cut end to one edge of the post, and mark the other edge for the second 45 degree cut. Do this around all four sides of the post.
  7. Glue the edges of the base pieces and then brad nail (18 gauge) them to the post, making sure to not nail into the metal bracket.

This same mounting application will work for box newels that come with a 4 piece base wrap that has been dadoed out at the bottom to fit over the mounting brackets. If the base pieces haven't come dadoed out, you can do this with either a router or a dado blade on a table saw. 9/16" is the amount of material that will need to be removed from the thickness of the material. The height to be removed will need to be determined after measuring the height of the bracket and also the actual location of the dado will be determined by where the base will set against the post. Make sure that when cutting the base wrap to length after the dado is cut, to trim the TOP of the base, not the bottom. This bracket is available from the following sources.

www.rockler.com
www.stairfasteners.com
www.mantels-stairs.com

Another method of mounting any newel with a solid base is using the "sure tite newel fastener." The system consists of a long metal hanger bolt or dowel, that has wood threads on half of the length and machine threads on the other half. You will find it easiest to drill a hole smaller than the hanger bolt into the floor in the CENTER of where the newel will be mounted. Thread the wood threaded end into this hole until it reaches the machine threads on the bolt. Measure to see what is left sticking out of the floor. Drill a 1" hole (or whatever size hole you need to fit the plug that was sent with the fastener) in the center of the newel on the SIDE to the height of the bolt sticking out of the floor. The center of this hole needs to be the height of the bolt sticking out of the floor. Drill this hole past the center of the newel, but not all the way through. Then drill a hole in the center of the newel from the bottom up to the 1" hole, that will accomodate the bolt sticking out of the floor. Set the newel down on the bolt and using the washer and nut provided tighten down till snug. Then check for plumb. You can use shims to tweak till perfect, if it is not out of plumb very much. It is best if these shims are from the same wood material that the newel is from. If it is out very much at all, you will want to mark which side(s) need trimmed, and then remove and belt sand or trim with a saw. Then repeat the mounting process. This mounting choice works best for applications where there is at least 3" of solid material under where the newel will be setting. Blocking can be installed in places where the newel will be setting on a tread and would otherwise be a void, so some fore thought is helpful. Here are some sources for this fastener system.

www.mantels-stairs.com
www.stairsupplies.com

If you are mounting a box newel with a hollow base, you have several options for installation. The easiest first. Once the newel is cut to length, set in place, check for plumb. If satisfied with the plumb, mark the very corners of the newel so it can be set back in the exact same location. Remove the newel. Put a bead of a good carpenters glue where the newel base will set. Set the newel back in place on the glue. Then drill holes at an angle throught the newel base into the floor to accomodate a square drive trim head screw. Trim head screws work well, because the heads are small and require a small hole, so less filler is needed in the hole. 4 to 6 screws are all that is required. Also, the closer to the corners you put the screws, the more stability they give. Remember, the glue will be very strong once it dries, the screws are mostly for initial stablility. Once all the screws are in, check for plumb. If that is fine, then fill the screw holes with a wood filler that will match the newel. If it needs adjusted, back out the appropriate screws, and use matching wood shims to shim it plumb. Then check and fill the holes.

The second option for mounting a hollow newel. Cut piece of 2 X material that will just fit inside the bottom of the newel (snug but not tight). Cut the newel to length. Take the scrap cut off and set in place where the newel will be mounted. Drop the 2 X material inside. Hold the 2 X in place and remove the newel cut off. Mark the perimeter of the 2 X and remove. Using carpenter glue, glue the bottom of the 2 X and nail or screw it down, making sure to not split it. If you want to stack another piece or two of 2 X onto the first one, you may. Just keep in mind, the higher this filler is, the harder it will be to plumb your newel if necessary. Once the 2 X piece is down, you can then glue the edges as well as the floor where the newel base will be setting, and set the newel in place. You can now screw trim head screws at an angle into the floor, or straight into the 2 X filler to anchor the newel. You may choose to use a 15ga trim nail through the newel into the filler also. Just be sure the newel is plumbed before you nail it in place. Whatever your choice, you have a lot more glue anchoring the newel in place with this application.

Both the turned newels and the box newels can either be bought as a half newel (split in half lengthwise) or can be ripped in half on a tablesaw. This half newel is used in place of a rosette where the handrail meets a wall. The half newel gives a very nice look to the handrail system. The bottom can be anchored in any of the ways mentioned for the regular newels, but how you anchor the top depends on whether there is anything solid behind it or not. To determine this, set the half newel against the wall where it will be mounted and plumb it. Mark the edges so you know where it is going. Then between the lines use a nail or something to drive through the sheetrock to see if there is anything there. If there is not a stud or deadwood framing to anchor to, you will need to cut a hole in the sheetrock big enough to put something in between the studs close to the top of the newel. Once the deadwood is nailed in, replace the sheetrock, and patch. Then mount the newel in place. You should put the deadwood low enough so the hole you drill will be covered by the handrail that joins the newel. I recommend using a 5/16" x 3" or 3 1/2" lag with a flat washer to hold the newel to the wall.

There is another style of newel that should also be addressed, and that is the iron newel. The first thing that you need to know about mounting these. A good solid mount is going to be made possible only by using a good epoxy glue. There are mounting kits available, but I have not used any that end up being solid. They all seem to allow movement. If you do want to use the shoe to cover the hole around the base of the newel, then you will probably need to get the mounting kit. But most of the shoes I have seen, are also pretty crappy. Most do not fit over the mounting kit like they are supposedly designed to, and it seems like a one size fits all. Different iron newels are different sizes at the base, so if your newel is one of the smaller ones, the shoe will not fit tight to the newel, and leave a big gap that just looks bad. So, I will tell you how I have mounted these, and these installation tips are regardless of the type of iron newel.

The first thing to determine is where the newel is going. If you are in the process of installing your stair system and can still put in blocking where the newel(s) will go, then fill those voids with deadwood 2 X material. You are going to want the iron newel to pass below the floor level at least 3 to 4 inches. Hence the need for blocking. So, once you know where your newel is going, then you need to determine what size drill bit you will need to drill a hole large enough for the newel to fit into. The hole you drill should be snug to the newel. I recommend drilling test holes using different size bits into scrap material. Once you have decided on the bit size, drill the hole for the newel. The size bit that this hole requires will make it a little difficult to drill a nice straight hole, so take your time when drilling so the bit doesn't wander. I like to drill the hole at least 3" deep. Once the hole is drilled, tap the newel into the hole, until it is setting in the bottom of the hole. Then make a mark on the newel at the top of the hole. Pull the newel back out and measure from the bottom of the newel to the mark. This measurement needs to be added to the overall height that the newel needs to be. Then measure from the top of the newel where the handrail will set, not the top of the pin, but to the bottom of the handrail, and mark the newel to be cut. Where the cut is made is what will be setting on the bottom of the hole you just drilled. Cut the newel with a metal cutting bandsaw. Now you will want to put some epoxy in the hole and tap the newel back into the hole. As to the epoxy that I have had the most success with, I have used a concrete adhesive. There are a number available and you will want to ask some questions before you buy to make sure you are getting what you want. I think some are available premixed and ready to use and others require mixing. I would highly recommend experimenting with it before you actually are ready to use it to set your newel. That way you will know a little bit about what to expect as far as how fast it drys and how hard it actually gets. Once you do put the epoxy and newel into the hole, you need a few little shims on hand to shim around the edges of the newel to make it plumb. Also, if you are using a shoe on the newel, that will need to be on when you set it.

As you can see, working with any of these newel can have challenges, but a good newel installation is vital to a good strong handrail system, so I would recommend taking your time and make sure it is right.