A newel post is the main supporting post in a staircase’s hand railing. Newel posts are taller and thicker than the rest of the vertical railing pieces, or the spindles, and they are placed at the top, the bottom, and at each landing of the staircase.
The main role of the newel post is to provide structural support for the hand railing of the staircase. However, newel posts play a pivotal role in the overall aesthetic of the staircase as well. Since they are at the top, the bottom, and the corners of the staircase, newel posts can provide a fantastic contrast in color or design and act as an accent to the rest of the railing.
Since newel posts are definitely the most complex part of the hand railing system in terms of installation. We often get the question, “How are Newel Posts Attached?” Newel Posts are mainly attached by either drilling the post to the floor boards using brackets or by using a threaded bolt through the center of the post that is attached to an anchor.
Throughout the remainder of this post, we will give you an overview on how newel posts are installed and what options you have in terms of replacing newel posts for your hand railing.
(By the way, there are tons of ways to upgrade your stair hand railing including painting, refinishing, or going with a totally new design. Here is a helpful post I used for design ideas with hand railing.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/205054589257359949/?lp=true)
How Are Newel Posts Attached?
- Anchored to the Floor Boards – One way newel posts are attached to the base of the stair case is with a bracket that is fastened to the floor board and screwed to the newel post. The bracket is then hidden by installing a decorative molding over the hardware. This method is the the most simple and allows for easy removal and replacement of the newel post. See image below.
While this method can be effective, it is not as sturdy as other installation methods. This method is largely dependent on the strength of the floor boards which will inherently not be as study as attaching the post the floor joists beneath the floor boards.
- Anchored to the Floor Joists – In this method, the newel post is anchored a level below the floor boards and is fastened to the floor joists (The supporting beams that the floor boards lay on). This method is commonly seen in older homes and is a slightly more permanent fixture as replacement would require lifting up the floor boards to access the hardware.
- Using a Lag Bolt – Another very common method for attaching a newel post is to use a lag bolt threaded into the center of the post for a seamless look. In this method, a lag bolt, or a bolt purposely not screwed in all the way, is used to to lock into place with base plate set into the either the floor or the stair riser.
This method is the most common when securing the bottom newel post to the first stair step instead of the floor. Here is a Youtube Video outlining this method.
Options For Replacing Newel Posts
If at any point you decide that renovating your staircase’s hand railing is the right move, replacing newel posts could very easily be a part of that process.
There are many options available when it comes to replacing the newel posts for your staircase and the option that is right for you will vary based upon on what look you are going for and what degree of difficulty you are willing to take on. Below are two common methods for replacing newel posts.
- One option is to completely remove the posts and install new posts with all new hardware. This is a slightly more involved process and will involve using one of the attachment methods listed above to secure your new posts.
To completely replace the existing newel posts you will need to first completely detach the railing and the spindles (the smaller vertical pieces of the hand railing).
Hand railing can be attached in a a large variety of ways but is most commonly just attached via screws on the under side of the railing. With some initial visual inspection you should be able to figure out how to detach your railing quite easily.
(Here is a video on how to detach a very common type of hand railing and spindle combination.)
- Another option is to use the existing post base that is already secured to the floor or staircase and attach a new post to that.
This option will not require you to detach your railing but will require you to saw through the existing newel post and attach a new post on top of the existing base. The images below elaborate a little bit more on this process.
Here is a video showing this process as well.
Final Thoughts
If you are looking for a great way to give your multiple story home a face lift, the stair case is an area that should not be overlooked. It is often an area of the home that is visible from all areas of the living space and is an accent to the rest of the home design. A great way to really make any stair case “pop” is with an upgrade to the hand railing.
I hope this high level overview of the mechanics behind newel post installation and replacement options has been helpful.
Happy DIY’ing!
(P.S. if you are looking for ways to upgrade your hand railing without replacing the newel posts, here is an awesome article I found from remodelaholic.com on a way to build around existing newel posts. Hope you find it helpful!
https://www.remodelaholic.com/stair-banister-renovation-existing-newel-post-handrail/)
