Mr Skill

Contrary to popular belief, balusters are no more than an ornamental feature on your staircase. They provide no support to the handrail at all (this is done by the newels) and consequently are fairly simply to remove and replace.  Depending on how broken a baluster is, you may be able to repair it by gluing the fractured elements together, inserting a doweling rod and securing with glue or you may need to arrange with a local tradesman for a completely new baluster to be made.

Removing the Baluster

Balusters are more usually attached to the stair tread by glue and/or nails, and inserted into a hole cut into the handrail. If your baluster has a clean break, you should be able to pull both sections out with the aid of a screwdriver to prise away the baluster from any glued areas. Thereafter, you can use a little wood glue to fix minor damage and allow to set overnight.  For more severe damage, cut a two to three inch piece of doweling and, using a drill bit with the same diameter, bore two holes into the damaged section of the baluster. Insert the doweling and secure with wood glue – again allowing the glue to set overnight before attempting to replace it.

Replacing the Baluster

To replace the baluster, insert the top end into the hole beneath the handrail and using a wood block and club hammer, tap the bottom section back into place gently. The bottom of the baluster should be secured with wood glue and nails driven in at a 45 degree angle to clamp the baluster tightly.

When a baluster is so damaged that only a replacement will do, you have to consider that balusters on the same step will be of different heights because of the angle of the handrail and it is better to take the broken baluster to a local tradesman to have a replica made, rather than trying to buy one “off the shelf”.

Should you suffer the misfortune to have several broken balusters, you may wish to use this opportunity to give a new breathe of life to your staircase with a completely new look. In our “Inspirations” section we have a feature on how a new staircase can transform your home and you may also like to read how a new staircase can improve the appeal and value of your home in our blog. Finally, if there is any further advice you need on staircases and their elements, consult our “Staircase A-Z” or one of the highly rated tradesmen in our tradesmen’s directory.

A few ideas from our "Inspirations" page

Stairs Glossary - See the section on Staircases in our Building A-Z for more information

Stairs are built to last and when they get damaged or start to age, you may often be worried about their structural security. However, there are a few quick remedies that can prolong the life of your stairs, and your local builder will be able to make these quickly and efficiently. If you wish to attempt these projects yourself, they will far easier and safer with a second pair of hands.

Squeaking Steps

Squeaking Steps is problem which is more commonly found in older homes and is a symptom of aging wood losing its suppleness and shrinking over time. The “squeak” is caused by a loose or shrunken tread (step) rubbing against a riser (the vertical part of the step) or a stringer (stair support). Although this is a repair job which you can easily take on yourself, if you discover significant cracking in the wooden stair and supports around it, you may need to replace the whole stair or seek professional advice from a local tradesman about the extent of the problem.

The quick fix for a squeaking stair is to establish where the friction is being caused and secure the stair against the riser or stringer with a wedge. This is far simpler to do from beneath the stair (if you have access) and means that your repair is less likely to show. Using wood glue, fix a wedge into the angle between the tread and riser. Tap it tight with a hammer, and then screw the wedge in taking care not to force the screws through the exterior surface of the tread.

Tightening Up at 45 degree angles helps clamp the wood and prevent future movement

If you cannot get beneath your stairs to do the repair, it may be possible to stop the squeaking by “tightening up”. Ideally you would have somebody standing on the stair to compress the tread and riser together, and then insert nails at 45 degree angles to clamp the tread into position. If you need to nail the tread into the riser, it is better to first drill thin guiding holes in order to drive the nails beneath the surface of the tread, and then fill with some wood putty.

Although these procedures may sound straightforward, it is possible to cause more damage to the stair if your wedge is mis-aligned or you drive the nails in and split the support wood in either the riser or stringer. If you have any doubts about making sound repairs to your staircase, speak to one of the highly rated tradesmen listed in our tradesmen’s directory for further advice or to ask them to pop round and do the quick fix for you.

Broken Tread

If you establish that the creaking is coming from a tread which is so damaged that a quick fix will be insufficient, you need to consider replacing the tread. Staircases were not built to come apart easily however you may be able to extract the broken tread by using a crowbar and prising the tread away from the risers and strings. From the front of the damaged step, start prising from the soundest part of the tread and moving along making small raises as you go. You may find that the tread is secured to the rear riser by wood screws, and these can be removed if you have access beneath the stairs and saved for the replacement tread.

How to install triangular wedges from beneath the tread. You can see that they would look unsightly above the tread.

If you do not have access to the back of the staircase, inserting a new tread may well be complicated and leave an unsightly finish, as it will require the application of triangular wedges to secure the new tread (see illustration). Depending on the construction of your staircase, it may be necessary to remove a number of balusters. This is not a particularly difficult job – see our project advice on broken balusters – however complications arise when treads are glued into mortises cut into the stringers on each side, or where the treads are held in place by newels. In these circumstances, the partial disassembly of the staircase may be required and it is recommend that for a job of this scale you take advantage of the services offered by the local tradesmen featured in our tradesmen’s directory.