| In
This Article:
Synthetic (PVC) post sleeves
are slipped over 4x4 wooden posts. 6' sections of railing are
assembled and installed between posts. Post caps are glued on. |
Related
Articles:
|
| Skill Level:
3+ (Intermediate or Higher) |
Time Taken:
About 8 Hours |
By
Bruce W. Maki,
Editor
This article describes my installation procedure of a
synthetic handrail product from Monarch. While I tried to follow
their instructions, I found them hard to understand, and some of the
procedures they describe are impossible to do with ordinary tools.
 |
In part 1 I
described how the posts were attached to the deck
framing. |
|
| After the posts were done, I installed
synthetic deck boards on the new part of the deck. |
 |
|
| The first step was to slide the post
sleeves over the wood posts.
In this picture I set the caps on top just to test
the fit. |
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|
Post Sleeve Installation:
 |
This is a post cover sleeve. It was
48 inches long, much longer than I needed. |
|
| I cut all of these sleeves to 40 inches
long, on a miter saw. |
 |
|
 |
Since these sleeves are so wide, I had to
flip them over to complete the cut. |
|
I strongly recommend checking the ends with a speed-square to
make sure they are cut exactly to 90 degrees.
Many of the sleeves did not have a perfectly square end
from the factory. I had to square-up one end before cutting the
posts to length.
| The sleeves easily slipped over the 4x4
posts, most of the time. |
 |
|
 |
But there was a gap between
the wood and the synthetic sleeve. This gap ended up
getting squeezed when the handrail brackets were
fastened, which caused more distortion to the square
shape of the post sleeve. |
|
Oops! Beginning
On A Sour Note:
 |
This is the first Monarch handrail section
that I assembled.
When doing a project that involves repetition of a
procedure, I usually build one or two assemblies to
become familiar with the task before taking pictures of
the steps in that procedure.
But this time I ran into problems right away so I got
the camera out early, to record a mistake I (hopefully)
won't make twice. |
|
The first section of handrail needed to be 67 inches long. The
Monarch railing sections were just over 72 inches long (6 feet). I
needed to make the top and bottom railing components 5 inches
shorter. Since these components are pre-drilled for the balusters
(spindles), simply chopping a couple of inches off one end could
result in baluster spacing at each end that are not the same. That
would look really dumb.
The amount of reduction in length needs to be shared by
each end of the horizontal components. So I cut 2½ inches off
each end.
| After assembling the first section, I
discovered that the mounting clip would not fit
on the top rail, which is what caused me to examine the
design more carefully. |
 |
|
Suddenly I realized something. I had read the
instructions, and they did mention the problem of the
mounting brackets interfering with the balusters...
...BUT THEY DID NOT EXPLAIN THE
SITUATIONS THAT COULD CAUSE
THIS.
WARNING:
If the handrail needs to be shortened by a
distance that is close to the baluster interval (i.e.
5¼"... baluster width plus space), or a
multiple of that number (e.g. 10½", 15¾",
etc.) then simply splitting the difference will cause a
problem with baluster spaces that are not uniform, and
there might be problems with the mounting brackets
hitting the end-most balusters.
The solution is to shorten the handrail by a full
baluster interval, (or just a bit less) and then
trim an equal amount from each end.
I'll discuss this in more detail later. |
|
 |
I set the handrail in place. This looks
stupid. |
|
| The space on the end is way smaller
than the other spaces. This is poor practice.
I decided to set this handrail section aside (I used
the parts on the stair handrails, which were very short)
and open another new box of handrail parts. |
 |
|
Assembly Procedure For Railing Sections:
The procedure I used was substantially different from the
instructions provided by Monarch. I installed eight sections of
handrail and this worked well for me.
| I measured the distance between the posts,
both top and bottom. It's very common to have different
dimensions for the top and bottom distances, so I'm not
going to assume they are both the same. |
 |
|
 |
The tan-colored piece is called the retainer.
It slides inside the top cap.
But... these two fit loosely, and the top cap doesn't
always sit in the proper position. |
|
| This is the bottom rail. Note the series
of pre-drilled holes. |
 |
|
 |
Quality Control Problems:
I lined up the retainer with the bottom rail, by
inserting two screws into the screw holes. One end lined
up fine, but this end did not.
This could be a problem if I hadn't caught it,
because the balusters would be tilted after having to
force an out-of-square section of railing between two
posts. |
|
| I cut the bottom rail, retainer, and top
cap to length on a miter saw.
This stuff cuts smoothly and easily. |
 |
|
Cutting Rails To Length:
Avoid Ruining Expensive Handrail Material
In my case I cut off about 5 inches from each
railing. The baluster interval (space plus baluster
width) is just under 5¼ inches, so this time I
merely had to cut one end, and the spaces at each end of
the handrail section were both close to 4 inches.
This isn't always going to be so easy. Keep in mind
that if a full 72" railing is assembled, the spaces
between each baluster will be 4 inches... and there will
be 4 inches from the last baluster to the end of the
rails. This 4 inch maximum dimension is
determined by building codes, and is meant to prevent
little children from getting their heads stuck between
balusters. I'm not kidding.
For example: suppose I needed to cut 7 inches
from a section of handrail. I could just cut 3½ inches
from each end of the retainer and the bottom rail. But
that would leave only a half inch of horizontal
rail between the last baluster and the end of the rails.
That does not leave enough room to attach the mounting
bracket.
The right way to shorten a section of railing
by 7 inches would be to first cut one full baluster
interval from the retainer and bottom rail (that's 5¼
inches) and then cut the remaining amount (1¾") by
cutting half that length (7/8") from each end. That
would leave 3-1/8" of open space at each end of the
railing section... well within the code-required maximum
of 4" and still big enough to look similar to the
other spaces.
To be sure there is enough room to attach the
brackets, I would want at least two inches from the end
of the rail to the side of the baluster. Since each
baluster is about 1¼ inches wide, that's a minimum
of 2-5/8" from the end of the rail to the
center of the screw hole.
I strongly recommend being very careful when cutting
these rails to length.
- TAKE YOUR TIME. and plan your cuts.
- Use a pencil to mark the cuts on the horizontal
railing parts.
- Make marks on masking tape if you prefer, because
this PVC doesn't mark easily.
- Set the end balusters in place and test if the
mounting brackets will fit in the remaining space.
In the engineering world we call that "doing a
mock-up".
This product is too expensive to make mistakes, and
with handrails it's easy to make mistakes.
I should know.
|
|
 |
I fastened the balusters to the retainer,
using #8 x 1½" stainless steel flat-head wood
screws.
I found that the easiest method was to first fasten
one baluster at each end of the retainer, then the
entire assembly could hang over the edge of the deck and
everything would lay flat. |
|
| I put the screw through the retainer hole,
then I lined up the center hole with the screw tip and
drove in the screw.
The instructions warn against over-tightening these
screws, because the synthetic material will strip out.
If this happens, the remedy would be a longer screw. |
 |
|
 |
I carefully flipped the assembly
over so the other ends of the balusters would hang over
the edge.
I installed one 3" screw part-way (at the far
end) to hold the bottom rail from falling down. At the
near end I drove a 3" screw in tight. |
|
| To attach each baluster, I lined up the
screw with the center of the spindle. There is a small
hole all the way through the center.
If the screw missed that small hole, it would hit the
larger cavity nearby and I would know because the screw
would never get tight. |
 |
|
 |
I set the assembly in place to check the
fit. I rested the railing section on double-blocks of
wood at each end, to keep the railing about 3 inches
above the deck. Actually, it would have been better to
use a 4x4 block for these spacers, but I didn't have
any.
Note that I have not yet attached the top cap.
|
|
| I set the upper mounting bracket in
position and marked the holes on the post sleeve. |
 |
|
This is contrary to the instructions, which say to install the
brackets on the top and bottom rails, then place the handrail in the
opening and drill holes.
Ain't Happenin'
You CANNOT drill the top holes, or drive the screws, because the
balusters are in the way.
These instructions just BLOW MY MIND. I'm convinced that the
engineering staff at Monarch never actually tried installing
their own product.
 |
I drove three short screws through the
retainer into the top cap. But... this also didn't go
according to the instructions. I found it necessary to
pre-drill a hole in the top cap. I used a Vix bit (which
is used for drilling holes in hinges and stuff) because
it cannot drill very deep. Drilling through the
top cap would be a bad idea. |
|
| More Quality Control Problems:
Note how the top cap does not sit properly on the
retainer. The arrow on the left points to a rib that is
seated in a groove in the retainer. On the right, the
arrow shows the corresponding rib that has fallen below
the groove. As a result, the top cap sits tilted. |
 |
|
Having some engineering background in the plastics
industry, I can understand why this happens. (Difficulties
controlling shrinkage as the hot plastic comes out of the extrusion
machine.) But they need to do a better job.
 |
I attached the mounting brackets to the bottom
surface of the bottom rail. I pre-drilled the
holes using a Vix bit.
I had to use a washer under the screw head
because the holes in the bracket were way too big,
and the screw head barely covered the metal. That's
sloppy engineering.
|
|
| I pre-drilled the holes for the upper
mounting bracket. |
 |
|
 |
I attached the upper mounting brackets
with the stainless steel lag screws provided. |
|
| I positioned the handrail in place between
the posts. It was a tight squeeze. |
 |
|
 |
I pre-drilled the holes under the
retainer. |
|
| ...and I drove in two 1" long screws with
washers. |
 |
|
 |
At the bottom, I pre-drilled the holes in
the post.
Note the angle of the drill bit. The holes are too
close to the top of the bracket, making it difficult to
drill and drive fasteners. |
|
| I drove in the lag screws. Again, because
the holes are so close to the top, one of these screws
had to be driven on an angle. This is not a big deal,
but it should be designed better... this leg needs to be
about an inch longer. |
 |
|
 |
One of the lag screw heads sat on an
angle, which means that it might not hold as well. |
|
| The finished section of railing. |
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|
 |
The center support block.
This was not installed according to the
instructions.
|
|
Center Support Block - Their Way:
| I cut the center support block to the
proper length. |
 |
|
 |
I attached this metal plate to the block
with a flat-head screw. |
|
| Then I screwed the metal plate to the
underside of the bottom rail.
But first I marked the exact mid-point of the bottom
rail so this little support post would be centered. |
 |
|
 |
The "flat" handrails after
installation.
The stair handrails were much more difficult to
install. |
|
| The post caps just sit on top of the post
sleeve.
Leaving these until the end is wise because they
would get in the way of installing the handrails. |
 |
|
Installing The Post Caps:
 |
The Monarch post caps have plastic tabs
inside that rest against the top edges of the post
sleeve.
The distance from the underside of the top to the
plastic tabs is just under 5/8". Therefore,
the wood post needs to protrude about 9/16" higher
than the post sleeve. |
|
Note: if the woods sticks up too high, the
underside of the top surface of the cap will sit on the wood,
instead of the plastic tabs resting on the cut end of the post
sleeve. Since it's common for 4x4 lumber to be cut rather
inaccurately, the cap could sit crooked.
| My posts were all a fraction of an inch
too short. |
 |
|
 |
So I glued and screwed a thin piece of 4x4
to the end of the original post. I used a scrap
of 4x4 that was good and dry. |
|
| Then I slathered a liberal bead of
urethane construction adhesive to the top of the post. |
 |
|
 |
I set the cap in place and lifted it off
to see how the glue smeared. Any parts of the glue bead
that did not smear got extra glue to make a
thicker gob. |
|
| Once the glue dried (about a day) the caps
were good and secure. |
 |
|
The Finished Product:
 |
I must say that the results have a clean
and professional look... at least from far away. The
Monarch synthetic handrail system is a step above
anything that I have ever built from treated lumber.
Being a maintenance-free building product makes this
an enticing system, as long as the installer is aware of
the quality issues and inaccuracies in the components. |
|
| The handrail combined with the skirting
give the deck a completely different appearance. |
 |
|
 |
Before and after comparison. There really is no comparison. Expanding the deck,
adding handrails and skirting was the right decision. |
 |
|
Continue to Part
3 - Stair Handrails
Web Links: Monarch
Deck Products
|
Tools
Used:
- Cordless Drill/Driver
- Cordless Impact Driver
- Basic Carpentry Tools
- Miter Saw
- 7/16" Socket
|
Materials Used:
- Monarch® Synthetic
Handrail, 6' x 36"
- Urethane Construction
Adhesive
- Deck Screws
|
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