Wall rails, also referred to as grab rails, are often an afterthought. 
Currently under the Building Code of Australia staircases installed in domestic buildings do not require wall rail but we do encourage our clients to install them particularly if the occupants of the household are elderly or children. The treatment of wall rails and handrail is one area where the domestic and commercial applications of the code vary greater. Wall rails do make staircases safer for the visually impaired and for people whose balance is not good. However, some clients consider these rails unsightly and they do decrease the width of staircase flights.
Wall rails are normally installed using handrail brackets these are most often right angled brackets and can be fixed at both timber studs and masonry. The rails are fixed to the brackets from underneath and they allow for finger room. For bigger handrails most bracket designs come with spacers that increase the allowable room.
Wall rails are functional and are often required to support a person’s body weight so the installation of, the spacing of brackets and size of rails requires careful consideration. The installation of noggins prior to the fixing of the plaster is sometimes necessary. We do not like to see timber rails less than 45mm in diameter as smaller rails can flex under weight.
In most cases wall rails are fixed to one side of the stair flights. Rails tend to terminate at the end of a flight and at the changes in pitch and direction. Wall rails can be continuous but in many cases are required to be hand crafted component, this can make them a costly process but a stunning effect.
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