A structure located on the inner wall of a residential or public (production) building and designed to facilitate the movement of people along the flight of stairs (but not connected with it) or along a simple corridor is called a wall handrail. They are installed not only inside, but also outside. This design has become an integral part of the appearance of many buildings. It is especially widely used in children's and medical institutions.
Wall rails differ from those that are installed on staircases, primarily in that they can be made and installed independently. For assembly and installation, there is no need to use such parts as balusters or support stands. Meanwhile, wall handrails can be used as a railing if the staircase is installed without them and at the same time is surrounded by walls.
Key requirements for wall railings are prescribed in SNiP IV – 14–84, in the section “Stair structures” and “Stairs of residential buildings”, as well as in GOST 23120–78 - “Stairs, midflight and steel fences”.
Design
Structurally, the handrail consists of support brackets and a guide profile, on which a person relies when moving. There are other types, but more on that below.
Classification
Wall-mounted handrails for stairs play an important role in the movement of older people or people with disabilities. In practice, several types of handrails are used:
- Direct. They are made of different materials, small bends (knees) are formed at the ends of the direct profile, which make the operation of this product safer.
- Curved. Sometimes they are called two-level. This type is a ring structure in which the upper part is located at a height of about 900 mm.
- Corner, or L-shaped. They are used in pools, in the bathroom. The fastening of such products is performed at three points.
Only the main types of handrails that are used in the construction of residential and public buildings are listed above, since the full list is counted in dozens of items.
Materials of manufacture
For the production of wall railing, as a rule, they use:
- stainless steel;
- wood;
- reinforced plastic;
- brass and other metals and alloys.
In order for the stainless steel wall-mounted handrails to last as long as possible, they are coated with a specific composition, which protects the metal from corrosion and significantly increases their wear resistance. Most often, handrails made of stainless steel are installed in crowded places - shopping centers, special institutions for various purposes.
The main distinguishing features of stainless steel parts include the following:
- A wide range of rolled products from this steel allows you to make handrails with different profile sections - round, oval, rectangular.
- Products from this material can go unnoticed by the ignorant person into a full-fledged fence.
- High hygiene material.
The manufacturing process of stainless steel handrails is as follows.
The profile chosen by the designer is cut into the specified size. Then, using welding, the profiles are welded into a single part. Welding is performed in welding jigs. This allows you to center the pipes and avoid their displacement relative to each other.
When welding, it is very important to maintain the mode of welding current, gas pressure, electrode speed. Otherwise, the metal will change color in the weld area. That is, instead of a silver mirror, you get a blue (purple) surface. This defect is then quite difficult to fix.
After the seam is ready and found fit, excess metal is removed from its surface. The surface of the seam should not stand out on the surface of the finished part. This is achieved by polishing. In mass production, various galvanic processes are used, for example, electropolishing.
In the conditions of piece production, polishing is carried out manually, using a power tool and various nozzles.
A stainless steel wall grab bar can be used both inside and outside the building. For their manufacture, steel grades such as AISI 201 (US standard) are used. In our country, this steel is marked 12X15G9ND. If we are talking about handrails of circular cross section, then the diameter of the pipe intended for its manufacture lies in the range of 38.1-50.8 mm.
In order for the product to be fixed to the wall in a specific place, it is necessary to use additional accessories. It is produced from AISI304 steel (US standard), in our country it is considered to be 08X18H10 analogue. Lodgements, hooks are made from it. With their help, the handrail is attached directly to the wall. So that these details are not striking, they are covered with cups of various shapes. That is, the profile itself and the fasteners to it are included in the package of delivery.
Wall handrails can be made not only from stainless steel. For their production, wood is also widely used. The wall-mounted wooden handrail must be sanded and varnished or painted.
These products are most often installed in private homes. Handrails made of wood can have a classic (straight) shape, and can be curved in several planes. In addition, a wall-mounted handrail made of wood can have any sectional shape.
Some manufacturers use reinforced polymers in the handrail manufacturing process. As a rule, this PVC is by far the most affordable polymeric material from which handrails of appropriate quality can be made.
In addition, PVC is used as a coating that can be applied to products made from ferrous metals.
PVC has a pleasant to the touch surface and does not allow hands to slip on its surface. In addition, this material is able to simulate the texture of almost any material, such as wood.
But it has a significant drawback. PVC does not tolerate temperature extremes, begins to deform under the influence of sunlight. This is precisely what imposes certain restrictions on the use of PVC for outdoor structures.
Rules and installation procedure
Before starting the installation of the handrail, you must pay attention to the following features:
- What is the purpose of the room in which it will be installed.
- Types of stairs installed and their sizes.
Consider the installation of handrails on the example of stainless steel products. To get a quality result, you need to follow a few simple rules:
- Handrails should be located at a height of 900 mm from the supporting surface (steps). This height is a recommended parameter and can be changed based on the needs of the residents of the house. If we are talking about installing handrails in a public place, then it is advisable to proceed from it. If there will be children in the room, then it is permissible for them to attach another handrail at a lower height.
- The shape and size of the handrail should be selected so that it is convenient to grab with the brush of the person who will use it.
- The distance between the support brackets is selected individually, but you can focus on the value within one meter.
Fastening the handrail to the wall can be done using ordinary dowels.
The main stages of installation
Like any work on a construction site, the installation of wall handrails is performed in a certain sequence. It looks something like this:
- Markup. On the surface of the wall to which the supporting brackets will be attached, it is necessary to indicate the places of their installation.
- Check markup. The approximate dimensions that must be observed are indicated above.
- Installing the first bracket. Depending on the method of mounting it, it is necessary to prepare places for the installation of fasteners.
- Installing the last bracket.
- Verification of compliance of the installed parts with the project requirements
- Installation of intermediate mounting points.
- Final assembly and quality control.
To perform these works, the following tool will be required:
- measuring instrument - tape measure, etc .;
- electric hammer drill or hammer drill;
- marker, bench tools, etc.
We must not forget about personal protective equipment - gloves, glasses, and sometimes respirators.
Some subtleties of installation
If the handrail arrived at the construction site in the packaging material, then, in order to avoid damage before the end of work, it must not be removed.
Handrails can only be installed on main walls. If they are covered with some kind of finishing material, for example, drywall, you will have to go through it first and only then fasten the load-bearing structural elements directly to the wall. Although it should be noted that some installers refuse such unnecessary work.