Stairs, Handrails And Balustrades

Balustrades and handrails are the items in a building most likely to be both visibly deteriorating and unreported.

They are also the items where failure has the most serious consequence, which is why they are worth a scheduled check rather than a reactive one.

The fixings are the failure point

A balustrade is only as good as what holds it to the building.

Bolts into a concrete slab. Every bolt is a hole through the waterproofing. Water enters, the fixing corrodes, and the concrete around it spalls. On a balcony this is the standard failure sequence and it is why a loose balustrade often indicates a slab problem rather than a rail problem.

Fixings into masonry. Anchors into brickwork or into mortar joints, which have less capacity than they appear to. Older mortar in particular.

Fixings into timber. Into a stair stringer, a post or a deck frame. These loosen with movement and they rot where water sits.

Glass balustrades are held by channels or spigots, and both depend on the fixing into the structure below. A glass panel that moves is a fixing problem, not a glass problem.

Tightening a loose bolt is rarely the answer, because a bolt that loosened once has usually damaged the material around it.

What a check should cover

Grip the rail firmly and push and pull at every post and at mid-span. Any movement is a finding.

Look at the base of every post for rust staining, cracking in the concrete, or a gap opening at the base plate.

Check the handrail is continuous and graspable along its whole length, without gaps where it changes direction.

Look for corrosion where two different metals meet, which accelerates in a coastal environment.

Check that any infill, whether vertical members, glass or wire, is secure and that gaps have not opened.

The requirements exist for a reason

Balustrade height, gap sizing and load resistance are all set by the Building Code, and they apply to any new or replacement balustrade.

Where an older building has a balustrade that does not meet current requirements, replacing it triggers compliance with the current standard rather than the original one. That is worth knowing before quoting a like for like replacement, because it may not be like for like.

For strata buildings, this is common. A balustrade from an earlier era will frequently be lower or have wider gaps than is now permitted.

Stairs

Nosings. The leading edge of each tread is where wear concentrates and where slips happen. Worn or missing non-slip nosings on a common stair are a genuine liability, and replacing them is inexpensive.

Consistency. Treads and risers have to be uniform. A single step of a different height is the most common cause of falls on a stair, and it is usually the result of a later floor covering being added to a landing.

Lighting. A stair that is poorly lit is a hazard regardless of how well it is built. Emergency lighting on a common stair is a compliance item as well as a safety one.

Timber stairs develop squeaks and movement as they age, which is usually wedges or blocks that have loosened underneath rather than a structural issue. It is fixable from below where there is access.

Where it sits in strata

Balustrades on common property, common stairs and the structure they fix into are generally the owners corporation's. Balustrades on a balcony sit on the boundary and the answer depends on the scheme.

Establishing that before quoting saves the job stalling halfway, and a report that identifies whether the problem is the rail or the slab is what settles it.

What to do

Put balustrades and stairs on an annual walk, and treat any movement as a report rather than a tighten.

We assess, repair and replace balustrades, handrails and stair components under building and carpentry, including the concrete and waterproofing repair where the fixings have damaged the slab. Get the annual check booked.