Hello Everyone! Hope all is well with everyone. I have a repair that needs to be done in my home and could use some advice. I have a handrail by my stairs that has started to get loose. The kids pull on it / hang on it / pretend they are surfing while hanging off the handrail. The handrail is screwed and nailed into the dry wall. I would like to know how to screw it back in. Since it was screwed / nailed into the drywall previously the holes are a
teeny - bit bigger now. Is there a way i can screw it back where it wont come off so easily with the kids playing. What can i do so that it will be attached to the wall much stronger than it was before?

I did find using anchors as a solution for the handrail to hang on to the drywall more strongly; but would like any other advise that might make the bond even stronger. If you think anchors are my best bet please let me know what kind / type / rating anchors I should use.

Thank you for your replies.


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You absolutely should not be counting on the drywall to hold this rial securely. Anchors provide you with almost no strength whatsoever. This is not safe.

You must find the studs behind the drywall and screw the brackets into them.

The studs should be every 16" along the wall.

 

You need to determine if the handrail was originally screwed to the studs [it should be] If it is, you should be able to just use longer screws to secure it once again. Might be time to have a talk with the kids

btw - welcome to the forums!

 

Thicker screws as well as longer, give more strength, in studs. Toggle bolts help where there are no studs.

 

Personally I wouldn't trust toggle bolts on a handrail. If the stud isn't where the bracket is - move the bracket so it will hit a stud. Thicker screws will help but you will be limited by the hole size on the brackets.

 

I didn't mean to use toggle bolts in place of screws in the studs. I meant in addition to the studs.

 

When you say the rail brackets are screwed and nailed into the drywall, I think you mean that what you see them screwed into is drywall. But, I think you will find that they are actually screwed through the drywall into studs. I cannot imagine a builder connecting them to drywall. Also, I don't think you will actually find any nails. Nails are not typically used for this. So, what you have, I think, is loose screws in studs. And, the solution already offered, to buy bigger and longer screws is the optimum solution.