One of the most important safety features of your stairs will be the handrail, which is designed to provide users with support as they tramp up and down the treads and to prevent them from tumbling over the side. Determining the correct angle of handrails for stairs, however, can prove to be quite a difficult task if you don't have the right sort of tools on hand.
Step 1: Measure upwards from the bottom-most stair tread to a height that is between 30 and 34 inches, depending on the codes for your area. Place a mark on the wall in this location with a pencil.
Step 2: Measure upwards from the top-most stair tread to the same height that you measured out at the bottom, double checking for accuracy. Place a mark on the wall in this location with a pencil.
Step 3: Hammer a nail into the mark at the top of the steps, making sure that you leave enough of a gap between the head and the wall for a piece of string to be tied in place.
Step 4: Stretch the string down the length of the stairs, making sure that it has been aligned so that it crosses through the bottom mark. Place a mark on the floor where the string joins with masking tape.
Step 5: Take a framing square and place it on the floor, positioning it so that it is flush with the tape. The blade should be facing away from the steps and the tongue should be pointing into the air.
Step 6: Stretch the string tightly whilst the square is in place; it should run across the tongue of the square, telling you what the correct angle of the handrail for stairs should be.
If you are unsure about the measurements that you have taken, it can help to have a second person come in and complete each of the above steps. If they reach the same conclusions that you did, you can rest assured that your handrail for stairs will be at the perfect angle once it has been installed. If they get different results, you may have to rethink your strategy.