On 02/08/2020 13:09, newshound wrote:
On 02/08/2020 12:12, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Sun, 2 Aug 2020 10:07:20 +0100, Jeff Layman wrote:
We have three steps up to our front door. These are 8" high (vertical
brick) and can be awkward for those who are less mobile. I have been
thinking of putting in a handrail like that at
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wrought-Iro.../dp/B072SWRPY9
How much!
However, as can be seen at the photo at https://ibb.co/Yt4q3Pz, the
fixing for the base of the handrail top post will be close to the edge
of the brick.
And there isn't a great deal holding those vertical bricks in place.
I'm assuming that the hand rail will be perpendicular to the wall, so
someone leaning heavly on the rail will be effectively levering the
brick out of its slot. Those bases look horribly small as well with a
1.2 m lever attached. Personally I'd look for bases that would allow
fixing to the centerish of two bricks and have some diagonal bracing
to the rail. I do have tendancy to over engineer things...
I do not want to drill into the tile as if it cracks I have no
replacement.
Take it steady with a proper tile drill (no hammer action!) and it
shouldn't be a problem. Clearance hole for the fixing. Do you know
what's underneath the tiles? Hopefully it's rubble infilled with
concrete to a solid lump. That would provide a much firmer fixing
than either of the bricks.
Those look a bit like quarry tiles, in which case they may be a bugger
to drill using an ordinary carbide bit.
The door surround is metal-framed PVC, and I doubt it has reliable
strength to take a wall fixing for a handrail.
I was going to suggest something like:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B086DS1X8F
But you haven't a real wall to fix it to.
We could do with a wider view of the layout, there might be other ways
to create a suitable handrail supported away from those steps (or at any
rate not imposing significant moments or sideways loads on them if
called on to support a tripping body).
Your wish is my command...
https://ibb.co/25k41g3
Sorry about the plants in the way!
The concrete at the base of the steps is strong and thick, so the bottom
post would be very stable when screwed to it. The first step "plinth" is
3750 x 930 mm (there is a wall on the left side that can't be seen in
the photo). The next step is 1430 x 680, and the top step is 910 x 42.
Many thanks for all the replies. I'd forgotten about concrete screws,
and I hadn't taken into account that vertical brick might move out with
a strong sideways moment on it. A "Z" bracket would help, but that would
need drilling into the tile below, and as I've said I'm not keen on
that. I'm now wondering if it might be best to have the top post fixed
to the house wall where the door and RH panel meet. That would almost
certainly mean a bespoke handrail construction and even the "ready to
use" ones aren't exactly cheap! However, it's not the sort of thing
where an "it'll do..." attitude should apply.
--
Jeff