Staircase Banister

[diy-newby]

Hi guys

Our staircase banister is loose upstairs. On our upstairs landing we have a banister which goes around the staircase. The point where one of the handrails meets the upright post is loose. I guess the handrails are screwed to the post, as on the outside of the upright post there looks to be some sort of plug to cover the screw. I'm guessing this 'plug' will be glued in so there is no chance of getting to the existing screw.

I was thinking of putting a couple more screws into the handrail at a 45 degree angle so they will grip into the post. Is this the best method of repair?

Thanks

[Roger Mills]

Diffult to answer without know a bit more about what type of banister you've got. Any chance you could take a digital photo of the offending bit, upload it somewhere, and post a reference to it here?

[adder1969]

The "plug" is usually actually a dowel which is hammered in. Perhaps the dowel has broken inside. You could drill it out and try to fit a new (bigger) one.