How can I change the spindles on my staircase?

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Hi folks.

Trying to come up with some ways to bring the look of my house up and modernise it as much as possible myself, totally new to DIY mostly.

Any idea if it's a big job to change the spindles on a 30 year old stair case?

We would really like to get more square shape and then paint a nice matte look paint. If this is something a beginner should not attempt do feel free to say, also would probably like to change the round bit.. Newel?? At the end to a flat square piece too if possible.

Thanks for your time here are some pictures..
 

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Swap you - mine are square and I have long thought to swap them for something more stylish like yours. I suspect the will simply be skew nailed - a nail will be hammered in through the bottom of each spindle, at 45 degrees, into the face as you go up the stairs and a second one at the top, on the side which faces you as you go down.

Easy way to confirm, if you are set on the idea, is to try knocking one out, hammer up hill at the top, down hill at the bottom of a spindle.
 
Harry Bloomfield said:
Swap you - mine are square and I have long thought to swap them for something more stylish like yours. I suspect the will simply be skew nailed - a nail will be hammered in through the bottom of each spindle, at 45 degrees, into the face as you go up the stairs and a second one at the top, on the side which faces you as you go down.

Easy way to confirm, if you are set on the idea, is to try knocking one out, hammer up hill at the top, down hill at the bottom of a spindle.
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Swap away! Haha. If only

Im not entirely sure I'm understanding apologies, so if I want to remove one I'll hammer it out then just replace with what I want and hammer it back in again?

What about size and fitment I'm guessing there are lots of different varieties?
 
The angled pieces between the spindles at the base and handrail may well come out.

Have a look at how new balustrades are put together.
 
i would experiment on the bottom spindle
start at the top off the bottom spindle just under the hand rail with a block off wood and a hammer and firmly tap toward the top off the stairs and look for movement off the spacer that should start to drop ??
if it moves and you loose your bottle then simple to pin back firmly fairly unseen
iff it comes out you can work out how it goes back together
but keep in mind 42% not 45%(y)
 
Tagged said:
Swap away! Haha. If only

Im not entirely sure I'm understanding apologies, so if I want to remove one I'll hammer it out then just replace with what I want and hammer it back in again?

What about size and fitment I'm guessing there are lots of different varieties?
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If all you want it to replace them with plain, straight sided square spindles, just measure the square part of the ones you have at the moment - I would guess at around 2" x 2"; measure the total length of a spindle, allowing a bit for cutting, then multiply by the number of spindles. Then decide what lengths of the timber are available, how many spindles you can get out of each, to know how many lengths you need and the cost. You will need nicely finished plain timber. That will give you an idea of the cost, add a bit for nails or screws, but don't buy anything until you have explored your present spindles and finally made your mind up to go ahead with the job.

Back home, you need to determine how those spindles are fitted, basic is just a nail or screw fitted at an angle top and bottom of each spindle. It might though be better constructed, using a wooden peg in the centre of each spindle, top and bottom, half in the spindle, half in handrail. That is the first thing you need to determine.
 
Perfect. Found some nail holes at the bottom which I didn't really notice before tbh. So I can see about taking one out at the weekend.

So. How do I go about replacing the large post at the bottom as well, is that maybe something I should leave alone obviously it supports the whole structure.

Can I get new spindles in a homebase or b&q?
 

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Tagged said:
Perfect. Found some nail holes at the bottom which I didn't really notice before tbh. So I can see about taking one out at the weekend.
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As I suggested then.

Tagged said:
So. How do I go about replacing the large post at the bottom as well, is that maybe something I should leave alone obviously it supports the whole structure.
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No, leave that post well alone. Replacing that will be a world of pain.

Tagged said:
Can I get new spindles in a homebase or b&q?
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You can, but you might well find better quality at a timber specialist and cheaper too.
 
Harry Bloomfield said:
As I suggested then.



No, leave that post well alone. Replacing that will be a world of pain.



You can, but you might well find better quality at a timber specialist and cheaper too.
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Thank you very much for your help. I will experiment and if I end up going ahead and changing them I will post up a before and after. Many thanks
 
Tagged said:
Can't I just use the old spindles for a guide?
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You can use them to read/take the angle with a bevel gauge and use that to set the bevel angle on your mitre saw.
 
Harry Bloomfield said:
Best add a sliding mitre saw to the shopping list. It can be done with a hand saw, if you are skilled enough with one.
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Flip. I've got a lot to learn. I don't have many toold just a jigsaw and a cheap hand saw. I'll have to do some research.
 
general comments
to comply with building regs a sphere 100mm/4" must not pass through any gap so aim for spindles spaced between say 90-95mm apart horizontally

you will need perhaps 17 spindles iff we assume 42 degrees for every spindle you have 2x42deg plus 2x48 degree spacers [not actual] so 4 angle cuts per spindle these need to be very accurate and level to avoid all sorts off problems you also need 2 spacers more than spindles
the actual spacers are longer than the gap by around 40% as they are at an angle
so in summary to use old handrail and base rail same size as the slot spindles and spacers needed plus an accurate mitre saw to cut the perhaps 70 angle cuts


aaaannnddd there are all sorts off hints and tips we can throw in your direction but not worth repeating again iff you decide not to proceed
as an aside i would charge £200 plus materials for this job and thats cheap cheap cheap but not now as i am quite lazy :D
 
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