Half Newel Posts | What They Are, Style Options & How To Fit Them (2024)

FAQs

How do you fit a half newel post? ›

How do I attach a half newel to a solid wall? You'll need to use adhesives and screws to attach a half newel to the wall. This is because half perform the crucial job of securing the balustrade to the wall—they aren't just for decorative purposes.

Half Posts are simply full Posts cut lengthwise. Because of their flat backs, they are the professional, traditional way to terminate Balustrades and post top decorative trim against a wall. See photo below. Vintage Woodworks provides Half Posts (Porch or Newel) already split and ready to install.

The post has a 50mm diameter peg (also known as a dowel) on the bottom, and the post peg fits into a 50mm hole in the newel base. A newel post is always a fixed length usually 750mm–850mm long (excluding the peg). The newel base makes up the remainder of the height of the newel post.

The first method to install newel posts is to use a newel mounting plate. A steel plate is first screwed to the bottom of the post then the plate itself (with the attached post) is screwed into the floor.

A newel post supports the hand railing on a staircase. It is an upright pillar that is placed at the top (and/or bottom) of a stair handrail to keep the balustrade secure. Though a newel post offers safety and is a structural stairpart, it also functions as a decorative element in your interior design.

Pegged newel posts tend to be the more decorative section of the post, with a fixed length of between 750mm and 850mm long.

Most frequent stories tell us that these chambers housed the deed for the house or architectural plans. The thought was, once the decorative finial, or cap, on top of the newel post became loose it would then reveal the small compartment for the documents to be found!

Changing newel posts is an easy and inexpensive method of upgrading the look of your stair banister. Replacing the starting posts of the stair requires very little skill. The existing posts are removed, the new posts are cut to length and are then installed.

To start with you must remove the existing newel, the new post should then be cut to length. Cutting the newel can be the difficult part so it's always recommended to order your newel from a staircase supplier to ensure it fits.

Newel posts are the structural cornerstones of your stairway, so it is important that they are installed correctly.

What is the height of a newel post on stairs? ›

This height depends on the standard handrail height for your balustrade which is based on the building codes for your area. Typically floor level balustrades must be at least 36” high or 42” high, depending on local codes and stair guardrails must be between 34” and 38”.

Yes, that thing that George Bailey pulls loose is called a newel cap (sometimes called a newel finial if it's especially ornate).

A newel, also called a central pole or support column, is the central supporting pillar of a staircase. It can also refer to an upright post that supports and/or terminates the handrail of a stair banister (the "newel post").

Starting Newel Height

To determine the newel length, add the reveal (the distance from the top of the newel square to the top of the rail), the desired rail height (usually between 34 and 38-inches, refer to local building codes), the slope difference, and the riser height.