$20 Projects: Basement Railing

 Changing out the railing on the basement stairs was shockingly simple. So simple that I was mad at myself for not doing it years earlier.

The railing was a real home-owner-special, handmade out of 2x2" lumber, 3 nails and some duct tape. It took one yank to pull that sucker off the wall. If you actually needed that railing to prevent a fall, you would have  find yourself tangled up with the railing, in a heap on the basement floor.

I found an 8-foot piece of a railing and the home improvement store and had it cut to 5-feet. I also picked up a few pieces of railing hardware. The railing was $18 (and change) and the hardware was just under $3 each. 

I pre-drilled the wholes and attached the hardware first. Then I held the railing where I wanted it and marked where I needed to drill the holes in the woodwork.

We'll paint it when we finish the basement, and repaint the stairwell. We will definitely go with something other than pink. (Yes, the stairwell and basement walls and ceiling are pink!)

It took less than 10 minutes to take pictures of the old railing, install the new railing and take more pictures. For $24 dollars, we have a new railing that will actually stay on the wall in the event of a fall. And we didn't even need to use duct tape.

Like the roller blind, this project was so easy and so quick, I am kicking myself for taking so long to do it. If you need to replace a railing, go do it ASAP!