If your business includes a space that could use a little extra stability for visitors, building wood handrails can be just the thing. These handy installations do several jobs at once in many shop fronts and other retail spaces, including assisting customers, and improving aesthetics of your business location.

When you are getting a wooden handrail installed into a shop or business setup, whether it's for a retail shop space or the front area of a more industrial business, a few quick and easy supply purchases can help you do the most with your wood handrails. Buyers might look online for these handy items:

1. Stains, paints or sealers for keeping wood handrails in good condition at a commercial space.

2. Hanging flower boxes as decorative add-ons for a level wood porch railing or wood stair railing.

3. Pressure washers for long-term maintenance in keeping debris from making a custom wood handrail unusable or unattractive.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find stains and sealers for wood handrails

For any kind of wood structure, these helpful elements, applied on a regular basis, will keep your wood surfaces looking great. Find traditional products or new 'low-impact' stains and paints with less formaldehyde and other caustic chemicals as part of a 'green revolution' in business that owners and managers are implementing across the country.

I recommend: The Sealer Store, a division of OPW LLC, offers stains and sealers for wood deck railings and other wood products at wholesale prices over the web. Get "greener" solutions for staining your wooden handrail installations at AFM Safecoat, a company offering less toxic paints, stains and sealers.

Find fixtures like hanging flower beds to decorate wood handrails

For a retail space where you want to maximize the aesthetics of a wood deck railing or other exterior wood handrails, hanging flower boxes are great. They can hang at hand level and attract the eye to a commercial area.

I recommend: You can find hanging flower boxes for hanging from a deck or wood handrail at the Hooks and Lattices Garden page. Get more hanging deck planter boxes online at Shop.Com.

Look for devices for keeping wood handrails clean long term

Another great buy for wood surfaces is a pressure washer unit: over time, dirt and debris build up on wood handrails, and pressure washing is a quick, efficient way to get custom wood handrails back to basics and looking brand new.

I recommend: Get discount prices and free freight on pressure washers for your wood handrails and deck setups at Amazing Machinery. For more pressure washers and other gear for business use online, try Southern Tool.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When installing wood handrails for assisting customers, think about ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance for making sure your shop is accessible to those who are disabled. This consideration is always important for promoting access and being thoughtful of the needs of all visitors.

Wood handrailing is a popular and versatile solution for both interior and exterior construction and decorating. Whether you're building a indoor staircase for your basement at home or to get to the second floor of your business, or a complete outdoor deck railing system, building wood handrails can be a simple, durable and attractive choice.

Installing wood stair railing or wood porch railing can either involve assembling all wooden parts or using just a wooden handrail with metal balustrades. Whether you're choosing to use just a few wooden components or all wood materials, finding the right wooden handrail can be surprisingly simple.

When searching for wood handrails or rail materials, do the following:

1. Browse a selection of wooden handrail components and specifications before buying;

2. Look for wood railing systems with themes for easy decorating;

3. Get specialty wooden handrail products for spiral or curved rails.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Look for components of wood handrails separately

If you plan to assemble your own wooden handrail or use a wooden handrail with metal balustrades or fittings, you can shop for wood handrail fittings and components separately. Wood handrails and balustrades are available in a variety of styles and specifications.

I recommend: Custom Hardwoods offers specifications and a pricing list online for their entire selection of wooden rails and wooden balusters. Finishing Touches Stairs & Railings also offers product specifications for a number of different wooden balusters and handrail lines that they have available, and ship wooden handrail components internationally for customers to assemble.

Browse wood porch railing and stair handrail systems

You can find wood deck railing and stair handrails as part of a complete railing theme or system to cut down on the work you do calculating and assembling materials. Themed systems include the selection of the wood type, the design of the railing and the selection of accent posts and caps.

I recommend: Creative Railing Systems creates themes for both interior and exterior projects. Universal Forest Products sells wood deck railing systems with all wooden components. Both Creative Railing Systems and Universal Forest Products have online store locators for finding a distributor of the products you need in your area.

Get specialty wood stair railing for curved and spiral handrail projects

A wooden handrail system can be an excellent choice if you are installing a handrail for a specialty project. Manufacturers and distributors of spiral staircases and railings also typically offer a wider range of wood handrail detail options for making your handrail especially distinctive.

I recommend: Several manufacturers, such as Arcways and Precision Pine, specialize in curved stairs and stair parts. Precision Pine also sells wooden spiral stair kits for customer assembly, as well as wood stair railing for existing curved or spiral staircases.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you're shopping for a custom wood handrail of any kind, consult a manufacturer of curved or spiral wood handrails before assuming that you will need to assemble a custom rail yourself. Spiral stair companies often offer a range of specialty projects that aren't limited to curved and spiral stairs and handrails.

When a business is looking to get a type of wooden handrail setup into a business site, or trying to outfit a client's property with a similar installation, having the skills and knowledge to do it right is essential. These kinds of structures rely on the right methods of installation in order to stand the test of time. So getting some expert knowledge into the right hands can make the difference between an adequate, well-constructed railing and a sub-par installation that will cause problems and potential liability down the road.

Any business looking for some helpful assistance with training staff on how to install and care for a wood stair railing or similar construction can take advantage of web venues that provide this kind of necessary information. Web resources for dealing with wood handrails installation and maintenance can be critical for all kinds of projects like these:

1. Helping managers to set up mandatory trainings for teams installing wood deck railing or other railing setups on client or customer properties.

2. Assisting with skills training for maintenance or grounds workers for businesses administrating either private campuses or public spaces.

3. Getting any kind of new wooden railing program set up within a business.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get info on ADA compliance for wood handrails

One thing to keep in mind when installing these kinds of fixtures is that railings in public buildings should be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act that governs public access infrastructure. Some web venues operate with attention to this specific aspect of wood handrails installation.

I recommend: Find ADA compliant wooden handrail options from Alliance Supply that ship with installation guides. For online help with installing ADA compliance railing, try these links available through NetNav.Net: "The Accessible Web Project."

Look for general wood handrails installation help

Other web sources handle the ins and out of installing these kinds of wood porch railing designs or other railing type products into a commercial or residential space.

I recommend: Get this how-to from Fischers Place, as well as interesting wood construction posts in response at the Charles and Hudson website. Find more of these installation tips at sites like Wood's The Best.

Locate guidance on maintenance for wood handrails

After getting wooden railings and installations on-site, a business manager may want to look into maintenance for the new setup, whether it is on the outside of a building or within the interior.

I recommend: Interior wood handrail installation types are generally pretty maintenance-free, but some tips may apply. Get guidance on handrail installation for decks at Deck-Porch-Railings.com. Find out about maintaining exterior wood handrailing setups at sites like WoodWeb.

Many businesses choose to add wood handrails to their commercial spaces, whether for a decorative look that fits with a space, or to provide functionality, for instance, with ADA compliance for access by the disabled. Wood handrails can add a lot of class to an indoor or outdoor space and enhance convenience for visitors. But when it's time to install, there will be some important choices to make. Knowing about some common key terms for wooden handrails can help in these situations.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Wood stains

Wood stain products are chemical compounds applied to wood such as handrails, to make it look better and to protect the wood. Stains make wooden pieces look darker and bring out specific grain elements to the eye.

I recommend: See more on wood stains at this PickyGuide.

Wood primers or sealers

Wood primers are sealers that protect wood from a variety of conditions. They are generally applied to wood products like wood handrails with a brush.

I recommend: See more about what primers and sealers at this "All About Wood Finishes" page from Aubuchon Hardware.

Post caps

Post caps, sometimes called post accent caps, are objects put on top of the posts of a wood handrail or other wood design to give the installation some class. These can be made of a wide variety of materials from plastic to copper or other heavy metals. For many wood handrail installations, post caps are just what are needed to make a spare design into an impressive modern one.

I recommend: See more on post caps at this Deck Accent page.

Spiral or curved railings

One type of wooden handrail is a spiral or curved railing, which can take some additional installation design strategies. When working with a spiral railing or a curve, pieces have to be specifically designed to fit, and that takes time as well as skill in implementation.

I recommend: See more on designs for spiral or curved railings from sites like Platinum Stairs.

Wood detailing

Wood detailing refers to adding detail to a design like a wooden handrail. This can be done by adding small pieces or by machining existing pieces.

I recommend: See more on wood detailing at Home Tips.

Balusters

A baluster is a vertical piece that often goes into wooden handrail assembly for both decorative and functional purposes.

I recommend: Find out more about balusters and a whole range of other terms for wooden handrails and similar installations at Dave Brewer's Construction Tips and Terms.