How to fit a newel post

A newel post has been described by some as the crown jewel of a staircase and you can get some very ornate ones to make your staircase more grandiose. Here's how you fit one.

Level of difficulty

Level 3: Advanced

What you need

• Saw
• Screws
• Screwdriver
• Newel post metal mounting plate
• Carpenter's square
• Thin wedges of wood
• Glue

The steps to follow

1. Cut the newel to your desired height. To secure the newel post on the floor, attach a metal mounting plate to its base. The metal mounting plate should be slightly larger than the base of the post and have four corner screw-holes which allow the post to be attached to the floor. Drill a hole in the middle of the post at the bottom. Make sure that the plate is square with the post, drill holes into the four corner holes, and screw in the mounting plate.
2. With a carpenter's square, align an edge of the square to the edge of the staircase.
3. Fill in the gaps between the floor and the mounting plate with thin wedges of wood (shim it) and glue the edges of the mounting plate.
4. Drive screws into the floor through the mounting plate screw holes to fix the post to the floor.