I do accessibility improvements for seniors and people with disabilities. Here is my problem: I need to attach solid railings to a interlock brick stairway. What do I anchor to? How do I anchor? This railing needs to take a lot of weight bearing.
Thanks
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Replies
What exactly is an "interlock brick" stairway?
I just re-anchored into a mortared brick stoop (after first rebuilding some of it).
I like the 2 1/2" nail in anchors (aluminum, not plastic).
In general, unless you can anchor the top rail into a wall, you're not going to be able to get it as secure as might be wished, unless you have some longish returns to help stabilize it
(sort of like returns on a knee-wall help stabilize it)
If by interlock you mean its totally unmortared, I've never seen stairs done that way, and I'd wonder about how well they would hold up. Up here in the frozen north, even well done brick stoops, with good attention to details, take a beating.
Yes, it does need to handle quite a load! Any7 railing anyplace in this country needs to withstand a lateral force of 200 or 250 pounds - I forget which right now. I see no way to do that with what sounds like a loose lay style CMU. The leverage would simply take your steps apart.
Some of us might have ideas if you can better describe that product, and the type of railing you would be using.
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