In this video, This Old House mason Mark McCullough helps a homeowner add a wrought-iron railing to his steps to make them safer for children and older adults.
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Mark McCullough makes a homeowner’s concrete steps safer for their young kids by installing an iron railng.
Just because a set of steps is within code and doesn’t require a handrail doesn’t mean it can’t benefit from one. When this was the case for a homeowner’s backdoor, he decided to call the team at Ask This Old House for help. Mason Mark McCullough helps install a wrought iron railing to make the steps safer and add some classic, durable style.
Difficulty: ⅗
Time: 1 day (after ordering the railing)
Cost: Under $1,000
Where to find it?
To install the railing [https://homedepot.sjv.io/OrWN0z], Mark uses a coring drill [https://homedepot.sjv.io/21JPNz] to drill 2 holes in the top and bottom concrete steps.
Once the railing is dropped in, Mark and the homeowner pour the anchoring cement [https://homedepot.sjv.io/LXWvBL] into each hole. They then clean up any excess cement with a damp sponge [https://homedepot.sjv.io/9gQ655]. Mark double checks that the railing is level [https://homedepot.sjv.io/LXoq5O] before it cures.
Special assistance provided by Forte Iron Work Specialist Inc. [https://www.forteironwork.com/]
Looking for more step by step guidance on how to complete projects around the house? Join This Old House Insider to stream over 1,000 episodes commercial-free: https://bit.ly/2GPiYbH
Material:
Lumber crayon [https://homedepot.sjv.io/oqB2Dn]
Wrought iron railing [https://homedepot.sjv.io/OrWN0z]
Wood scraps
Hydraulic cement [https://homedepot.sjv.io/LXWvBL]
Small pail [https://homedepot.sjv.io/ZQRkGq]
Bucket lid [https://homedepot.sjv.io/0Z1r6M]
Tools:
You may choose to rent the coring drill [https://homedepot.sjv.io/LXWv5O] if the job is for one railing.
Tape measure [https://homedepot.sjv.io/rQEBXy] Level [https://homedepot.sjv.io/LXoq5O] Garden hose [https://homedepot.sjv.io/DKJENj] Small masonry trowels [https://homedepot.sjv.io/jrBEd5] Sponge [https://homedepot.sjv.io/9gQ655]
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About Ask This Old House TV:
From the makers of This Old House, America’s first and most trusted home improvement show, Ask This Old House answers the steady stream of home improvement questions asked by viewers across the United States. Covering topics from landscaping to electrical to HVAC and plumbing to painting and more. Ask This Old House features the experts from This Old House, including general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, landscape contractor Jenn Nawada, master carpenter Norm Abram, and host Kevin O’Connor. ASK This Old House helps you protect and preserve your greatest investment—your home.
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How To Install an Iron Railing on Concrete Steps | Ask This Old House
https://www.youtube.com/user/thisoldhouse/
Real smart welding without sleeves protecting your skin
THAT is NOT Wrought IRON, it's STEEL.. Iron CANNOT be welded, but must be BRAZED.. C'mon, guys.. Is it a wrought iron "look", YEP, but let's be accurate about materials and how they're used!
Matching haircuts. Brilliant…..
Not mentioned; Exterior steps like that, located just outside a doorway without a landing, can be against code in many jurisdictions.
What about a matching railing on the other side?
That landing is not within code
Only ONE handrail? Weird…..
Why drop a rod iron post in the concrete any more w a coring machine and cement and setup time, when a flange w as many electroplated masonry anchors as you want and a hammer drill will do the job?
The market is more volatile than ever. I've been holding cash since '20 pandemic crash, but just went "all in" bought up $250k worth of ETF's & individual stocks at discount, and hoping to average down on ailing companies, in order to achieve passive income and early retirement..
Ice job but would have opted to have a right and a left side, looks off that the fence railing is only on the right side
Don’t underestimate the need to bevel the concrete at the base of the railing. If it’s not beveled, water will sit in the hole that was created, and that will eventually lead to the railing deteriorating at the base.
It doesn’t need a railing by code, but the risers being that different in their height IS a code violation. Risers on a staircase must match in height within a specific small difference (IIRC it’s a 5/8 inch difference). That top and that bottom riser are quite different from those in the middle.
I want a copper railing, but the local scrapers may steal it, so I will stick to a wooden railing.
I come from a family of blacksmiths. When fabricating railings like these, and although this is almost as small as it gets and maybe it wouldn't be necessary but, they would make holes in both the top and bottom pieces for the pickets to go there and therefore the welding would be better looking and, more importantly, stronger.
This is a reupload
That’s definitely not real wrought iron, just cold rolled or hot rolled steel. You’re not mig welding wrought iron. But the term “wrought iron” is used for decorative steel work like this. Still great and actually better than real wrought iron. Cheaper, easier to work with and easy to repair if grandma drives her car into the railing again. I know the car “just took off” on you Nana, it’s ok. Go inside, take your meds and watch Jeopardy. I’ll be done in a minute. And no, I don’t need a jacket, I’m fine.
Two of them were supposed to be installed .
A large rust spot on the picket at 2:57 . Not a great look for brand new custom made stuff.
Why do these cost thousands?
Won't twisting shorten the rail and as such it should be cut longer, rather than cut them all the same length as is implied in the video?
Darkest iron shop ever
Should have put collars on the 2 post to hide the cement work…good job though
Y'all robbed my boy Scott by not getting him a 2nd rail
Great job but it looks unfinished without two rails.
No discussion of costs? As if that's not a factor people care about? So insulting to the viewer. Back in the Bob Vila era, This Old House was completely open about costs.
Mark is right about the stock this railing was made of . Off the shelf is of lighter gauge and the stock the welder uses is much heavier. The stock mark had made was much more , but will last longer providing the homeowner takes care of it by painting when needed with a good paint for metal.
Oh no a boost commercial 😢
Luv putting those raw iron outdoor stairway fails also neat clip in beginning of the video on how there are made
There is no more manly job than working with IRON! It just feels so right and beautiful.
These 2 guys look like they are brothers.
Consider opening the door! 👍
Jobs for people with no hair
Why doesn’t he put the cement in the hole first?!!!!