Newel Post

Information about the Newel Post and How it Fits into a Hand Railing

A newel post defined in the simpliest form is:

"The post at the top or bottom of a flight of stairs; it supports the hand railing."

These posts are most visible in older victorian homes.

These antique newel posts were displayed very prominently and were a highlight of the hand railing compared to the homes of today.

Many of us have a stairway at home either to reach to the basement or to the upper floors or both.

Staircase design needs to be planned with imagination as they are prominently visible in the house.

In fact the kind of Staircase (the theme) that you build can even speak about the kind of person you are.

It is good to know the kinds of choices available today to make a good selection.

The Parts That Make Up A Staircase

Let us first understand the different parts of a staircase.

Whether you have spiral staircases or straight ones, there are hand railings, which are supported by smaller vertical posts.

These are referred to as Balusters or spindles.

The Balusters some times have a typical lantern shape which is identical to the pomegranate flower and thus coined to mean it.

The collection of Balusters is the Balustrade and this also includes the handrail and the newel post.

The newel is the strong vertical support post that forms the beginning of the hand railing.

There are other parts too that of the tread and riser.

It refers to the place where we set our foot on the horizontal part.

The riser is the vertical part between the steps - you see it between your treads!

You ideally find the posts at three different places - at the beginning also referred as head, at the end (the foot) and the place where the staircase changes direction.

Now does spiral staircase have a newel you might ask!

There is a central post around the spiral stairs which wind around and this provides the entire support.

The quality aspect of a post should ensure safety and it should be sturdy in construction.

The post can be a square shape at the place of hand rest and is referred as Box Newel or they can be round in shape at the hand rest and is referred as Turned newel.

Box newels and Turned newels can be made with the best Amish-crafted model where they look like the part of house furniture.

The Amish-crafted newel post can be matched with the variety of furniture present at home.

They are stylish and very appealing models which use high- quality wood.

This kind of newel is highly durable and is made with great dedication.

The Amish crafted newel is known for their higher pricing, but can guarantee a great finish.

There are other graded newels which are available at a lesser cost but needs to be maintained regularly.

Murphy's oil can be used to clean them and can ensure the polished look.

Since they can be elegantly designed, from the early American antique newel post styles to modern neo classic ones the newel of today could add the extra zing to your home.

Add chic to your staircases with designer parts; boost your ambience at home.

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