Newel fixing into screed

[dnb]

I've got my Stairbox staircase assembled and in place. It all seems good so far and is very solid. I need to attach the newel posts to the screed now. I'm not worried about any large movements because of the way the half landing ties everything together but I want the posts to remain square and upright now that I've spent a day gently tapping them all back and forth to be so!

 

My first thought was to use zipbolts. Then I read the datasheet and found them to be so long they will go half way through the floor insulation doesn't sound ideal. (65 to 75mm of screed and 130mm of zip bolt. Cutting the ends off might work but seems wrong?) - And then I thought about the under floor heating pipes and started to get worried about drilling a hole neatly through one of the pipes. I have a dimensioned picture of the pipe locations and I get awfully close on one of the 3 posts. Sufficiently close for measurement errrors to bite me.

 

Are there any shorter newel fixings out there? A quick google search suggests zipbolt have it all sewn up and there aren't short options.

 

Thanks

[saveasteading]

9 minutes ago, dnb said:

shorter newel fixings out there

You can get a metal foot, like a fence base, and then can put lots of small fixings through, plus perhaps adhesive, instead of a few long ones. More opportunities to hit any high sections of pipe though.  Does it need holding down, or simply in place?

[dnb]

1 minute ago, saveasteading said:

Does it need holding down, or simply in place?

It's a "simply in place" requirement. Gravity is being really useful at holding it down. I've walked up and down the stairs a few times while everything is held in place with strategicly placed clamps and nothing moves.

 

I thought about using two of the smaller zipbolts intended for handrails per newel. These are (in theory) short enough to miss the pipes - they were well clipped when all said and done.

[Blooda]

Don't underestimate glue.

 

We used Adiseal in a couple of places for runs of stud walling that we were unsure of the exact location of the under floor pipes. 

 

Adiseal brands Denmans 

 

As test, we stuck a 1 foot piece of CLS to the screed flooring, left it a few days, to cure.  Hit it with a hammer, and it didn't move. So got a sledge hammer, and hit it. the wood broke,  It left ¹/₈" of wood stuck to the floor.  Concluding the glue was stronger than the wood. 

 

you could use in conjunction with the screws.

Edited July 7, 2023 by Blooda

[saveasteading]

That's decided then. Glue. 

Either directly or in a square steel base.

Or I suppose you could fit a square timber plate to the newel, then glue that down. If  anything wants to move or fail, then the plate takes the strain.

Yes that's my choice.

[crispy_wafer]

let us know how you get on.

[joe90]

Well my stair box stairs is very solid and the newel post just sat on the floor with no fixings, the whole staircase holds it in place.

[Nickfromwales]

18 minutes ago, joe90 said:

Well my stair box stairs is very solid and the newel post just sat on the floor with no fixings, the whole staircase holds it in place.

Minus 4 teenagers, no doubt  

[dnb]

10 hours ago, joe90 said:

Well my stair box stairs is very solid and the newel post just sat on the floor with no fixings, the whole staircase holds it in place.

Mine is solid too, but the whole teenager thing does mean I need to take additional precautions!

The glue idea sounds the easiest - no drilling and no need to lift the stairs too far out of place. The newels won't take much holding in place.

Edited July 8, 2023 by dnb

[MortarThePoint]

Here's a video of just attaching it to the stringer

https://youtu.be/Pmyaw2TPUhk