Baluster Base Fittings
The fittings that hold a balustrade post to the structure: top mounted base plates, side fixed brackets, slab and fascia brackets, and cover discs for core drilled posts. 316 stainless steel, brushed, internal or external.
Three ways to fix a post down
- Top mounted. A plate bolts flat to the deck or slab and the post stands on it. The simplest fixing, and the one to use when you have a solid finished surface with room for the plate and its bolts
- Side fixed. The bracket fixes to a vertical face, a fascia, a step riser or the edge of a slab, and the post is clamped to it. Nothing stands on the deck, so the floor finish and any waterproofing stay unbroken and you keep the full width of the terrace
- Core drilled. The post is grouted into a hole in the slab. No plate at all, just a cover disc over the top to hide the grout and the chipped core edge
The mistake that costs money
A balustrade load is leverage, not weight. Someone leaning on a 1100mm post multiplies that push several times over at the base. A top plate crowded onto the edge of a slab, with its fixings sitting in the last inch of concrete, will work loose over a few winters even though it felt solid on the day.
If the deck edge is close, side fix instead. It costs more in bracketry and saves the job.
Fixings are sold separately, and they matter
Into timber, M10 coach screws suit. Into masonry where a mechanical anchor could split a brick or a thin slab edge, resin anchors are the right answer. Through a joist or a cavity, a throughbolt that plates off on the far side is better than anything that relies on grip in the face of the wall.
Side fixed brackets load their fixings in shear and pull-out at the same time, so the fixing is under more strain there than on a top plate. If you are not certain what the structure will take, speak to a structural engineer before you drill.
Sizes
Most of this range suits 48.3mm posts, which is our standard balustrade post size. The side clamp bracket is for 42.4mm. Measure what you have before ordering, because the two look similar and will not swap. Other sizes and dimensioned drawings are available on request, so email us if your detail is unusual.
Posts and tube are under handrail tube and posts, and wall brackets for the rail itself under handrail brackets.
Not a standard size?
This is made to order in our own Sheffield workshop, so it can just as easily be made to your dimensions instead. Send a photo and rough sizes and we will price it.