How to fix a wobbly railing?

Hi all. The railing in our row house is loose and wobbly. The newel post is solid. The problem seems to be primarily at the top of the stairs after the railing turns and runs along the hallway. Several spindles are loose where they meet the floor (the floor dips a little here so it has pulled away from the base of the spindles). Ideas for shoring this up? Everywhere I looks says to just put glue on shims and shove them in the hole where the spindle is loose but this seems a) like a less than ideal fix and b) hard to do at the bottom since the part of the spindle that goes into the floor is smaller than the base of spindle itself–a narrower piece runs down into the floor. I was thinking about popping the molding off to have a look at where the spindles meet the floor–I wonder if once the molding is off, the spindles can just be nailed into place and then the molding can go back on. Has anyone else fixed this problem on their own?

ajrendon

in Renovation 9 years and 8 months ago

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thetinkerswagon | 9 years and 8 months ago

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The balusters have nothing to do with the sturdiness of the balustrade. The top rail should be able to support itself firm without any balusters. The purpose of the balusters is to prevent the progeny of your DNA from falling off the side. If the top rail is loose, it is because of shifts between the newel or top post or because the joints between the turns have come loose. I am writing on a hand held write now and can seek and peck any further explanation nor do I have the time to visit this. If you wish to have someone look at it, call tom stagss or email me for his number. Steve.