Fixing A Loose Rail On Your Steps. Is a Step Redo in order for Better Repair?

For many homeowners, a front or back porch consists of concrete steps and porch. Concrete is a quality material that can be used to create a porch area that provides additional seating as well as a nice entrance or back area of the home. With concrete steps, there is usually some type of railing support. In most cases, iron is used due to the strong material. Over time, the railing can break loose from the steps, creating a hazard for those who need the railing to climb up the porch area. So how do you fix the loose rail? Does it require the steps to be redone in order to have a better repair?

First, Things First

To begin, you will need to assess the railing. How loose is the rail? Is it just one area of the railing that is loose or the entire area? If you have a small section that is loose, you should be able to use an epoxy that can be squirted out via a caulking gun to make the repair. You are basically filling in the hole where the railing is loose. The hole will need to be cleaned of dust or the bond will not take. Blow it with a compressor or other item in order to clean out the hole. Once the epoxy is applied, you will need to work quickly to set up brace posts for the railing so it does not move. Epoxy will set up quickly and you can end up with mistakes if you do not work fast. Be sure to try the epoxy first on a scrap piece of wood to determine if the mix is working and at full strength before applying it to the railing hole.

Redoing Your Steps

If the railing is loose in all areas or for the most part, you can benefit better from redoing the steps. However, this will take more work. A concrete mix will need to be used in order to patch and resurface the steps. You will need to fill in where the railing is located in the holes so that the railing will stay in place. Essentially the same outcome as the epoxy but you are using concrete and going over all the steps of your porch for a smooth and even surface.

This project will be time-consuming and may be something that you are not comfortable with. Consult a concrete company in order to find out if this is your best solution for repairing your loose railing. They may have other ideas as to how you can repair this issue without having to resurface your concrete. Consulting with the experts will also give you a price point for this repair as well as more information on what can be done to take care of your repair needs.

Whichever option you decide, be sure to work when the weather is optimal. Both concrete and epoxy will not function properly when the weather is extremely cold or hot.