If you are remodelling your home, redesigning one room, or just looking for an update, you should consider doing it yourself. DIY projects can sometimes be daunting, especially for those who aren’t very handy, however, a wire balustrade is fairly straightforward to build. You should be aware of some simple things you should and should not do, and there are also a few regulations that you should be aware of. Here are some basics for accomplishing a DIY balustrade.

Tools You’ll Need

There are not many tools you’ll need other than the basic tools that most people have. If you are planning to run the wire through an intermediate post, you’ll need to drill a hole through that middle post; therefore, you will need a drill with an appropriately sized drill bit. You also need to make sure that your drill bit is rated for the material you intend to drill. To drill through steel, you need drill bits rated for steel.

In addition, you will need a swaging tool and wire cutter. Many tools for swaging include wire cutters. Those are all of the things you will need for your stainless steel wire balustrade DIY. Once you’ve got your tools and your wire, you’re ready to get started.

Choosing Your Wire

Choosing the wire is simple. You just measure the distance from inside post to inside post. If they are five metres apart, you need a little over five metres of steel wire. When you order your DIY kit from a professional service, they will tell you exactly how to measure and how much extra wire you will need, as you might need some extra wire to make the appropriate loops.

Swaging the Wire

Once you have all of your tools and your wire, you should measure out the wire with enough extra to wrap the ends of the wire. You will then drill small holes into the inside of the end posts. Those will be where you attach the saddle. Once you’ve done that, you will feed the wire through the swage and make a loop. You’ll then swage the wire twice to create a tight seal. You will attach one end of the wire to the exterior post simply by using a saddle.

Next, you’ll feed it through the centre of the intermediate posts. When you get to the final post, you will actually need to cut your wire about 100 millimetres shorter. That will allow you to attach the wire to the other post with enough space for a tensioner of some kind. A bottlescrew is a typical tensioner. Once that’s attached, you can use a tool to tighten the bottlescrew and bring tension to the wire.

At an Angle

If you have angles or corners in your balustrade, you should not wrap the wire around those corners. That can cause extra wear on the wire and make it more difficult to achieve the required tension. Instead, you should use two separate pieces of wire.

That’s how easy it is to install your own balustrade. If, of course, you don’t feel comfortable building one, you can always ask for a professional to install it.