Absolutely! All our handrails come powder-coated with a 5-layer black finish that’s made to withstand even the most extreme weather conditions. This protective layer defends against flaking, chipping, scratches, and color deterioration. Outdoor paint of any color will adhere to the protective layer — in fact, weather-resistant paint can even add an additional layer of defense against the elements, while customizing your handrails to look exactly the way you want.

Cleaning your handrail is easy! Our 5-layer weather-resistant coating already protects against most stains, and dirt is easy to clean off. Just wet a non-abrasive or microfiber cleaning cloth with water, and wipe the handrail down to clear away any dust.

Like any product made of metal, your handrail will heat up a bit on sunny and/or hot days. However, our 5-layer protective powder coating is weather-resistant, and will prevent your handrail from becoming too hot to touch. In the unusual circumstance that your handrail becomes too hot, simply wiping it down with cold water will quickly cool it off again.

We include a drill bit that’s 5/16 inches (or 8mm) in length with every handrail kit. We also include anchors that are 3 inches long. Both the drill bit and the anchors have the same diameter.

Building a metal handrail from scratch is a fairly time-intensive process, and requires several professional tools. You’d need to start by measuring the height and depth of your steps, as well as the offset distance between the edge of the steps and the post markers. Then you’d need to determine the angle of the rails, as well as the length of each piece of pipe, and buy correctly angled fittings as well as a sufficient amount of pipe. You’d likely also need to choose the correct flanges, swivel fittings, and malleable plugs, as well as fasteners for wood or concrete. After placing the flanges to mark the position of each fitting, you’d secure the fittings to the wood or concrete surface using a power drill, insert the vertical posts, then attach the fittings to the horizontal post and secure it in place.

Building your own handrail from scratch can be a fun weekend project, but our DIY prefabricated handrail kits enable you to complete the installation in an hour or less. We include all the components and fasteners, so all you’ll have to do on your end is saw the lengths of metal down to size (if necessary) and secure the components in place.

CR Handrails offers a diverse selection of handrail kits, suitable for a wide variety of installation scenarios. Here are the main categories:

1. Handrail Kits for Stairs Available in 6 different lengths, from 1-2 steps all the way to 5-6 steps.

2. Horizontal Flat Handrail KitsAvailable in 2 different lengths: 4-foot and 6-foot.

3. Metal Guardrail KitsAvailable in 4-foot and 6-foot lengths, from 4’ wide/32” tall to 6’ wide/36” tall.

4. Cable Railing Post Kits
Available in straight 36” and 42” sizes, corner 36” and 42” sizes, and a 36” stair size.

We also sell individual posts, fasteners, drill bits and fasteners — though our handrail, guardrail and post kits include all the components you’ll need to install them.

You can ensure you’re picking the right kit with a simple three-step process: 1) MEASURE, 2)  ROUND UP, and 3) VERIFY:

1. MEASURE the first step to the landing.

2. ROUND UP to the nearest foot.

3. VERIFY the space from end to end.

Follow these three steps, and you can be confident you’re choosing the right size of railing for your project!

Most importantly, you’ll want to make sure you choose a kit that’s the right size for your installation scenario. If in doubt, it’s best to err slightly larger, because you can always cut down the rail to fit. When selecting a kit, you’ll also want to make sure it’s sturdy enough to withstand the weight it’ll have to bear, and can withstand extremes of hot and cold.

All CR Handrail kits are designed to be easy to install in an hour or less. As long as you’re comfortable using simple power tools, you should be able to handle the job without any special assistance. In fact, more than 3,000 happy customers say their CR handrails were remarkably fast and easy to install!