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Bespoke Wood Base Rail.
A base rail (also spelt baserail, and often called the bottom rail or balustrade base rail) is the grooved timber rail that runs along the bottom of a stair balustrade. It sits on the string or the floor, takes the feet of the spindles, and mirrors the handrail above it. Get the base rail right and the whole banister sits straight and stays tight.
Every stair base rail here is made to order in the wood of your choice. Nothing is held as stock, and that is the point: rather than forcing your staircase to fit a standard section, we have the section made to fit your staircase. Pick the closest of the baserail profiles below, or send a drawing or a photo of the rail you already have and we will have it matched.
Choose oak (American and European), ash, beech, maple or walnut, with iroko or Accoya for external balustrades and decking, or name any other timber including pine and redwood. Grooved (rebated) or ungrooved, in the common 32mm and 41mm spindle sizes or any size you specify. One enquiry puts your base rail in front of multiple UK timber suppliers and the quotes come back for you to compare.
Base Rail - Further Reading:
Baserails for staircases, made to match. Most base rail enquiries we see are not new builds. They are people replacing tired spindles, opening up a balustrade, or repairing a Victorian, Edwardian or Georgian staircase where the original rail is damaged, painted solid, or simply no longer made. Because every section is cut to order, an obsolete profile is not a problem.
How to match an existing base rail
- Measure the width and thickness. The rails on this page run from 50mm to 99mm wide and 32mm to 60mm thick, and most stair baserails sit in the 50-69mm wide, 32-43mm thick band.
- Measure the groove. The rebate in the top face has to match your spindles. 32mm and 41mm are the common UK sizes, so take both the width and the depth of the channel.
- Photograph the cut end square on. An end-on shot of the profile tells a moulder more than any written description.
- Better still, send an offcut. A short sample of the real thing removes the guesswork completely.
- Or send a drawing. A dimensioned sketch, a CAD file, or a PDF from an architect or conservation officer all work.
- Work out your total run in metres, and list the raked (sloping) lengths separately from the level landing lengths.
Grooved, rebated and ungrooved baserails
A grooved or rebated base rail carries a channel along the top face, which is why most of the profiles below are listed as rebated. Square spindles drop into that channel and short lengths of infill fillet, cut from the same timber, pack the gaps between them and set the spacing. An ungrooved base rail has a flat top and suits dowelled spindles or a housed glass panel. Tell us which you need, and if you are fitting glass, give the panel thickness.
Choosing the timber
Oak, American and European, is the most requested wood for a stair base rail and takes a clear finish well. Ash and beech are better value and paint or stain evenly. Maple and walnut suit contemporary balustrades. For an outdoor balustrade or a decking handrail and baserail, iroko and Accoya hold their shape far better than untreated softwood. If you are matching a painted rail and the species underneath is unknown, say so, and the supplier will propose a close-grained timber that finishes flat.
Listed buildings and period staircases
Listed buildings and conservation areas normally require a replacement to follow the original profile rather than the nearest catalogue section, which is exactly what a made to order rail is for. Send the sample or the survey drawing, and keep the section drawing on file, because conservation officers often ask to see it. Reclaimed period spindles are frequently an odd size, so measure the spindles you actually intend to reuse instead of trusting a nominal dimension.
How to get quotes
- Choose the nearest profile below, or use base rail to match if nothing here is close enough.
- Tell us the timber, the width and thickness, the groove size and the total length.
- Add your photo, drawing or sample details to the enquiry.
- The enquiry goes out to UK timber suppliers and manufacturers who make this section.
- You compare the quotes that come back and deal with the supplier direct. Wooduchoose connects you to the makers, we are not the merchant, and there is no obligation.
Ordering the rest of the balustrade in one go keeps the grain and the colour consistent and usually sharpens the price. See handrail, spindles, newel posts, stair components and complete staircases.