Forum Discussion

3614's avatar
3614
Explorer
Jan 18, 2014

Hand rail needed on steps to bedroom

My wife is having some problems with balance and I would like to install some hand rails inside my new 5th wheel going up to the bedroom. Has anyone done this? Where can I buy short rail to install.
Thanks for your help.
  • How are you all mounting to wall? I would be afraid to pull on it as it would rip the wall out.
  • We picked up a hand rail from Newmar that matched our interior wood. As I recall it was originally used as a vertical grab rail beside the door.

    Just put screws through the wall (into the toilet area) and capped them with chrome washers and chrome acorn nuts. Not terribly strong, but certainly adequate for a handhold to steady yourself on the steps.
  • You could always use the white aluminum deck rail for stairs and fasten to the floor, easy to remove without trace.
  • We added a handrail to our Jayco, one of the more used mods we have done.

    Got the Oak material from Lowes, stained to match interior wood.

    Made the spacer blocks behind it to space it out from the wall.

  • Saw a used 5er where the owners had used 1 inch copper pipe

    Looked terrible, use real railing.
  • Finding a hand rail should be the easy part. Finding something solid behind the paneling to mount it to is the problem. If you can access the opposite side use large fender washers & through bolt it.
  • Lowe's, Home Depot, Menard's, any local building supply company. Get the hand rail and cut it to length (if you get wood), and get 2 brackets that mount to the wall. If you have an inside wall, mount it on the inside wall so you do not risk installing on an outside wall and perhaps miss a stud, or even worse, screw through to the outside of the camper.

    Depending upon you're camper configuration, you might be able to build supports from the floor up and then a attach the hand rail.

    Another thought, check in the bathroom section and purchase a bathtub handicap hand rail. I installed one of those in my mother's bathtub a few months ago. There again, Lowe's, Home Depot, any home building supply store will have them.