The multi-level make up of a split-level home makes the presence of dividers quite common. If your home features a wrought iron divider that has begun to look a bit out of date, replacing it is an effective way to refresh your space. While replacing a metal feature of this type may seem quite the undertaking, in truth it is a relatively simple task. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Measure your current railing. Jot down the length of the railing and use it to inform your replacement purchasing decisions.
2. Purchase a pre-made railing to fit, or have one custom made. You can select a divider that is shorter or taller than the one you removed, but you will need to patch the drywall, filling in any screw holes where your divider use to attach to the wall with putty and paint over the spot. Focus the most attention on getting a divider that is long enough to span the necessary length.
3. Unscrew the railing from the wall. Remove these screws holding the railing to the wall before you begin to remove any screws at floor level, as if you remove the floor level screws first, you run the risk of damaging your drywall as all of the weight of the railing will be on the drywall.
4. Remove the screws securing the railing to the floor. As you do this, the railing will become less and less stable. To ensure that it doesn't topple over, employ the help of a friend to hold the railing in place as you remove all of the screws. Dispose of the removed railing.
5. Place the new divider where the just-removed divider rested. Using a tape measure, measure from the edge of the landing to the spot at which you will place your railing, ensuring that this distance remains uniform to ensure that your divider is even.
6. Drill new pilot holes at the base of the railing if necessary. Using a sharpened pencil, create X's in the centers of the holes at the base of the divider and use them to guide your drilling. If the holes at the base of your new divider line up with the holes at the base of your old divider, you can use these holes and skip drilling new ones. If you are using existing holes, select screws one size larger than the ones previously used to ensure that they fit securely into these existing holes.
7. Screw the wall-side of the divider into the wall adjacent to the divider edge.
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