Our staircase banister had been loose for so long that everyone in the house had learned to compensate. You grab it, it shifts an inch toward the wall, you keep going. Visitors, though — visitors grabbed it and panicked. The look on my mother-in-law’s face when the railing moved was what finally motivated me to fix it.

Two hours. Fifteen dollars in materials. It has not budged since.

Find Where the Movement Starts

A wobbly banister is rarely loose everywhere. Usually, one or two connection points have failed and the rest is just following along. Grab the banister at the bottom and shake it gently. Watch where the movement transfers to — the newel post at the bottom, the brackets along the wall, or the top connection. Mark those spots with a pencil.

Tighten Brackets With Longer Screws

If the brackets attaching the railing to the wall are the problem, the existing screws have probably stripped their holes. Remove one screw and take it to the hardware store. Buy the same diameter but one inch longer. The longer screw reaches fresh wood behind the drywall or plaster. Pre-drill a pilot hole slightly smaller than the screw diameter, then drive the new screw in. It will grab solid wood and the bracket will not move.

Shim a Loose Newel Post

The bottom post — the newel — is the anchor of the whole banister system. If it wiggles, everything above it wiggles too. Slide thin wood shims into any gap between the post and the floor or the post and the adjoining wall. Tap them in gently with a hammer until the post is solid, then trim the shims flush with a utility knife and touch up with paint or wood stain to match.