Stair ropes, bannister rope, rope handrails and barrier ropes, made to measure in the UK by StairRopes.com

Brass and chrome plated

Stairropes.com stair rope fittings are cast in solid brass and have been manufactured to high specification - exclusively produced for us to our original design.

The construction of our polished brass and chrome plated stair rope brackets incorporates a single solid post, and is an improvement over the two piece design intended for steel railings and commonly used for stair ropes. They are available to order in the following finishes: polished brass, mirror chrome plated or satin chrome plated.

Wrought iron

These superb stair rope brackets are hand-made locally from mild steel and are extremely robust. The range offers a choice of base plate, paint or rustic finish and stem design, available in any combination. All our wrought iron stair rope fittings are suitable for 24mm or 32mm diameter ropes.

Standard wrought iron stair rope fittings come in a satin black finish with a round base plate and a round-section stem. They may be ordered at three different heights - full stem, short stem or stemless; short stem and stemless fittings can offer a good solution for narrow stairways and restricted space, especially where an eyesplice (instead of a manrope stopper knot) is tied in at the end of a stair rope.

Note that the MANROPE KNOT is incompatible with a fitting that has no stem at all, because the knot sits outside the ring of the bracket and takes up a greater width than is available between the stemless fitting and the wall. The minimum requirement for the 2-ply knot is a short stem, and for the 3-ply knot, a full stem. The EYESPLICE ending works with any of the fittings.

The image on the left (below) is of a standard full stem bracket in satin black finish.On the right the image shows a short stem satin black wrought iron fitting threaded through the loop of an eyesplice in a hemp rope. An example of a stemless wrought iron stair rope fitting can be seen in the section below, with a brushed steel finish.

Special finishes

Special finishes for stair rope brackets include rustic finishes: brushed steel, hammered (aka distressed) - and paint finishes: gun metal, antique gold or bronze and satin white.

Shown below are two examples of special finishes for wrought iron fittings on hemp stair ropes: left, a stemless wrought iron fitting in a brushed steel finish, and right: a hammered or distressed finish on a 32mm stair rope bracket (n.b. ornate base plate no longer available).

The brushed steel finish involves literally wire brushing the steel as an extended clean up operation after welding, and then finishing with a lacquer. The effect is quite rustic as the lacquer brings out some of the heat marks from the welding as "shadows". The gloss lacquer combined with the raw steel produces a slightly reflective surface.

For a hammered or distressed finish, the steel is heated and then beaten with a heavy hammer, then painted and further distressed with wire brushes; this takes much of the paint off, leaving only some in the hammer dents. Finally the end result is lacquered.

The gunmetal finish is a satin paint finish on the steel. The paint is the colour of "old" steel. We use a primer and two top coats which makes for a slightly smoother finish than the brushed steel. An example of a gunmetal finish stair rope fitting is shown further down in the special baseplate section.

Please contact us to discuss availability of other special finishes on wrought iron fittings for stair rope and rope hand-rail supports. We can provide images of various finishes to match individual requirements via email on request.

Special base plates and stem design

We offer two designs of special base plate which are forged and individually cut. There is a choice of a square or a rectangular base plate, both with rounded off corners. A square section stem is also available as a special option on all wrought iron stair rope fittings.

The images below show, left: a rectangular base plate on a brushed steel stemless fitting which has been made for an eyesplice, and right: a square baseplate on a gunmetal fitting with twisted stem.

It is worth noting that the square shaped base plate is designed to sit in a diamond position on the wall when the rope runs at forty-five degrees; this allows the rope to pass through the square without blocking access to the wall screw holes, and prevents a kink or wave from forming in the rope at each fitting position. For more information on positioning, layout and installation of stair ropes and fittings, please read through our guidelines on the MEASURE page.

Stem design may be modified as an extra option for wrought iron stair rope fittings with full or short stems; the image below shows a 24mm brushed steel fitting with a twisted square section stem. Please note that for the short stem there is no option for a twist, but a choice of square or round section bar only.

Twisted stem on stair rope bracket

Custom made stair rope fittings

Some bespoke work will require/involve careful measuring and considerable consultation, necesitating a specific costing.

Examples of this type of work include: the moulding of base plates to fit curved walls (image right, below), a custom corner fitting (image left, below), an angled ring to be welded onto a fitting for a particular rope drop - sometimes used with an eyesplice ending - and an extra large base plate for a specific requirement (below: one of a set commissioned to cap wooden posts for a garden walkway). Please contact us to discuss ideas and pricing.

Fittings: installation notes

Base plates on all stair rope brackets have four countersunk screw holes for securing to the wall. Screws and rawlpugs are included. Please note that whilst these screws are suitable for most situations, it is your responsibility to ensure that they are appropriate for yours.

∗ For chromed stair rope fittings, we provide zinc plated posidrive 'eights' (38mm/1.5 inch long) - yellow passivated for brass brackets.

∗ For wrought iron stair rope brackets, we provide 4 x 40mm posidrives with screw heads in matching finish.

Our stair ropes, bannister ropes and rope hand rails are delivered with brackets fixed in position on the rope, unless otherwise specified. If you are unsure of exactly where the centre bracket/s will fit to your wall, these fittings can be left "floating" on the rope, and the retaining screws or locking pins which go through the rope can be supplied separately. To measure up for a stair rope, and further advice on installation, see our detailed guidelines on the MEASURE page.

Contact Stair Ropes.com

For more advice or information about our bannister ropes and hand rails, and to order a stair rope, you can contact James Watson directly at Stair Ropes.com.

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Custom fitting with large rectangular base plate.