With the many handrail designs available to select from, it can be tricky working out which style is best suited to your house. But not to worry, this helpful blog explores everything you need to know about handrail styles, including what decor and staircase type is best suited to each variety.

What are oak handrails?

A traditional safety feature, an oak handrail is a long piece of timber that runs parallel to the floor as part of your balustrade, or separately when wall-mounted. This handy installation helps to prevent falls on the stairs in homes, as stair users can grab onto their handrail if they need to steady themselves whilst moving up and down.

Oak handrails are also regarded as a significant style feature in home decor and can be highly decorative or sleek in their appearance, depending on the preference of the homeowner.

Oak is popular because it is a luxurious material that exudes class and sophistication thanks to its eye-catching grains and also since it tends to look the part among all decors.

Types of oak handrail

There are various types of handrails that you can consider, including:

Integrated

With this type of oak handrail, the handrail is incorporated into a frame known as a balustrade or bannister – a structure running alongside your stairs that features stair parts including spindles, which hold up the oak handrail.

Not all staircases have a balustrade.

Wall-mounted

As the name suggests, wall-mounted oak handrails are fixed into the wall running alongside your staircase. In an enclosed staircase, wall-mounted handrails may be installed on one, or both sides of the walk space for added stability.

Alternatively, they may feature opposite an integrated handrail on the opposing side of the steps if the staircase is partially open.

Grooved

A grooved handrail features a channel through its floor-facing surface for wooden spindles or glass panels to neatly slot into. This groove may vary in size, depending on the dimensions of your spindles or panels, so be sure to select the correct groove width and depth before purchasing.

Ungrooved

Unsurprisingly, ungrooved oak handrails are completely solid and don’t feature a channel of any description. This makes them perfectly suited to modern touches, like metal spindles and glass panel brackets, that screw directly into the base of the handrail.

Handrail styles

Now for the aesthetics – there are so many different oak handrail styles to choose from, so you’ll likely be spoiled for choice!

Pig’s ear-shaped

Ideal for wall-mounting, pig’s ear styled handrails gain their name for their unique shape, which makes them great for smaller and more compact spaces.

If affordability is what you’re looking for, you can’t go wrong with pig’s ear handrails.