Because they anchor the handrail and must be able to take the weight and stress routinely imposed on them, stair newels must be well secured to the staircase or floor framing.

When one becomes loose, and you can't see its anchoring point under the stairs, it may be necessary to work through a ceiling to get at the underside or remove a piece of flooring on a stair landing in order to make the repair.

On older stairs, the base of a newel is often doweled or mortised and glued in place. Modern stairs may have bolts, lag screws or other conventional hardware to hold the newel.

Once you've located the problem, reinforce the newel with new hardware. Use hefty connectors that can hold their own against everyday use, and be sure the newel is vertically plumb when you fasten it permanently in place.

If you have wall-mounted hand railings, be sure they are soundly secured to the wall—loose railings are a serious hazard.