Adding some custom detail to your staircase can be an inexpensive project if you build a newel post yourself. While generally newel posts are structural elements that support the handrail, this one is purely decorative. When a handrail sits on top of a half wall, a newel post is simply a decorative architectural element that gives an otherwise boring stair wall some character. 
This stairway leads downstairs into my basement where we have a craft room, playroom and entertainment room. Such a fun basement needed more than a boring entry, it needed a newel post!
How to Build a Newel Post
- I nailed and screwed two 2×4’s onto the end of the wall
- Covered that on 3 sides with MDF
- Primed and painted that.
- Added some more MDF on the bottom to “stack” the base.
- Added some 1×2 pine (just cut and nailed in place…no fancy joinery or anything!)
- Added some moulding
- Primed and painted that!
8. Topped it off with a piece of MDF (making sure the top would extend over the edge far enough to cover the crown moulding I was going to attach.)
9. Added a small Crown moulding.
10. Added some more MDF, moulding and a finial on the top (because I thought it needed something more.)
11. Added another, even smaller finial to the first finial because it was flat on top and I thought it looked weird being flat!
12. Primed what needed to be primed and painted everything again!
I have to get a lot done today because tomorrow is Get Nothing Done Wednesday because I volunteer at Maddie’s schoooool,
13 more projects to do…!!!
This.Is.Amazing! Totally love it! I will print this out and save it for the next house!
Your work is just fabulous… and I can tell that you can see it in your mind before you make it. So many people don't possess that skill. PLUS, you do all this so quickly you are putting the rest of us to shame!You go girl!!
Love your post, gorgeous trim work and the finial was the perfect finishing touch.
this is friggin' awesome! I love it!
Can I ask the paint color? I really like that shade of yellow! Nice job with the post, it looks awesome!
Love this! Could you share your budget…I need to convince the hubby 😉
Sandra, you are seriously a genius! and I suppose you did it all in about an hour too?
Are the corners of the mdf and the 1x2s mitered? I really want to do this project, but I would love to see pics of the front and back… Pretty please?
That’s the thkinnig of a creative mind
No, I didn’t miter anything. If you can enlarge the second picture enough, you can see the right side of the bottom piece of MDF is the end of the piece of MDF on the other side. I just butted everything up and sanded well, smeared some wood filler in the “end grain” of the MDF, sanded again, then primed. You might need to sand the MDF again after priming if you use water based primer that raises the wood fibers and makes it rough. Then you can paint and it should look pretty good. I was trying to hurry at this point to finish and get my house sold. If you aren’t frantic like I was, miters would be nice. 😀
I’m back to check this post out again. I just had light bulb moment that I may be able to do this. My stairs are boxed in all the way to the end and are half walls like your photo, but on both sides. I thought of taking the walls back and adding railing and spindles, but then I lose wall space. BUT the newel post at the end makes it look so classy. I have to really figure our the 2×4 placement so I can box it all in nice like yours.