Hand Rail Hell

The hand rail on the stair leading to our basement keeps getting loose. It happens near the top of the stairs. I thought I was set when I added a second bracket near the top of the stairs. But now that bracket had screws that were stripped. This was getting old. Wall anchors did not help any.

I can up with a plan. I got a small piece of sturdy wood. I drilled holes in it spaced to match the bracket. Then I put two piece of rope around the wood. I jammed the wood in through the dry wall. I used the rope to pull the wood taught against the back of the dry wall. Then I screwed the bracket into the wood.

It is holding tight for now. This is just a work around. I figure I can have my handyman find some studs and screws the brackets into the studs. I do need to patch the hole I made in the drywall. At least the hand rail is sturdy now. Everyone probably uses this think when going downstairs.