I have 2 steps from my garage to the house. By building code in our area thisdoes not require a rail. Yet quite a few people that visit need the help of a rail. This worked great. I had to do a little testing with a small nail to find for sure where the stud was (stud finder was close) and then installed it with 3.5 inch black lag screws with predrilled holes. Worked great. Two other quick points. This is a heavy duty quality rail I would not install it in anything but a solid surface like a stud, brick or concrete. It comes primed and I painted it black. It painted really nice and easy with standard rust resistant spray paint. I was pleasantly surprised how nice this looked. Also checking code for height to install will ensure effective use (as well as code as needed).