How to not accidently kill one of my tenants?

[Account Closed]

Hello,

I am trying to put in a handrail on my 1st floor steps, but stuck on one thing.

The wall appears to be plaster, with 2 sheets of plasterboard roughly 3/4inch total. Behind that directly is a cinderblock wall.

No studs.

What screws do I use to handle this so that it can withstand 200lbs of downward and outward load?

I purchased these on the right, and the handrail kit included the back on the left. 

What is the way to do this so it's 100% safe to support weight?

Thank you for your time and knowledge.

-Dan

[Jim K.]

You're going to need a hammer drill and at least 5-inch Tapcons screws to make holes in the cinderblock. The drywall anchors you bought aren't going to do it. Drill larger holds in the handrail hardware if you need them, or use the Tapcon screws to install wood blocks (pieces of 2x4) on the wall and attach the handrail hardware to that. After that, a gorilla shouldn't be able to pull the handrail off the wall.