Stairs and Handrails
New rails, new balusters, and rebuilt staircases. The stair is usually the first thing anyone sees walking in, and it is the fastest way to make a builder-grade house stop looking like one.
- Leo runs every job
- Free in-home estimate
- One written estimate
Stair and Handrail Projects
The first thing people see
Most houses around here came with the same stair package: a builder oak rail, thin square balusters, and a newel post that has worked loose by now. Nothing is wrong with it structurally. It just reads as the part of the house nobody chose.
Swapping the balusters and the rail changes the entry more than paint does, and it costs less than people expect. A full rebuild is a bigger job, and it is the right call when the stair is out of code, the treads move under everything, or you are opening a wall and the stair has to change anyway.
Stairs are also the one piece of finish carpentry with real code behind it. Baluster spacing, rail height, and graspability are all inspected items in Virginia, and they are worth getting right whether or not anyone pulls a permit.
Tell us about your project
Takes about a minute. Leo replies within one business day.
Scope of Work
Rail and baluster replacement
The common job. Existing balusters come out, new ones go in, and the rail is replaced or refinished. Usually a few days and no demolition.
Iron balusters
Metal balusters set into the existing treads and rail. The biggest visual change for the money, and it suits most of the housing stock around here.
Newel posts and fittings
The post carries the whole rail, so a loose one is a safety issue rather than a cosmetic one. We anchor it properly instead of gluing it back down.
Full stair rebuilds
New treads, risers, stringers, and skirt board. The right call when the stair is failing, out of code, or changing shape as part of a larger renovation.
Curved and open runs
Volutes, turnouts, and rail that has to bend. Slower work with more layout up front, and it is where the fit either reads as custom or does not.
Stain, paint, and finish
Painted risers with stained treads is the common request. Matching an existing floor stain is its own step, and we sample it before committing.
How the job runs
We come look at the stair
We measure the run, check rail height and baluster spacing against code, and find out whether the newel is actually anchored. That last one decides a lot about the job.
You pick the parts
Rail profile, baluster style, and finish. We bring samples out rather than sending a catalog link, because stain looks different in your light than it does in a photo.
Written estimate
One number covering material, labor, and finish, with the scope listed so you can hold it up against anyone else you are talking to.
Install
A rail and baluster swap usually runs two to four days. A full rebuild runs longer and the stair is out of service for part of it, so we talk that through before we start.
Finish and walkthrough
Filled, sanded, and finished, then Leo walks it with you and signs off before we are done.
What Homeowners Say
A few of the reviews homeowners have left for us on Google.
Rated 5 out of 5 stars on Google.
"We are so happy with the work that Leo and his team did on our house! We wanted to update our living room with a new fireplace, new mantel, new floating shelves, new paint/finish over the old dark wood cabinets. Leo took great care to understand exactly what w…"
Jeff Talbot
Rated 5 out of 5 stars on Google.
"Leo was professional, responsive, on time and his work was of high quality. Great communication from start to finish. He installed a residential remodel stair railing. He listened to what I wanted, I got exactly what I wanted. I highly recommend this company."
Suzette Verdine
Rated 5 out of 5 stars on Google.
"I hired Matos Construction to install laminate flooring and also to do closet shelving in our unfinished basement. Leo was also helpful in fixing poor quality finish work we had done by another contractor. Leo was very responsive with his communication. He was…"
Denise Stark
Stair and Handrail FAQs
Can you replace just the balusters and keep the existing rail?
Usually yes, and it is the most common version of this job. If the rail is sound and the profile still suits the house, we cut the old balusters out, drill and set the new ones, and refinish the rail in place. It is a few days of work with no demolition. If the rail itself is damaged or sits at the wrong height, replacing it at the same time costs less than coming back for it later.
Do stairs need a permit in Virginia?
Replacing balusters and a rail on an existing staircase generally does not. Rebuilding the stair, changing its rise or run, or altering the opening does, because those are structural and inspected. Baluster spacing and rail height are code items either way. We build to those whether or not a permit is pulled, since they are the parts that matter if someone falls.
How much does a handrail and baluster replacement cost?
It depends on the length of the run, the number of balusters, whether the newel posts are staying, and what finish you want. A straight flight with iron balusters and a refinished existing rail is at the low end. A curved run with new posts and new rail is a different job. We measure and give you one written number, because the ranges published online are wide enough to be useless.
How long is the stair unusable?
For a baluster and rail swap it stays usable most of the time. There are a few hours during install and again during finishing when we would rather nobody was on it, and we schedule those around your day. A full rebuild takes it out of service for longer, and if it is the only stair in the house we plan the sequence around that.
Thinking about the stairs?
Send a photo of what you have now and we will come measure and put a written estimate together.