Cost to Install a Stair Handrail – 2021

| Last Updated: August 24, 2021

National Average Improvement and Repair Cost

Pro

DIY

Hours:

4.2

5

Cost:

$ 261

$ 105

Would you do this project? According to our survey, 63% of respondents preferred DIY compared to hiring a pro.

The average price to Install a Stair Handrail noted above is cost data to compare a contractor’s estimate with doing it yourself.

How much does it cost to install a stair handrail? The handyman contractor cost to install a stair handrail is $261 vs. doing it yourself for $105. 

A basement stairway has been the scene of many accidents where there was nothing to hang onto. And so has a wide-open or steep stairway where there’s no railing for support on the opposite wall. Whichever direction you going, a stair railing ensures safe footing and passage up or down a stairway.

A handyman will charge $261 to install a standard 10-foot-long hardwood handrail in a straight staircase using brass rail brackets fastened to the wall. This includes the material and labor. You can buy the materials for $105 and do it yourself, assuming you have carpentry skills and tools.

You’ll need a stud finder to locate the brackets, a carpenter’s level to lay out the rail’s position on the wall, an electric drill to install the brackets, and a miter saw if the rail requires cutting.

It’s a good idea to talk to the building department where you live to ask about specific requirements for handrails. Most of them specify how long and at what height they should be located on a wall. A rail that’s designed to extend beyond the bottom and top stairs will make it easier to use because there’s more of it to grasp.

Stair Supplies has a range of products for Hand Rail Supplies and Materials.

Now you know the average cost to install a stair handrail, which includes the labor and material, and what’s involved, so you can decide to do it yourself or hire a contractor.

Welcome! We hope you’ll find the job costs of home improvement projects useful when you’re deciding whether to do a job yourself vs. hire a contractor. We’re the authors of 20 home improvement books, most notably Home Improvement for Dummies©, Bathroom Remodeling for Dummies©, Carpentry for Dummies©, Plumbing for Dummies©, and Painting and Wallpapering for Dummies©. Our most recent book Fix It and Flip It is in its second edition. We’ve appeared as home improvement experts on television programs such as CNN, Dateline, the Today Show, HGTV and many others.