Cost to Replace a Stair Railing – 2021

| Last Updated: August 24, 2021

National Average Improvement and Repair Cost

Pro

DIY

Hours:

10.5

3.3

Cost:

$ 1048

$ 200

Would you do this project? According to our survey, 42% of respondents preferred DIY compared to hiring a pro.

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

How much does it cost to replace a stair railing? Save money by replacing a wooden stair railing for $200 yourself compared with $1,048, the cost of hiring a contractor, which includes labor and material.

Going up or down stairs from one level of a home to another will be safe and attractive by upgrading a stair railing with a new hardwood railing. It’s sure to be noticed for its traditional good looks and you’ll feel more secure everytime you use it.

The project requires some woodworking skills, but the job is made easier using a post-to-post stair system. It is called post-to-post because the handrail runs between the posts, unlike an over-the-post system with handrails running over the newel posts using fittings on the handrail.

A carpenter will charge $1,048 to remove a metal railing and replace it with a 10-foot-long, 32-inch-high prefinished oak railing and balusters on the second-floor landing of a house. This includes the labor and material. A handy homeowner with carpentry skills and tools can do the job for $200, the cost of the railing’s components, which include a wooden railing with balusters (sometimes called spindles), a newel post, wall brackets and the hardware fittings to install it. The fittings are bolted to the posts with lag bolts and the balusters are screwed down to the floor. To help you through the measuring and design process, go to www.ljsmith.net, the website of a stair component manufacturer that’s very useful for a budding carpenter with a stair railing project.

That sums it up. Knowing the average cost to replace a stair railing lets you compare doing it yourself with what you can expect to pay a contractor.

For more cost comparisons, check out related guides below:

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.