Stair railings redo—worth it?

8 years ago

Our house (condo) was built in 1988 and has the cheap builder dark oak spindles and railings for stairs in the entry and in a loft which hangs over the LR. We planned to replace it when we have grandchildren (coming soon!) because we didn't think it meets code. We had a carpenter come out last week for an estimate and he said they are grandfathered in because they met code when built, and sort of almost meet code now.

He gave us a quote of $9000 to replace floor parts, spindles, railings and 5 newel posts with painted square spindles and light oak railings/floor/newel posts to match the oak floor we put in the LR/DR.

The question is, is it worth it?it would be a lot more attractive and up to date, and there's not much more we have to do to update the place as we've already done a lot. DH thinks it wouldn't increase the home value much even though he knows it would look better. What do you think? The exact price is not the issue, as even if it were a couple thousand dollars less (we can get more estimates) we'd still have these questions.

Featured Answer

Saypoint zone 6 CT

8 years ago

Whether it’s worth it depends on how important it is to you. I don’t think it will increase your home’s value unless the old railings are dangerous or really bad looking. Do you have a photo? Maybe painting would be an improvement?

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Comments (10)

User
8 years ago
Can you share photos? Hard to really judge without seeing what you've got. I think "is it worth it?" is a highly subjective question. Personally, I don't make upgrades with an eye to resale, but do them because they enhance the enjoyment I get from my home.
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User
8 years ago
"Is it worth..." $9000.???

Nope. Nope. Nope.

Take yourself on holiday. Or buy a boat.
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nosoccermom
8 years ago
Nope.

Look into gel staining the oak dark. Search for gel staining stair case or railing here. Some guy did an amazing job, with detailed instructions here.
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eld6161
8 years ago
Maybe even painting it, either white or black?
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nosoccermom
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Here's the thread I mentioned above. He gel stained the hand rail and painted the spindles. Looks amazing IMO:

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/4150292/gel-stain-staircase-i-need-serious-help-with-colours?n=128
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palimpsest
8 years ago
Is the railing out of code enough that a kid could get their head stuck or is it out of code because they are more than 4"? Or whatever the code is-- it's narrow. That might be the difference.
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nadd2
Original Author
8 years ago
No soccer mom, thanks for the link. He did do a great job. Our spindles are not as nice as his (they get narrower all the way to the top) and we wouldn’t be able to take everything apart like he did. I think we aren't going to do this project. Spindles are mostly 4 1/4” apart at the bottom and that meets code.
User
8 years ago
Show us a picture? We'll be honest :)
PRO
The Finishing Company
8 years ago
pictures please