American Stair and Rail Artisans

We were looking to replace our dated stair rails, posts and balusters . While the process of having the salesperson come to our house to price the job and the visit to their showroom went well , that was about it . Upon receiving their emailed contract detailing the job for signing , we simply requested that they correct the type of balusters we ordered ( which was incorrect ) and insert an estimated date for starting the job (which space was left blank ) . We also had a few basic questions . We then informed them that we would sign a revised contract and put down the required deposit . Well , from that day on , we NEVER heard back from them ; even after sending a few follow up emails and making a few calls . Our feeling is that if you don’t want to do the job , just let us know so we can make other arrangements . Don’t keep us hanging . Based on this experience , we would recommend staying away from this company for your stair job .

American stairs and railing gets 5 stars in every aspect. from customer service to product quality and installation and everything in between. Everybody that I dealt with at this company was extremely nice and were always prompt to answer to any questions I had. I feel that they went above and beyond for me.

The whole process was great! From Steve giving the initial estimate and going over the design, to Renee doing me a solid and scheduling the guys to do my work on my day off and to the installers who worked professionally and completed the job in one day and made my foyer take on a whole new look which we are very happy with. Great company to use!!

I must say that building a home can be quite frustrating, and gathering the best people for the job can be exhausting? This company was wonderful to work with! Our stairs and rails made the entrance way! Professional top notch Company! Many thanks and may you be in business for many years to come to show your talent in homes all over.

We have been working with American Stairs for about 10 years. With the numerous projects they have done for us we have never been disappointed. They are a very professional origination.

We absolutely LOVE the way our new banisters & balusters turned out. It completely changed the look and feel of the entry way and foyer of our home. The staff at American Stair and Rail were there and helped us every step of the way from choosing the balusters & design layout. The owners were amazing. And their installer Carmine is impeccable at his craft! I would highly recommend them!

American Stair & Rail installed the stair treads, railings and balusters in our home. Originally, another contractor was supposed to lay down the treads and landing but in the last minute we asked American Stair to take over that job. And they did so with great expertise and in the end it looked like a million bucks. We met with Renee at their Lakewood showcase and she went over all our options. Upon speaking with me, she immediately was able to pinpoint my design taste and picked out all the right things. When we were stuck trying to choose between 2 baluster types, she ordered samples from the manufacturer. Her husband, Steve, brought them over to the house instead of us having to imagine what they might look like. Steve was also very nice, patient and offered a lot of advice for the installation. Overall, all of their employees have been very, very pleasant to work with!

American Stair and Rail Artisans designed, furnished and installed a beautiful curved staircase for our home in Freehold, NJ. They showed incredible professionalism from beginning to the end. The owners personally got involved during the design and installation phase to make sure our experience and finished product is acceptable to us. Their installers are exceptional masters at what they do and it shows in their work. If you have staircase project no matter how small or big, you will make a mistake if you do not hire American Stair and Rail Artisans.

In February 2014 we received a reasonable estimate from American Stair and Rail to re-tread our staircase with oak treads and risers, as well as replace the railings and balusters. We also agreed to provide wood flooring for our two landings to be installed by them (labor quoted in estimate). We signed the contract were told the job would take two days and was slated to start on March 5th. They started the job a day late on the 6th which wasn’t that big of a deal, however they never called to confirm the dates as they said they would, we had to call them. On the morning of the 6th the installer showed up to start the job. After walking through the project, he threw a curve ball at us by saying “we don’t really do flooring”. The job wound up taking 5 days to complete, not 2. On day 1, after the materials delivered, I noticed they had delivered white risers as opposed to the oak ones we paid for. Had I not caught that it could have been a bigger issue if he started installing them. Additionally, there were several other instances where the incorrect or insufficient materials were delivered to us and the installer waited around for hours at times doing nothing, he said it was typical. With the lack of progress after two days of work, I opted to install the hardwood floor myself over the weekend, since they “don’t really do flooring” anyway. Another major issue was the area where the starter (1st step) meets the tile floor, it was supposed to be built out large enough to cover the old starter step footprint, it was not, and I had to request molding to cover the gap. That was provided incorrectly twice, they don’t install it either. Ultimately, I made a template myself and went to their shop and waited for them to cut the molding then installed it myself. This was also initially met with a nasty response from Renee since I withheld the final payment until I received the correct molding. American Stair and Rail says that all their installers are “Master Craftsmen” but I later learned from Renee that another reason for the delay is that the installer had “trouble with the angles”. Throughout the job the installer had loads of negative things to day about American Stair and Rail and the owners. He was clearly frustrated with the place. One policy he kept bringing up was the fact that each installer is treated more like a subcontractor in that they are assigned a job and they own it. It is up to them to get it done and follow up if anything goes wrong, they are paid for each job similar to a subcontractor. He also said it was not uncommon for a homeowner to be told a period much shorter than what it would realistically take the one installer to do (another thing he mentioned…{his words} was typically one installer is assigned no matter the job). In the end the project was completed, but not to the standards they lead you to believe it would be. The major issue was the angle that the installer had trouble with, we didn’t notice it at first, at the curve in the pie shaped step the balusters are not in-line because the angle of the railing was not cut to match the angle of the step (as it was originally). To that point we were not pleased with American Stair and Rail, but the job was done and the steps looked good after I applied stain and polyurethane. HERE IS WHY I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THEM: In June, a section of the railing had separated. Their contract guarantees the craftsmanship for 1 year. I called and spoke to Sue who said they would call me back and get someone over to look at it. Later that day Sue called back and said they would get back to us to schedule someone to come out. Two weeks later, after not hearing from them, I called and was told they would look into it and call me back…no call back. A week later, I called them again and they said they told our original installer to call me back and would follow-up with him. A week after that I spoke to Renee and she apologized and said I have your number in front of me and she or the installer would get back to me before 4PM that day. THAT WAS THREE WEEKS AGO AND NO CALL BACK. Save yourself the headaches of dealing with their hot and cold attitude and their disgruntled employees and look elsewhere for a more professional contractor who will stand behind their work!

I had made an appointment for an estimate on a Wednesday between 12 and 2 - Peter was supposed to come by. By 2pm, no one had shown up. I called Renee, and she told me she would try to get in touch with Peter. At 2:45, I hadn't heard back, so I called to find out what had happened. She said she still hadn't heard from him and would get back to me. At 3:10 I hadn't heard back, so I called her to let her know I had to pick up my kids from school and wanted to know what was going on. She promised she would get back to me and let me know what happened, but the tone of her voice was very apathetic. At 4:15 I called again and left a message saying how shocked I was by the lack of customer service, didn't know if Peter had been in a car accident, etc. 10:15 the next morning, still no word from Renee. Called her up, she said Peter had never received the paperwork and she had the wrong phone number written down for me. I finally got my estimate from Peter, who was very nice, on Friday. $700 for materials, another $700 for installation. Considering how put off I was by the lack of consideration for my time, I decided to look into purchasing the supplies from another company. I purchased everything I needed for $360 including Fed Ex ground shipping.

This is a great company I have used and am still using to this day . I have built many homes with all different stairs and railings in them and they have the best product ,service and price point out there . They are a pleasure to do business with . Tony Piraino Piraino builders llc.

American Stair was easy to work with and flexible when I changed my mind during my project. I liked too that they provided me with lots of examples and photos to see how my job would look.