Staircase Millwork in Sarasota, FL

Can Carpeted Stairs Become Wood Stairs?

Yes. Under builder carpet there is usually a plywood or OSB tread with a rounded front edge. We remove the carpet and pad, trim back the old nosing, and fit solid hardwood treads and new risers over the existing structure.

The catch is height. Adding a new tread raises each step slightly, and the top and bottom steps change differently from the rest. The Florida Building Code limits how much riser heights can vary within one flight, so we measure every step, then plan tread thickness so the flight stays uniform from the floor to the landing.

Stair Railing, Balusters and Newel Posts

Handrails

A good rail fills the hand. We shape rails in oak, mahogany or walnut and join long runs with bolted joints so they stay tight through humid summers.

Balusters

Square, turned or flat-sawn wood balusters, painted or stained, set into the tread and rail. Changing balusters alone is a quick way to update a dated railing without replacing the rail.

Newel posts

The newel at the bottom anchors the whole railing. We build box newels with paneled faces and caps, sized to the stair, and anchor them through the floor or to the stringer so they do not wobble.

Treads, skirt boards and landing nosings

The finish parts at the edges decide whether a stair looks built or assembled. Skirt boards are scribed to the wall and the stringer, open sides get returned nosings so end grain never shows, and a landing gets a flush nosing that matches the treads below.

What Tells You a Staircase Needs Work?

Stairs rarely fail all at once. These are the signs we look for at a measure, along with what usually causes them in homes around here:

• Squeaks and give underfoot: builder treads of plywood or OSB, fastened with staples or a few nails, loosen over the years; solid treads glued and screwed to the stringers end it.
• A newel that moves when you grab it: some 1980s-2000s builder posts were only nailed to the bottom step, and they loosen with every pull.
• Carpet worn through at the nosing: beach sand and grit wear the front edge of each step first, which is why carpet on stairs near the coast looks tired fast.
• Balusters set wide apart: stairs built under older codes can have openings larger than today's Florida Building Code allows, worth correcting when the railing is replaced.
• Chipped paint-grade rails: soft pine handrails dent and show bare wood where hands and rings hit them every day.

Railing Rules From the Florida Building Code

Replacing a guard or railing may require a permit, depending on the scope and the jurisdiction. We tell you what we know at the measure and suggest a call to your building department when it is unclear. Any change to the stair's structure, such as stringers or framing, is work for a licensed contractor.

Which office you call depends on the address: Sarasota County Planning and Development Services for unincorporated homes, the City of Sarasota inside its limits, and Manatee County for the Lakewood Ranch neighborhoods north of the county line. Florida's DBPR issues the Chapter 489 licenses held by the contractors who repair stringers or framing, and a licensed electrician wires any new stair or landing lights.

Can You Build Storage Into the Stairs?

The triangle under a stair is often wasted. Depending on what is behind the stringer, we can turn it into:

• Pull-out drawers in the lower risers or along the side of the stair
• A cabinet bank or bookshelf under the run, built like our cabinetry with dovetail drawers
• A small closet with a door matched to the rest of the house
• A reading nook or desk where the headroom allows

We open a small inspection hole first to check for ductwork, plumbing or wiring. If any of those need moving, licensed trades do that before the storage goes in.

Stair Remodel Steps, From Measure to Finish

1. 1

   Measure each step

   We record every riser height and tread depth, the landing, and the condition of the stringers and existing railing.

2. 2

   Design the stair

   Drawings and a 3D model show tread species, nosing shape, newels and balusters, along with the railing heights the code requires.

3. 3

   Build in the shop

   Treads, risers, rails and newels are made and pre-finished at the Lewis Ave shop where possible.

4. 4

   Tear out and install

   Carpet and old parts come out, then treads, risers, skirt boards and railing go in. The stair stays usable at points during the work.

5. 5

   Final finish

   Exposed edges are filled and touched up, and a durable floor-grade finish protects the treads.

What Sets the Cost of a Staircase Remodel?

• Number of steps, landings and winders
• Open or closed stair: open sides need returned nosings and more railing
• Wood species for treads, rails and newels
• Keeping the existing railing versus replacing it entirely
• Custom-turned or paneled newels versus simpler square posts
• Storage built into the space below

Local house types shape the scope. Two-story subdivision homes from the 1980s on usually have an open side with a long guard, elevated homes on the islands can have long flights with landings, and townhouses with association rules may limit work hours. Because most houses have only one stair, the install is sequenced around daily use. A written estimate follows the approved drawings, and later changes are handled as change orders.

Staircase Millwork and the Look of the Entry

A staircase usually rises from an entry hall, so it is seen alongside the front door and the doors along the upstairs landing. Matching wood and panel profiles ties them together; see our custom wood doors page for how we reproduce existing doors.

Some of the same skills, such as fitting steps to curved and sloping hulls, come from boat work. Our marine woodworking page describes that side of the shop's history.