Staircase refinishing in St. Louis.
The staircase is the most visible architectural element in any home. When it looks right, the whole house does.
Treads. Risers. Spindles. Newel posts. Railings.
A staircase isn't one thing — it's five or six. Most contractors treat it as one. We don't. Each component has different wear patterns, different finish requirements, and different refinishing challenges.
Stair treads & risers
High-traffic surfaces. Durability is everything.
Learn moreSpindles & balusters
Intricate profiles. Hand-strip only — no shortcuts possible.
Learn moreNewel posts
The architectural anchor. Often carved original old-growth wood.
Learn moreStair railings
Safety and beauty. Continuous rail, handrail profiling.
Learn moreWe do the full staircase or specific components — whatever the project requires. We'll tell you what's worth doing and what can wait.
The most labor-intensive refinishing work we do.
Most staircases have 30–80 or more individual spindles. Each one has to be stripped by hand, sanded, and finished. There is no machine that does this correctly. A dip tank dissolves the glue joints at the base. A brush-and-sand approach leaves buildup in the profiles. Hand-strip, hand-sand, hand-finish — that's what it takes, and that's what we do.
Stair treads are the highest-traffic wood surface in a home. They need a finish built for that abuse — multiple coats of polyurethane, properly cured, on a correctly prepared surface. A thin finish coat over inadequate prep fails within two years. We don't do that.
In pre-1920 St. Louis homes, newel posts were often turned or carved from old-growth hardwood. They are architectural statements — the exclamation point at the bottom of the staircase. Refinishing one correctly means stripping it carefully, preserving every detail, and choosing a finish that brings out the depth of the wood rather than flattening it.
A staircase is never flat. Every surface is at an angle, on a curve, or in a tight corner. Good refinishing work on a staircase requires patience, the right tools, and experience with the specific challenges of the form. We've done hundreds of them.
No single project transforms a home more.
A refinished staircase changes how a home feels to walk into. Buyers notice it first. Guests comment on it. Owners who've lived with a worn, dull staircase for years are consistently stunned at what the same wood looks like after it's properly refinished.
Before-and-after photos don't fully capture it. The texture changes. The depth comes back. The color is right in a way it hasn't been in decades.
This is why staircase refinishing is often the first thing we recommend when a homeowner is trying to decide what to prioritize.
What does staircase refinishing cost in St. Louis?
Staircase refinishing isn't a flat-rate service — what you pay depends on what's actually in scope. A few things we look at before quoting:
- How many treads —the primary count variable on any staircase job
- What components are in scope —treads only, or treads plus risers, stringers, railings, spindles, and newel post
- Condition of the existing finish —light wear is different from decades of paint build-up or a prior DIY attempt
- Whether repairs are needed —damaged treads, loose spindles, and split newel posts are scoped separately
- Lead paint —pre-1978 homes require EPA-certified lead-safe protocol, which is part of every job we do on older woodwork
There's no number we can give you before seeing the staircase. But a free estimate takes about 15 minutes and there's no commitment.
Call (314) 367-6054 — describe what you have, and Sue will tell you what's realistic.Pre-1978 staircase? EPA certification matters.
Stair railings, spindles, and newel posts in homes built before 1978 typically have lead paint in the existing finish layers. Stripping these surfaces without EPA-certified lead-safe protocols generates lead dust.
Sue Wheeler is an EPA Certified Lead Removal. Lead-safe work on pre-1978 staircases is standard for us — documented, contained, and correctly disposed of.
Lead paint and wood refinishing FAQ →"The staircase in our 1905 CWE home hadn't been properly refinished in decades. Every contractor told us the spindles were 'too far gone.' Sue refinished every single one. The newel post looks like it was turned yesterday."
— Homeowner, Central West End
Common questions
Ready to restore your staircase?
Free estimate. No obligation. Sue answers every call personally.