Stairs. Solid treads. Silent. Square.
Stairs are the highest-wear, most visible surface in a house. They're also the part of a flooring job most likely to be done badly — uneven nosings, squeaky treads, mismatched stain. We rebuild from the rough framing up: shim flat, glue and screw the tread, miter the return, and finish to match the floor below.
What's included in this service?
- Tread and riser installation in oak, walnut, hickory
- Engineered stair treads to match engineered flooring
- Mitered return ends on open stairs
- Stair refinishing — sand, stain, seal to match the rest of the floor
- Iron baluster swap (replace existing wood balusters with iron)
- Newel post replacement
- Skirt board install or replacement
- Squeak repair from above and below
When do you need this service?
- Carpeted stairs being converted to hardwood
- Existing wood stairs that are scratched, worn, or mismatched
- You're refinishing the floor and the stairs need to match
- Squeaky stairs that drive you crazy
- Updating dated wood balusters to iron
What do homeowners ask about Stairs?
How much does a flight of stairs cost?
A typical 14-step interior staircase in solid white oak with mitered returns runs $1,800 to $3,500 installed and finished. Adding iron balusters (replacing existing wood) is another $40 to $80 per baluster. Carpet-to-wood conversions on existing stringers are at the lower end. Full replacement of treads, risers, and stringers is at the upper end.
Can my carpeted stairs become wood?
In most cases, yes. We pull the carpet, padding, and tack strips. If the existing treads are sound construction-grade lumber, we cap them with a hardwood tread cover. If they're not, we replace with new treads. Risers usually get replaced. The result looks like the stairs were always wood.
Why do my stairs squeak?
Same answer as floors: movement. The most common cause is a tread that has come loose from the stringer. We can fix from below if there's an unfinished basement or accessible underside. From above, the fix is a screw through the tread into the stringer, plugged and finished. Both work; both are cleaner than living with the squeak.
Can the stairs match the floor downstairs?
Yes, when we plan ahead. Same species, same wood-grain orientation, same stain. The trick is staining the treads and risers separately on a sample board and matching to the floor before we install. After the install, the stair finish and the floor finish should be visually continuous.
Where do we offer Stairs in San Diego County?
We provide stairs in every city and community in San Diego County. Pick your city for local climate notes and service specifics.
See stairs in all 48 cities
Homeowners who hired us for this
Twenty-year-old oak floors that I was about to replace. They sanded, stained, and sealed them — they look brand new. Dust containment was real. Crew was on time every day. Cost a third of what replacement would have been.
Got three quotes for the same LVP. Surface Pro was the only one that probed the slab for moisture before quoting. Two other contractors would have skipped it. Floor's been down six months and there's not a single edge curling anywhere.
Coastal house, slab on grade. They explained why solid hardwood was a bad call here and walked me through engineered options. Picked European white oak, glue-down install. Looks like real wood because it is real wood, but handles the humidity.
Need stairs in San Diego County?
Call for a free quote. Most work scheduled within the week.