A Stair Railing Should Fit Your Hand Before a Mood Board
Choosing a stair railing starts with grip, height and safety, then style. Learn what makes a handrail comfortable in Houston homes. Get a free estimate.
Montgomery County · Trim, Doors & Stairs
The stairs are often the first thing guests see in a The Woodlands home. We help Montgomery County homeowners make them solid, safe and good-looking.
The Woodlands is a large planned community north of Houston along I-45, mostly in Montgomery County with a small portion in Harris County. It was laid out around preserved forest, with villages separated by greenbelts, trails and lakes. Market Street and The Woodlands Waterway form its town center.
Many Woodlands homes were built in the 1980s and 1990s under tall pines, with oak cabinets, soffits and traditional trim now ready for replacement. Newer villages have larger, open homes. Common work includes full kitchen remodels, soffit removal with ceiling-height uppers, paneled studies, two-story fireplace walls and outdoor kitchens on screened or covered patios.
Older two-story homes in The Woodlands may have original stairs with worn treads, loose balusters or riser heights that no longer match after decades of flooring changes. We inspect the stringers, correct uneven steps and install solid hardwood treads and risers. Where the house has period character, we choose nosing profiles and finishes that suit it rather than forcing a modern look onto a traditional home.
Every project starts with an in-home measurement in The Woodlands. We build in our Houston shop and the same crew handles installation, so the person you talk to at the estimate is accountable for the result. Learn more about our full custom stair installations service.
Stairs carry real safety risk, and we treat them that way. Ace Kustoms is licensed and insured, and our own crew handles stair work from start to finish without subcontracted installers.
We install solid hardwood treads, typically 1 inch or thicker, in red oak, white oak, hickory, maple or walnut. Solid treads take sanding and refinishing over the decades, unlike veneered caps or laminate overlays that wear through.
We measure every rise and run, correct uneven first and last steps caused by flooring changes, and keep riser heights consistent within code tolerances. Consistent steps are what keep people from tripping, especially in the dark.
Each tread is cut and scribed to the stringer and skirt, glued with construction adhesive and fastened to prevent squeaks. A properly installed stair feels solid underfoot and stays quiet for years.


Many Houston two-story homes have stairs built over a slab with a first riser that sits directly on concrete, and flooring changes on that slab often throw off the first step height. We measure and correct this so the first riser matches the rest. Humidity causes wood to move, so we acclimate hardwood treads in the home before installation and leave room for seasonal expansion at the skirt. Builder-grade stairs in the area are often built with stringers and pine or particleboard treads intended for carpet, which need inspection before hardwood goes on. Stairwell walls in two-story homes can be tall, so we plan scaffolding or ladders safely around them.
Shade from the pines keeps some homes cooler but can trap moisture, and humidity remains a factor year-round. We build boxes from plywood and choose stable door constructions. For lake homes, we plan finishes for damp air and for rooms where doors are opened often. Garage and outdoor cabinets get materials and finishes meant for heat swings, and for homes near the San Jacinto River or Spring Creek we can discuss raised bases.
As a general planning range, a straight carpet-to-hardwood stair conversion in Greater Houston often runs about $150 to $350 per step for treads, risers and finishing, so a typical 14-step stair may land roughly between $2,500 and $5,500 before railing work. Curved stairs and custom parts cost more. Get a written estimate after an in-home measure.
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