Category 04 of 06

Stair systems. The one part of the house people actually touch every day.

Treads, risers, balusters, newel posts, handrails, and shoe rails — in oak, maple, walnut, and paint-grade. Code-compliant baluster spacing pre-engineered. Stock kits ship in days; full systems in a couple of weeks; custom turnings inside a month.

Send a stair plan → Or call · (425) 532-5315

At a glance

Brand across 5 component groups · 2 day to 4 week lead range · Code-compliant by default · Custom turnings on request.

The stair program at a glance

One brand, five components, and the code-compliant baluster spacing already worked out.

Stair brands stocked
or routinely ordered

Component groups, treads
through handrails

2d–4w

Lead-time range
stock to custom turnings

Species in regular rotation:
oak, maple, walnut, paint-grade

The lineup

One brand. L.J. Smith for the kit — with custom turnings and hardwood treads run alongside.

A stair package builds out from the L.J. Smith catalog — balusters, newels, handrail profiles, fittings, shoe rail — matched with hardwood treads and risers run by our custom-knife shop in the species you’re using on the floors. Code-compliant by default; custom turnings on request.

L.J. Smith Stair Systems

Stair-systems specialist. Deep catalog of balusters, newel posts, handrail profiles, fittings, and shoe rails — the parts that make up most of a stair package, in stock and engineered for code.

Strong on: Balusters, newels, handrail profiles, fittings, shoe rail
Lead: Stocked components 2 – 5 days · full system 5 – 14

Tier — Production / Custom

Manufacturer site →

Custom turnings on request

Newel posts and balusters turned to a sample, drawing, or matching profile.

For matching an existing house or hitting an architect’s detail. Bring the sample or the drawing — we coordinate the turning, species, and finish. Custom turnings cycle in 3 – 4 weeks.

Code-compliant by default

Baluster spacing pre-engineered — no math at the framing stage.

Every stair package we quote ships with baluster centers that meet the IRC 4-inch sphere rule. The framer measures the rise and run; the math is already done. Saves a half-day on every install.

By component group

A stair system is five things stacked together, each with its own spec decision.

Most stair packages mix species across components — oak treads with paint-grade risers, hardwood handrails over stock balusters. The rep helps spec the combination at the right tier for the project, then quotes it as a single system with one lead time.

Treads & risers.

The horizontal surfaces · species-matched to the floor

Hardwood treads

Oak, maple, walnut, alder, or fir — matched to the floor species. Standard depths and lengths in stock; oversized and custom species to order. The most-quoted line on a stair takeoff.

Stocked species 5–10dCustom 2–3wCustom hardwood run

Risers

Paint-grade or stain-grade. Most projects pair stain-grade hardwood treads with paint-grade risers — cleaner contrast, lower cost, identical install.

Stock 2–5dHardwood 5–10dL.J. Smith, custom hardwood

Newels & balusters.

The vertical pieces · where the design statement lives

Newel posts

Box newels, turned newels, and pin-top newels in catalog patterns. Custom turnings on request for matching an existing house. The corner posts; usually 2 – 4 per stair run.

Stock 2–5dCustom turning 3–4wL.J. Smith

Balusters

Wood balusters in dozens of catalog profiles — turned, square, fluted — or wrought-iron balusters for transitional and traditional homes. Spacing pre-engineered to code.

Stock 2–5dIron balusters 5–10dL.J. Smith

Handrails & shoe rails.

The long pieces · where the hand actually goes

Handrail profiles

Catalog profiles in paint-grade or stain-grade hardwood. Custom hardwood handrails in any species we stock — matched to the tread material. Code-compliant grip section by default.

Stock 2–5dHardwood custom 5–14dL.J. Smith, custom hardwood

Shoe rails & fittings

Shoe rails (the lower rail balusters drop into), volute and turn-out fittings for the bottom-of-stair detail, and the gooseneck pieces for landings. Specced from the rail profile.

Stock 2–5dCustom turning 3–4wL.J. Smith

The tier ladder

Three working tiers, shaped by how stairs actually carry a house.

The tier mostly comes down to species and turning — paint-grade kit components for production, mixed hardwood with catalog profiles for custom homes, custom turnings and species-matched runs for architectural work. Mixing tiers is routine: paint-grade risers under stain-grade treads is the most common production-plus-custom combo we ship.

Tier 1Production

Production

Spec homes, multifamily, repeating unit types where stock kit components and predictable lead times drive the program.

TreadsPaint-grade or stock oak in standard depths
Newels & balustersStock catalog patterns from L.J. Smith
HandrailCatalog profile, paint-grade or stain-grade
Best forProduction volume, fixed-fee bids, predictable schedules

Spec to ship 5 – 14 days

Tier 2Custom

Custom Home

Architect-driven single-family where the stair is a finish element — species-matched to the floor, with a feature newel and a deliberate baluster pattern.

TreadsStain-grade hardwood — oak, maple, walnut, alder
Newels & balustersCatalog newels with iron or upgraded wood balusters
HandrailHardwood, profile-matched to the cap rail and trim
Best forArchitect specs, design-build, $1M+ projects

Spec to ship 2 – 3 weeks

Tier 3Architectural

Architectural

Top-of-spec residential and high-end commercial — the stair is the architecture, and every piece comes off a drawing.

TreadsCustom species, custom widths, mitered nosings
Newels & balustersCustom turnings, profile-matched to the house
HandrailCustom-milled hardwood, drawn from elevation
Best forArchitect-led, finish-driven projects where the stair is the centerpiece

Spec to ship 3 – 4 weeks

Stair lead times

Four planning bands, from the takeoff to the truck.

Stock components ship in days — we keep production-tier balusters, newels, and standard handrail profiles on the floor. Hardwood treads and stain-grade handrails sit in the middle band. Custom turnings — matching an existing house, or hitting an architect’s drawing — run a couple of weeks past that.

Tier

Range

Typical

Availability

Stock components & kits

2 – 5 days

Stocked

Full system, paint-grade

5 – 14 days

Stocked components

Hardwood treads & handrails

2 – 3 weeks

To order

Custom turnings & species

3 – 4 weeks

To order

What pushes a job up the band: custom species, custom turnings, oversized treads (depths beyond standard), iron balusters in non-stock patterns, and handrail profiles drawn from an elevation. Bringing a sample of the floor early helps the rep order the tread species in lockstep.

— Treads, risers, balusters, handrail

How to spec stairs

Three ways to start a stair spec, pick whichever matches what you have.

Send a stair plan

Stair-section drawing, framing rise/run, plus the floor species. We line-item it back: treads, risers, newels, baluster count, rail length, fittings — with brand and lead time per line. Code-compliant baluster spacing already worked out.

Email plan · quote returned line-by-line

Bring a sample

For matching an existing house. Bring a piece of the floor, the existing rail, or a newel turning — or a photo with a measurement. The rep matches what we stock or specs the closest custom turning.

Walk in · Mon – Fri 7a – 4p

Walk the showroom with elevations

For architect-driven custom homes. Bring the stair-section elevation; walk the newel and baluster catalog with the rep. Leave with a tier-appropriate brand recommendation, profile selections, and a finish direction.

By appointment · ~60 minutes

Across the program

The same six categories, the same reps, one delivery — whatever the schedule needs.

Have a stair plan? Let’s price it.

Send a stair section, a sample, or a set of elevations — we’ll price it line by line.

Treads, risers, newels, balusters, rails, and fittings — quoted as a single system with one lead time. Code-compliant baluster spacing already worked out.

Send us your project → Or call (425) 532-5315