Wood stair railings,built and fittedin Whitehall.
Balusters, newels, and continuous handrails in white oak, red oak, poplar, and hickory — plus more on request — cut, coped, and fit to your stair in our Whitehall, PA shop. Our own crew installs your rail — we don't outsource the work. Installed across Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, and the Lehigh Valley since 1987. Match the railing to the house, and the wood to the floor.
Pick the wood. We'll cut and fit it to your stair.
Every railing starts with a species choice. Below: a few of the American hardwoods we work with most — about a dozen available in all — with the trade-offs that matter: durability, color, finish, and price.
White Oak
TIGHT GRAIN. WORKHORSE WOOD.
Tight straight grain, durable enough for high-traffic foyers, and takes stain beautifully. White oak is the safe, timeless pick for Lehigh Valley colonials, farmhouses, and transitional family homes.
We stock rift- and quarter-sawn for treads and handrails, and plain-sawn for newels — that combination shows the cleanest face on the rail and the richest figure on the post.
- Janka 1360 — stands up to dogs, kids, and decades of foot traffic
- Rift- or quarter-sawn for treads, plain-sawn for newels
- Stains warm honey through to deep walnut tones
Walnut
DEEP CHOCOLATE. STATEMENT WOOD.
When the staircase is meant to be the room, we reach for walnut. Deep chocolate brown, fine straight grain, and a natural sheen that needs almost no stain.
Walnut shapes into sweeping curves better than any other American hardwood — that's why it's our pick for grand traditional foyers and over-the-post installs that flow uninterrupted from foyer to landing.
- Naturally rich color — minimal staining required
- Shapes into curves cleanly without breakout
- Strikes hard against painted risers and satin-black iron
Cherry
AGES AMBER. CLASSIC WOOD.
American cherry darkens to a rich amber over its first few years in your home — the only species we install that gets better with age.
Fine, even texture finishes silky-smooth and pairs naturally with painted white risers and brass hardware. The traditional pick for center-hall colonials and refined craftsman interiors.
- Develops patina — color deepens with sunlight over 2–3 years
- Fine, even texture finishes silky-smooth
- Pairs with white-painted risers and brass detail
Hard Maple
LIGHT. CRISP. MODERN WOOD.
Light, clean, and tough as nails. Hard maple keeps its near-white tone and tight grain, which makes it the go-to for modern, transitional, and contemporary stairs that lean cool rather than warm.
Hardest of the popular American species — stands up to dogs, kids, and the worst north-facing entries. Crisp partner for satin-black iron balusters.
- Janka 1450 — hardest of the popular American species
- Reads bright in north-facing entries
- Crisp partner for satin-black iron balusters
Wood railings, photographed in the homes they were built for.
Caruso · Acorn Finial
Caruso · Ebonized Handrail
Caruso · Upper Landing
Rambo · Walnut Sweep
Rambo · Volute Detail
Modern White Oak · Oak & Painted
Modern White Oak · Oak & Iron
Rambo · Carved Newel
CARPET TO OAK. SAME FOOTPRINT.
A four-runner stair stripped, refinished, and re-balustered in the same week. Treads in white oak, risers painted, new newels and balusters built and fit in our shop.
- 4–6 wksShop fabrication
- 1–2 daysTread / railing install
- One dayIron-baluster swap
- Same dayBudget from 3 photos
Drag the handle (or use arrow keys) to wipe between the original and the finished install.
After
Six numbers we'll repeat on the callback.
Wood-railing projects center on species selection + finish matching. Numbers below cover the rest.
- 01Lead time4–6 weeks
- 02Deposit50% on contract
- 03Site measureFree · in-home
- 04Install on-site1–3 days, our own crew
- 05Species5+ American hardwoods
- 06We come backIf it's not right
Six questions, answered honestly.
Can you match my existing stain or floor color?
Yes — we match the wood to your floor by species, which is what makes the railing read as one with the house. We deliver the wood unfinished so your finisher stains and seals it on site to the floor and trim that are already in the room — that's how the color lands dead-on. Tell us the species (oak, walnut, cherry, maple) and we'll source to match.
How long does a wood railing installation take?
Field visit + measure is free. Quote turns around within a few business days. Production in our shop varies by complexity — straight box stairs are quick, custom newels and curved handrails take longer. On-site install runs same-crew start to finish. Call us with your specs and we'll talk through realistic timing.
How does Snyder stand behind a wood railing?
Our own crew that built and installed your railing is the crew that comes back if something doesn't sit right. If something loosens later, we come back and fix it — call us and we'll come look at it. We've been doing this since 1987.
Which wood species is best for a railing?
Depends on the floor + finish. White oak is the most popular — tight grain, takes stain evenly, holds up to high-traffic foyers. Red oak is the workhorse — affordable, hardy grain. Poplar is the budget-friendly pick for painted railings. Hickory reads rustic with bold grain. Walnut is the statement choice — deep color, minimal stain. Cherry ages amber over the years; maple is the cleanest, lightest option for modern interiors — about a dozen species in all. Stop by the Whitehall showroom and we'll walk you through samples in person.
Can you do curved or over-the-post handrails?
Yes — that's some of our best work. Curved handrails are bent on jigs in our shop using laminated stock; over-the-post transitions are shaped and fit at the rake-to-level joint. Adds a couple weeks to fabrication and a day on site, but the visual difference is worth it for grand stairs. We've been doing this since 1987 — most stair shops outsource curved work; we don't.
Do I need to leave the house during install?
No. We work in sections so the stair is usable each evening. There's a 4-hour window per day where the rail isn't fully attached (we set tape barriers); we plan that around your schedule. Multi-floor stairs get one floor at a time. You sleep in the house every night.
Trade pro on a wood-rail spec?
American hardwoods, cut & fit at trade pricing.
White oak, red oak, poplar, hickory — plus more — cut, coped, and fit to the stair in our Whitehall shop. Call with your spec; we don't publish a price sheet because every species + profile combo is different.
- 12+ species
- CAD on complex jobs
- Trade pricing
Start the conversation
Wood stair railings, built and fitted in our Whitehall shop.
Call for a free over-the-phone consultation. We'll talk through species, profiles, and lead times — and walk you through before-and-after photos from down the road.
Budget on the first call · (610) 443-2240 · Whitehall, PA