Traditional · Restoration
The Farmhouse Wood Stair Style
The Farmhouse series is the Lehigh Valley restoration default — what most period homes had originally and what most renovators want to put back. Painted square-shouldered newel posts pair with simple turned spindles in a single repeating profile. The handrail is usually a thinner, lower-profile stock than colonial-revival work and reads warmer than formal traditional.
- Est. 198739 yrs
- Family-Owned
- Veteran-Owned
- 4.8★ Verified
- Lehigh Valley
Definition
What is a Farmhouse wood stair?
A Farmhouse wood stair is a traditional rural-style staircase built from painted square-shouldered box newels and a single repeating turned-spindle profile, finished with a thinner low-profile handrail. The painted-newel, stained-tread mix is its signature — warmer and simpler than formal colonial-revival work.
Built & reviewed by Snyder Stairs · Whitehall, PA · Est. 1987 · Updated June 2026
Visual character
What makes the Farmhouse profile distinct.
- Square-shouldered box newels with painted finish
- Single repeating turned-baluster profile (no alternates)
- Thinner, lower-profile handrail than colonial-revival
- Painted skirt board, stained tread + handrail — the painted/stained mix is the Farmhouse signature
When it works
Best fit for the Farmhouse style.
- Older Lehigh Valley homes (pre-1950) that originally had a farmhouse-style stair
- New farmhouse-colonial builds in southern Lehigh and the Bucks/Berks edge
- Renovations where the home wants to read rural-traditional, not formal-traditional
- Buyers who want the 'matches the rest of the trim' aesthetic without a designer-led project
Pairings that work
Configurations + iron patterns that pair with Farmhouse.
The Farmhouse profile works best with specific stair geometries and (when iron is in the mix) specific iron baluster patterns. Below: the catalog cross-references for this style.
Recommended configurations
How it compares
Wood balusters or iron — which suits the Farmhouse look?
Most Farmhouse runs use turned wood spindles, but iron pickets are an option on transitional and mixed runs. The trade-offs:
Turned wood spindles
- Stays true to the period vocabulary of the style
- Profile + species can match the home's existing trim
- Repaint or re-stain to refresh over time
- Single repeating profile reads warmer and traditional
Iron pickets
- Lower maintenance — satin-black finish, no re-staining
- Slimmer profile opens up the visual line of the run
- Modernizes the read on transitional remodels
- Can alternate with wood spindles in mixed runs
Farmhouse FAQs
Common questions about the Farmhouse wood stair style.
Q: Can Farmhouse pair with iron balusters?
It can but it's not the most natural fit. Farmhouse is defined by its painted square newels with turned wood spindles between. If you want iron, the Hampton transitional or Contemporary series sits more naturally with iron pickets.
Q: What wood species do you stock for Farmhouse builds?
Red oak is the workhorse. White oak runs a few dollars more per linear foot but tones whiter and lighter — popular for newer farmhouse colonials. Hard maple is the cleanest, lightest option but harder to stain-match.
Browse every profile we carry.
Two full product catalogs — wood and iron. Flip through the whole line, mark what you like, and bring it to your first call.
Ready when you are
Custom stairs and railings, built in Whitehall.
Custom stairs and railings, built by a family of Pennsylvania craftsmen for nearly forty years. We'll give you a realistic budget on the first call — not a teaser, not a pressure-close. Get in touch, or send a few photos.
Budget on the first call · (610) 443-2240 · Whitehall, PA
