What we walk into in East York
1930s–50s semi-detached and small detached houses, many never renovated below the carpet. Rooms are small, ceilings are low, and the original 2 1/4" strip oak is usually still there and usually worth saving.
Lifting broadloom to find intact oak, dust-contained refinishing in occupied houses, and steep narrow flights where every millimetre of run matters.
How we specify railings here
- Graspable oak, maple, and walnut profiles, including farmhouse and contemporary
- Box newels, pin-top newels, and metal newel conversions
- Iron, steel, wood, and cable infill — mixed-material stairs done cleanly
- Wall rails on both sides where the code or a toddler requires them
A railing is a piece of millwork you put your full weight on at 11 p.m. If the newel is toe-nailed into a hollow newel block, it will fail. Green Hardwood through-bolts newels into structure, not into trim.
We mill and install hardwood handrails in the same species as the stair, or we specify a painted newel with a clear-finish oak rail — a combination that reads expensive in Forest Hill and stays wipeable in a family house in Burlington.
Ontario requires a graspable handrail and a guard height that depends on the drop. Decorative 2x6 caps with no graspable profile fail inspection. We will not install them. We will show you three profiles that pass and still match the architecture.
Jobs East York keeps calling us for
- Broadloom removal and original-oak refinishing
- Narrow-flight stair retreads
- Kitchen-addition floor matching
Railings in East York — questions
Looking for the full service detail rather than the East York view? Hardwood Railings covers method, materials, and warranty. For everything we do in this city, see hardwood flooring in East York.