Steel Stairs & Metal Railings
in Houston, TX

How tall does a railing have to be in Houston, and how far apart can the pickets be?

Height depends on the building type and how the rail gets used. The rules we build to most days:

• Guardrails: 42 inches in commercial buildings, 36 inches in homes
• Handrails: 34 to 38 inches above the tread nosing, in a graspable Type I or Type II profile
• Infill: a 4-inch sphere cannot pass through, which puts pickets and cables close together
• Load: guards and handrails are designed for a 200 pound concentrated load in any direction

How much do steel stairs and railings cost in Houston?

There is no flat rate, because a straight porch rail and a floating feature stair are different builds. Six things move the price: total rise and tread count, stringer type, infill (pickets, cable or glass), tread material, finish, and how hard the field install is. Hot-dip galvanizing costs more than paint up front and usually costs less over twenty years in this climate. Ask for the free written estimate. Every one of those items gets its own line, so you can compare options instead of guessing.

Will exterior steel stairs and railings rust in Houston?

Bare or thinly painted steel will, and fast. Houston runs humid most of the year, and salt air reaches well inland from Galveston Bay. Our answer outdoors is hot-dip galvanizing to ASTM A123, which puts zinc through every weld, corner and inside face. Where a color is required we galvanize first, then add a primer and urethane topcoat. If your existing stairs are already flaking or losing stringer steel, see steel repair and field modifications, since a retread is often cheaper than a full replacement.

Do you build OSHA industrial stairs, ships ladders and fixed ladders?

Yes, and they are a different standard from building stairs. OSHA 1910.25 sets stair angles between 30 and 50 degrees, with a maximum 9.5-inch riser and a minimum 9.5-inch tread. A ships ladder is steeper, 50 to 70 degrees, and is used where floor space will not allow a normal stair. We build all three with bar grating or checker plate treads, midrails and kickplates, most often for plants and warehouses in the Ship Channel and Grand Parkway corridors. They usually ship with catwalks or a mezzanine.

Do I need a permit and an engineer for a new stair or guardrail?

Usually yes for a structural stair, and often yes for a new guardrail on a commercial building. Inside city limits the permit comes from the City of Houston. Outside city limits it comes from Harris County, or from Fort Bend, Montgomery, Waller or Brazoria County. Commercial stairs are drawn and sealed by an engineer, and welds and high-strength bolting get checked by a third-party special inspector. East of SH 146 in Harris County, plus Galveston, Brazoria and Chambers counties, exterior steel also falls in the TDI windstorm catastrophe area and needs WPI-8 documentation. Texas licenses no general or steel contractor, so ask any bidder for the insurance certificate and welder qualifications instead. We pull the permit and book the inspections.

Can you anchor new steel stairs and rail to my existing concrete?

Yes. Most of our work lands on a slab, a porch or a stair landing that is already there. We core drill or set epoxy and wedge anchors to the size and embedment on the shop drawing, then check them before we load the stair. If the concrete under the anchors is cracked, spalled or too thin to hold, we say so before install. Our concrete foundations and concrete slabs crews can build the landing first. Bigger frames tie into the building steel instead, which is covered under steel erection. Call (832) 576-3278 and we will come look at it.