San Diego stair builder that specializes in stair remodel and custom stairs using the best material and craftsmanship available.
Kleinsmith Stair & Trim has been building stairs for over 20 years. We specialize in custom homes, remodels and new residential tract homes with any type of handrail system. Straight or curved handrails with wood or iron balusters, using any type of wood such as Oak, Maple, Beech, Cherry or Walnut as just a few examples.
Start to Finish, We are your 'Turn-Key' Stair Solution!
We had an old style "Brady Bunch" stairway with a pony wall, really short iron balusters, and a thick handrail, all painted white. This pattern was repeated in the living room and master bedroom as room dividers. Kleinsmith cut down the walls to stair-tread height and built new caps on the ends of the stairs and on the shorter room dividers. Then they installed a beautiful handrail and new wrought-iron balusters with baskets (arranged in a nice pattern). The result is beautiful, and it really opens up the views through the front of the house and updates the look to a more modern, elegant design. Surprisingly, this is one of the higher visual impact changes we've made, up there with kitchen and bath remodels.
Description of Work: Stair and Ballusters remodeling
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
Dale G.
07/2018
5.0
woodworking
+ -1 more
Great craftsmnship at a very competetive price.
Description of Work: Installed new stair rail system on existing stairs.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$4,000
Irene D.
05/2016
3.0
remodeling, woodworking
+ 0 more
unknown
Description of Work: Completw stair remodel. Quality was not as I had hoped. It looks beautiful but the finish has several imperfections. Not the quality job we had hoped for.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
3.0
value
3.0
professionalism
4.0
responsiveness
4.0
punctuality
4.0
$8,500
Debra S.
02/2016
5.0
woodworking
+ -1 more
unknown
Description of Work: New staircase
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
JOE H.
11/2015
5.0
woodworking
+ -1 more
unknown
Description of Work: Removed old staircase and Installed a new wrought iron staircase. Great website to develop stair option, very helpful.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
4.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$1,500
Toni M.
08/2015
5.0
woodworking
+ -1 more
a year ago, maybe 2--dave and his excellent crew built me a GORGEOUS staircase. After the job was completed, I asked for an additional handrail--they came out and installed it, no charge. But recently, it seemed a little loose and wobbly. i called, and again they came out, fixed it, no charge. This is a really good company.
Description of Work: fixed a loose handrail
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
EDWARD C.
08/2015
3.0
remodeling, woodworking
+ 0 more
We hired Dave Kleinsmith to do our straircase remodling. We were interested in a wood cherry staircase. During our conversation, Mr. Kleinsmith suggested to use wood birch instead becuase he mentioned it was durable, flexible with different staining colors and cost-effective. Specifically, when I inquired how long the stain would last he replied "at least 10 years". We followed his professional recommendation. Our porject was completed in February 2010. Since January 2013, I emailed him twice reporting that the color in the steps of our staircase was fading with normal daily use. Given his lack of response I called his office. I have never received any communication from his company addressing our concerns. I would recommend that when choosing a company for your staricase remodeling project you think of the warranty provided and of the responsiveness of the company. In our case the responsiveness of 'Kleinsmith stair & trim' was suboptimal to say the least.
Description of Work: Staircase remodeling
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
3.0
value
3.0
professionalism
3.0
responsiveness
1.0
punctuality
4.0
Cheryl G.
05/2015
4.0
woodworking
+ -1 more
Sexism is alive and well in the construction business. You need look no further than Robert Fielding, Project Manager, who does the company bidding and much of the scheduling at Kleinsmith Stairs and Trim. I wholeheartedly admitted to knowing little to nothing about rebuilding a staircase. Robert showed himself to be condescending and arrogant. Most words out of his mouth were misleading and directed at gaining business for the company and not helping the customer gain insight or knowledge on the work to be performed. The only reason I went forward with the project was I had heard great things about the finished product that the crew designed. They certainly did not disappoint. From Levi, who did the demolition and installation of the balusters; John, who did the woodworking and installation; and Edri who helped me pick out the ?perfect? paint color, I could not be happier. Of course, because of scheduling problems, the baluster installation took an additional week to schedule after the staircase was complete. The scheduler only had my job on the books for over 5 weeks before the start of work ? I would recommend Kleinsmith Stairs and Trim, notwithstanding the one bad apple in the bunch. Beware also that there is great difficulty reaching Robert on the phone, email or text messaging. The good news, however, is there is little interaction with him after the job has started and, in the end, you will have a lovely staircase to call your own.
Description of Work: Updated the staircase
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
4.0
responsiveness
4.0
punctuality
5.0
$9,600
Freeman M.
12/2014
5.0
remodeling, woodworking
+ 0 more
The demo crew was great and it was a very extensive job. All the way through the owner and Robert were right on top of the job. Damon, who did the woodwork was a Master Craftsman. All the crew was professional and left us clean every night. They stayed to their schedule. It wasn't inexpensive but the other contractors actually told us to find "stair" people to look at the job. Kleinsmiths had no qualms about what needed to be done. I felt comfortable with their depth of knowledge. A really beautiful outcome. We are very pleased.
Description of Work: Kleinsmith replaced tile stairs with beautiful wood. They modified the existing wall as well.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$8,000
Peter S.
08/2014
5.0
woodworking
+ -1 more
From initial estimate to finishing stain, Kleinsmith was extremely professional and far exceeded my expectations with respect to both the look and sturdiness of the installed product. The design elegantly overcame the many challenges posed by the layout of the stairs, the workmanship was flawless, and the wood and hardware used were of excellent quality. Throughout the project, they kindly explained the alternatives and rationale behind build decisions to my wife, who was overseeing the effort. Consequently, there were no surprises - other than the fact that we were amazed at how painless the experience was, and how well everything turned out.
Description of Work: Installed a hand rail and short section of bannister for a single flight of narrow and irregularly built stairs. The uniqueness of the stairs included very little stairway width to work with, poorly place electrical switches, and one section of wall that was difficult to anchor to due to A/C venting immediately behind the wall.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
4.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$2,500
John A.
06/2014
5.0
woodworking
+ -1 more
Great job! Makes a world of difference in the look of our staircase.
Description of Work: Replaced staircase railing.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$3,800
Tamara S.
08/2013
5.0
contractors, woodworking
+ 0 more
They were amazing. I was in awe of how fast, personal, and high quality they were. They were great. I talked to three others and liked Klein the best.
Description of Work: They installed a railing and balusters.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
Suzanne P.
06/2013
5.0
remodeling
+ -1 more
I met with them a couple of times, they were extremely pleasant, courteous, on time, no issues but I didn't have any work done. There was nothing negative, it was very detailed, it seems accurate, they were on time, overall it was a positive experience.
Description of Work: I got a quote from Kleinsmith Stair & Trim. I didn't have them do any work and it was to do a stairway remodel.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
4.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
Edith S.
05/2013
5.0
wrought iron
+ -1 more
Kleinsmith responded very quickly to my request for an estimate. He came to my house on the first day that was best for me and quickly took his measurements. He promised to provide an estimate in a day or two. It was a detailed estimate. We did not use him to do the work, but only because another company, similarly rated by you, gave me a lower estimate for the same work.
Description of Work: Kleinsmith gave me an estimate for the creation and installation of a wrought iron fence with decorative posts and scrolls around a small porch.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
value
4.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
Sue L.
04/2013
5.0
woodworking
+ -1 more
I used Klein Smith Stair and Trim about 5 years ago after a kitchen remodel. I realized that all my hand rails looked very dated. They replaced all my railings. They had many styles to choose from. I was very concerned about the railings matching my new floors and they did! Nice Job went smoothly.
Description of Work: Railings on staircase. New Posts, ballisters and railings around my living room (step down).
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$2,500
Ted S.
03/2013
5.0
woodworking
+ -1 more
Kleinsmith's craftsmen were efficient and highly skilled. They did an excellent job installing a solid maple staircase and two landings. However, Kleinsmith does not respond to Emails in a timely manner. After work was completed and paid for on 1/14/2013, I requested a paid invoice be sent to me. As of 3/27/2013 I had not heard from him or his company. His craftsmen may be highly qualified and skilled, but his business sense when it comes to communicating with a client is lacking.
Description of Work: Solid Maple wood staircase installation and finishing
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
4.0
responsiveness
3.0
punctuality
4.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$2,500
Scott G.
05/2012
2.0
remodeling
+ -1 more
Contacted Kleinsmith by email about a stair remodel. No response, so I started getting other bids. About 2 weeks after my email I received a call from Kleinsmith asking if they had contacted me yet, and was I still interested? I had not selected a contractor yet, so I said no one contacted me but "yes" I'm still interested. They came the next day, surveyed the job and said they'd get back to me with a bid. That was 3 weeks ago. Apparently they didn't want the job. I would have appreciated a simple statement to that effect so I would not have been left hanging.
Description of Work: Stair job was surveyed, but did not receive a bid.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
professionalism
2.0
responsiveness
1.0
Ann M.
03/2012
5.0
woodworking, wrought iron
+ 0 more
Dave, Robert and their crew of courteous skilled craftsmen transformed my staircase from serviceable to sensational. On time and within budget. Fully professional every step of the way, from design to materials to installation, to the final and quot;Oh, wow, it's beautiful.and quot; Thanks to Angie's List for the introduction.
Description of Work: Kleinsmith Stair and Trim accomplished a remodel of the front stairs in my two-story home. They removed the existing stair system, which involved tearing out old careting and padding and existing wooden rails and balusters. Steps were replaced with a solid hardwood tread system in beautiful oak finish with oak handrail/wallrail and landing caps. Risers and newel posts are now white and wrought iron balusters are satin black in my selected design. Upstairs, existing carpeting in the hall and a large master bedroom was removed and replaced with light oak hardwood flooring to match the new steps.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$12,645
MARY M.
02/2012
5.0
woodworking, wrought iron
+ 0 more
I really loved their approach and felt really good about the work they do. I've had several people tell me they have used him and he does excellent work. He took a sample of the wood I plan to use and he is making a sample of the actual color that I want. I plan to use him for the work soon.
Description of Work: I got an estimate from Klein Smith Stair and Trim to redo my stairs with wrought iron.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
a Y.
02/2012
5.0
woodworking, wrought iron
+ 0 more
Very good work, but failed to return to fix one small item
Description of Work: refinished wood stair and landing/loft railings and installed iron vertical pieces
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
3.0
professionalism
4.0
responsiveness
3.0
punctuality
4.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$4,500
Robert R.
10/2011
5.0
woodworking
+ -1 more
Great. This was a long project due to other contractors work schedule. Dave Kliensmith and his crew worked with us on scheduling and they were very patient and careing. We could not really visualize the finished product. Dave and his crew really exceeded our expectations, we are compleatly satisified with the outcome. Our home no longer looks like a and quot;tract home' on the interior. We will recommend Kliensmith Stair and Trim to anyone considering staircase work.
Description of Work: Cut down a enclosed staircase, removed a builder installed half sized linen cabinet. Installed beautiful bannisters and ballesters. Corrected the color match of stairnosing installed by another contractor.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$5,230
Monica H.
07/2011
5.0
woodworking
+ -1 more
Love my new stairs! Dave had come out over a year ago for an estimate and it was finally time to get it done. He came back for a new estimate but it was pretty much the same. There was a 2 week lag time to start the job. The crew was outstanding, on time, very nice and polite and did great work. The job took a little longer than I had expected but they came back when it was convenient for me to finish the staining and painting and then select the ballusters. It turned out great and I am so glad we took out the half wall.
Description of Work: Removed existing stairs and a half wall and replaced with new handrail, posts, iron balusters, false tread ends, skirt and kick boards, stained to match floor and patched and painted drywall.
Kleinsmith did everything we were quoted to perfection. They finished on time and did everything within the quoted price. The wroght iron they made was beaufiful, The wooden handrails were also perfect and just what we wanted. The stem wall that was built looks like it has always been there and the cap on it looks very professional. His railing installer and stem wall builder was a great guy and we were happy to have such a hard worker on our project. The stainers and painters did a superb job as did his drywall repair and tape guy. The work was finished ontime and the work area was cleaned each night before they left. His price was also extremely fair. This is an excellent company to hire if you need some finish work done and would like a new set of handrails in your house. I know you'll be thrilled with the outcome.
Description of Work: Removal of an old stair rail system, construction of a stem wall, installation of molding, construction of wrought iron and wood railing combination. Also patched and repaired drywall and painted plus stained surfaces.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$2,450
Colby N.
08/2010
5.0
remodeling, woodworking, wrought iron
+ 1 more
I was amazed at how smoothly this project went. Dave and his guys showed up on time every day. Not only that, they showed up smiling and happy. They worked hard, and were extremely neat. Considering they completely ripped out our stairs I was expecting a huge mess and they were tidy while they worked and cleaned neatly at the end of each day. Each of his workers was very aware of my two young children, childproofing the open stairs and wrapping any sharp corners for their safety. They also let my kids tag along and took time to explain their tools and what they were doing. This was above and beyond as I know it slowed down their work process a bit. After ripping out our old stairs, they replaced the stairs with custom built new wood stairs. The workmanship is amazing. After the wood was in, a second team came in to stain the stairs. It was a tough color to match but they worked hard to get exactly what I wanted. When the stain dried, Dave came over and we chose balusters that worked with the color. I wanted something unique and Dave worked with me to choose a design that was what I wanted. Because I wanted something unique, the company did not have anything in stock. We ended up ordering the balusters "unfinished" and Dave took them to San Diego Powder Coating. (He actually met me over there to help me pick out a color.) None of this was in the original budget, but Dave charged me no extra for all the extra work. He kept saying, "We want you happy," and I could tell that was exactly what he wanted. Because the balusters weren't in stock, and had to be taken to get powder coated, I was without balusters for about two weeks. Dave made a special trip to bring plywood over to block off the opening so my kids wouldn't fall through. I really appreciated this as it put my mind at ease. In any other house with no kids, the opening was no big deal, but with little ones it was a really nice touch. The day after the balusters came in, Dave was here installing them. I could tell he was as excited as I was to see this project finished. I have a new set of beautiful stairs that are modern and beautiful. Our staircase is a huge part of the entrance to our home and it has made a huge difference to update it. Everyone who comes to our house now comments on the stairs. Another neat thing about working with Dave and Kleinsmith Stairs is his policy is you pay nothing until the job is completely finished. I'd highly recommend this company! (His website has all sorts of pictures of the work he has done :))
Description of Work: New stairs, handrail and balusters. Also replaced handrail for loft area. Removed old stairs and 1970's railing from stairs and railing for loft area. Replaced with all new stairs, wrought iron balusters, and new handrails. Stained wood to match floors. (I chose an unusual color for my balusters so Dave took the balusters to get powder coated to match the color exactly.)
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$5,000
10/2004
5.0
woodworking
+ -1 more
THEY WERE ON TIME FOR INSTALLATION. THEY WERE VERY POLITE AND HAVE GOOD PRICES.
Description of Work: HANDRAIL SPECIALISTS WORK FOR RAILS ON STAIRS TO OUR SECOND STORY AND FOR LANDING.
All statements concerning insurance, licenses, and bonds are informational only, and are self-reported. Since insurance, licenses and bonds can expire and can be cancelled, homeowners should always check such information for themselves. To find more licensing information for your state, visit our State Contractor License Requirements page.
*Contact business to see additional licenses.
Service Categories
Finished Carpentry and Woodworking,
General Remodeling,
Wrought Iron,
Unfinished Carpentry,
Interior Painting,
Drywall,
Homebuilders,
Hardwood Flooring Sales and Installation
FAQ
KLEINSMITH STAIR & TRIM is currently rated 4.8 overall out of 5.
Sunday: Closed
Monday: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday: 8:00 AM - 4:00 AM
Friday: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday: Closed
KLEINSMITH STAIR & TRIM accepts the following forms of payment: Check,Discover,MasterCard,Visa
Yes, KLEINSMITH STAIR & TRIM offers free project estimates.
No, KLEINSMITH STAIR & TRIM does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.
No, KLEINSMITH STAIR & TRIM does not offer a senior discount.
No, KLEINSMITH STAIR & TRIM does not offer emergency services.
No, KLEINSMITH STAIR & TRIM does not offer warranties.
KLEINSMITH STAIR & TRIM offers the following services: Custom Stair and Handrail, Wood, Steel, Cable, Iron, Glass, Traditional, Contemporatry, Straight, Curved