Railing Repair: What Can Be Fixed and What It Costs
A loose post, rust at the base, a bent section, a bracket out of the wall: $800 to $3,000 to fix, against $80 to $120 a foot for a new railing.
Railings fail at the base, where water sits against the concrete and rusts the post. That and a section somebody hit are most of the repairs we do, at $800 to $3,000.
What breaks
- A post loose at the base. On a core-drilled post the grout around it has cracked and the post rocks. On a base plate the anchors have pulled or the plate has rusted underneath.
- Rust through at the base of a post or along the bottom rail, wherever water sits.
- A bent section from a cart, a truck, or a dumpster.
- A cracked weld where a rail meets a post, usually one that gets leaned on.
- A wall-mounted handrail whose bracket pulled out of the wall.
- A missing section, or a gap cut for equipment and never closed.
How it gets fixed
New steel gets welded to sound steel, and that decides how much of the railing comes out. A bent or rusted section gets cut out, a new piece welded in, ground flush and primed. A loose post gets re-set: the hole cleaned out and re-grouted, or new anchors in the base plate. A post rusted at the base comes out and a new one goes in. A handrail bracket gets re-anchored, or moved to solid backing.
New sections get built to the same profile, rail size and height as the railing they join, so the repair matches the rest. Primer only, or primed and painted to match, is your call and it shows in the price.
Repair, or a new railing
How much of it is still sound decides it. One bad post in a 60-foot run is a repair. A run where every post has rusted at the base is a new railing.
A new railing also gets built to the current heights: 42 inches for a guard at an open edge, 34 to 38 inches for a handrail on a stair or ramp. An older railing can sit lower than that, so tell us the height you have. When the two numbers are close we price both.
What it costs
What broke, how many posts come out, and the finish.
Post work sits at the top of the repair band: a post coming out means core-drilling or new anchors, plus a footing to clean up. Twenty feet of new railing lands near the top of the per-foot band, because the trip and the setup cost the same as they would for a hundred feet. What moves a new railing’s price is on our railings and handrails page.
What to send us
- Photos of the damage, and of the railing next to it. The sound rail is the spec we match.
- What it mounts to: concrete, a wood deck, a roof, or a wall.
- How many feet, and on a stair, how many steps.
We price most railing repairs from that, without a site visit. If a guard at an open edge has come loose, send it now and we will tell you what we can do and when.
Frequently asked questions
Can a loose railing post be fixed without replacing it?
Usually. If the post is sound and only the base moved, it gets re-set in its hole or re-anchored on its plate. If it rusted through at the base, it gets replaced.
Do you match the railing that is there?
Yes. New sections get built to the same profile, rail size and height as the existing railing, and finished to match it.
Does a repaired railing have to meet current code?
New railings get built to the current heights, 42 inches for a guard at an open edge and 34 to 38 inches for a handrail. If yours sits lower, say so before you decide between a repair and a new one. The requirements are in ADA handrail requirements.
How long does it take?
Most single-section and single-post repairs are one visit. A new run gets fabricated in our shop first and installed after.
Do you do this on houses?
Yes.
Railing repair?
Send photos of the damage and the railing next to it, what it mounts to, and how many feet, and we will price it.
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