Railings & handrails
Railings and handrails, built to fit the actual opening.
Interior stair rails, exterior guard rails, balcony systems — measured on site and welded to fit, not trimmed from a stock size.
- Materials
- Steel, iron, aluminumPicked for where it goes.
- Estimate
- FreeText a photo of the opening.
- Install
- On siteWe come to you for anything structural.
- Coverage
- Serving the East BayHayward and the East Bay.
What we build
Interior stair and loft railings, exterior guard rails on stairs, decks and balconies, and handrails for anywhere someone needs something solid to hold onto — a code requirement in a lot of cases, not just a nice-to-have. Every railing is measured on site before anything gets cut, because openings on real buildings are rarely the exact width a stock kit assumes.
Style ranges from a plain, functional handrail to a decorative pattern with scrollwork or a custom baluster design. We can work from a photo of something you like, a sketch, or a description of what the space needs.
Materials and finish
Mild steel is the default for most jobs — strong, weldable, and takes paint or powder coat well. For anything exposed to weather, that finish matters as much as the metal: a primed and painted or powder-coated rail holds up for years, while bare steel left unfinished will rust. Aluminum is the better call on a balcony that gets direct salt air or constant sun, since it skips the corrosion question entirely. We’ll recommend a finish based on where the railing actually lives, not sell you the same answer for every job.
Building code, stated plainly
Guard rails on stairs, balconies and elevated walking surfaces are usually governed by the building code your city has adopted — commonly a 36”–42” height requirement and baluster spacing that stops a 4” sphere from passing through, though the exact numbers depend on the code cycle and jurisdiction. We build to what applies to your job. For anything that needs a permit, confirm the specifics with your city’s building department before work starts — we can point you to what to ask, but the department has the final word.
Interior vs. exterior
Interior rails are usually the simpler job — no weather to design around, more freedom on finish and material. Exterior and balcony rails have to survive rain, sun and temperature swings without the welds or the mounting points failing years down the line, which is where finish and attachment method matter more than they look like they should. If a balcony rail is being replaced because the old one is failing, we’ll look at why before repeating the same mistake in the new one.
How the estimate works
Text a photo of the opening or the existing railing, or call and describe it. For most jobs we can give a real range over the phone and confirm the exact price after seeing the site in person — measurements for anything structural happen on site, not from a photo alone.
Covered here
Four kinds of railing, four different problems.
They all get welded in the same shop, but a stair rail, a wall-mounted handrail, a balcony guard and a short grab rail are solved differently. Open the one that matches your job.
Stair Railings
Interior and exterior stair rails, raked to the actual stringer.
See how we build it →
Wall Railings
Wall-mounted handrails, anchored into what is actually behind the finish.
See how we build it →
Guard Railings
Balcony, deck and landing guards built to the height and spacing that apply.
See how we build it →
Grab Railings
Short assist rails at doors, steps and level changes.
See how we build it →Supplier catalogs
Colours and components you can look at before you decide.
These are the suppliers whose catalogs get opened on ATR jobs. Read them as a starting point rather than a menu — what is actually right for your piece depends on the design, the exposure and how it gets fabricated, and we will confirm that at the estimate.
Cable railing infill
Cable infill keeps a view open where pickets would close it down. It is also the infill people most often get wrong — cable has to be tensioned against a frame stiff enough to take it, or the runs go slack and the spacing opens past code. The hardware references below are what ATR builds to.
- Open CableRail catalog
CableRail Kits
Cable assemblies, end fittings and tensioners, with the post spacing and framing each configuration actually requires.
- Browse Feeney literature
Product literature and specs
The wider library — installation detail, technical drawings and spec sheets, if you want to read past the colour and into how it goes together.
Powder coat colour
Powder coat is where nearly every colour decision on a job actually gets made. These are the colour cards ATR works from — pick something you like, bring the code to the estimate, and we will tell you honestly whether it suits the exposure that piece is going to live in.
- Open Essentials colour card
Essentials, Volume 6
The standard range — the colours most jobs land on, in the gloss levels and textures they are actually available in.
- Open Super Durable card
Super Durable, Volume 3
The range worth reading if the piece faces south or west. Super durable powders hold their colour years longer under direct sun than standard polyester.
- Open Metallics card
3D Metallics, Volume 2
Metallic and effect finishes, for when a flat colour is not the look. They read very differently in person than on a screen — treat the card as a shortlist, not a decision.
- Open Cardinal colour card
Powder Coatings Colour Card
A second full colour card, from a West Coast powder manufacturer. Useful as a cross-check when a colour you want is not stocked in the TIGER range.
ATR Welding is not a dealer for, affiliated with or sponsored by any company listed here. Catalogs are published by those suppliers and open on their own sites; availability, colour ranges and specifications are theirs to change. See every catalog in one place →
Railings & handrails
What people ask before booking.
What are railings usually made from?
Mild steel is the most common choice — it welds cleanly, holds up outdoors with the right coating, and costs less than the alternatives. Wrought iron is used for a more traditional, decorative look. Aluminum comes up for exterior railings where rust is a bigger concern than strength margin, since it won’t corrode the way untreated steel will.
Which one makes sense depends on where the railing goes and what it needs to survive — salt air near the water, direct sun, foot traffic. We’ll say which fits before you commit to one.
Do railings need to meet a building code?
Usually yes, if it’s a guard rail on a stair, balcony or elevated walking surface — height, baluster spacing and load requirements are set by the building code your city has adopted, and they exist because a railing that looks fine can still fail the way that actually matters. We build to the code that applies to the job and can tell you what that means for your specific installation, but exact requirements vary by jurisdiction and by whether the work needs a permit, so confirm the specifics with your city’s building department for anything structural.
Can you match an existing railing style?
Often, yes — send a photo of the section you have and we’ll tell you whether it can be matched or extended, or whether the original was a manufactured part that is no longer available and needs a close equivalent instead. Matching an exact powder-coat color is easier than matching an intricate pattern; we’ll be upfront about which one your railing is.
How long does a railing job take?
A straightforward interior handrail can be measured, built and installed inside a week. A full exterior balcony system with a custom pattern takes longer, mostly for fabrication time in the shop. We give a real timeline with the estimate, not a placeholder.
Free estimate
Send a photo of the opening.
We'll tell you what it takes to build a railing that fits it properly — material, finish and a real price.
Licensed, bonded and insured — CSLB #1037852. Free estimates, no obligation.
Based in Hayward. Serving the East Bay. Not sure if it’s something we do? See the full list of services, or book a consultation.