Stair Lift Prep and Blocking — Solid Treads, Landings and Power
The lift company needs solid stairs, a clear landing and power before they will set the rail. We handle that part; you or they handle the lift.
Stair lift prep is the carpentry done before the lift company bolts the rail down: loose treads refastened to the stringers, split treads replaced, blocking added where the rail brackets land, a handrail moved to clear the seat, the top and bottom landings cleared, and an outlet added by a licensed electrician. JMB Builders does that work across the Twin Cities metro. We do not sell or install lifts; you or the lift company supply it. Priced per project.
- Priced per project
- Treads, blocking and landings ready for the lift installer
- Outlet by a licensed electrician
- We do not sell or install the lift itself
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Most stair lifts bolt to the stair treads, not the wall. The rail rides on brackets that lag into the treads every few steps, and the whole weight of the rail, the seat and the rider goes through those lags. On a new staircase that is fine. On the stairs in an older north metro house, the treads are often loose, the nosing is split, the carpet is three layers deep, and the lift installer will not put a bracket into it. That is where we come in.
Prep is a short list. Refasten every tread to the stringers with screws, replace any tread that is split or rotted, add blocking under the treads or between the stringers where the installer's bracket layout says the feet go, and, for the rare wall-mounted rail, open the wall and add solid blocking behind the drywall. If a handrail is in the way of the seat or the rail, it comes off and goes on the other wall. Carpet gets pulled back and relaid, or replaced with treads the lift feet can seat on.
The lift needs a plug near the top or the bottom of the run, on its own circuit in most installers' specs. A licensed electrician does that. We coordinate so the outlet is in before the lift is scheduled. We do not sell, supply or install the lift; the lift company or you supply it and their installer sets it. Send us their site survey or bracket layout and we prep to it.
What you supply
- The lift company's site survey or bracket layout, or the lift model if you are buying it yourself
- Photos of the full staircase from the bottom and the top, a close-up of a tread edge, and the landing at each end
- Where the lift installer wants power, if their survey says
- The date the lift is scheduled, so the prep and the electrician are done first
What JMB supplies
- Every tread refastened to the stringers with screws, squeaks and rocking stopped
- Replacement of split, rotted or worn treads, and a new nosing where the old one is broken
- Blocking under the treads or between the stringers where the rail brackets land
- Solid blocking in the wall for a wall-mounted rail, drywall patched ready for paint
- A handrail removed and rehung on the opposite wall, or a second rail added, to clear the seat
- Carpet pulled back and relaid, or removed and the treads capped, where the feet need a solid seat
- A cleared, level landing at the top and bottom: a threshold lowered, a door reswung, an uneven step fixed
- Coordination with a licensed electrician for the lift outlet, and photos in your job folder
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Number of treads and whether the run is straight or has a landing or winders
- Refastening only vs. replacing treads that are split or rotted
- A tread-mounted rail with blocking under the treads vs. a wall-mounted rail needing wall blocking and a drywall patch
- Carpet pulled back and relaid vs. removed and the treads capped
- A handrail moved or a second rail added on the other wall
- Landing work at the top or bottom: a threshold, a door swing, an uneven step
- The electrician's outlet, quoted by the electrician
Send the lift company's survey or bracket drawing with the stair photos. We prep to their layout so their installer does not find a surprise.
How long it takes
Refastening and blocking on a straight run: half a day. Replacing several treads or moving a handrail: a full day. The electrician's outlet is scheduled around it, before the lift goes in.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Tread-mounted rail prep
The common case. Treads refastened and replaced where needed, blocking added under the bracket feet, carpet handled, landings cleared.
Wall-mounted rail blocking
For the few lifts that mount to the wall: drywall opened along the rail line, solid blocking set between the studs at the bracket heights, patched and ready for paint.
Handrail moved for the seat
The rail on the lift side comes off, the holes are patched, and a graspable rail goes on the other wall so someone walking the stairs still has one.
After the lift comes out
When the lift is removed, the treads have bolt holes and the wall has bracket marks. We plug and fill the treads, patch the wall and put the handrail back.
Stair Lift Prep and Blocking — Solid Treads, Landings and Power: questions, answered
Do you install stair lifts?
No. We do not sell, supply or install the lift. The lift company or you supply it and their installer sets the rail and the seat. What we do is the carpentry their installer needs done first: solid treads, blocking where the brackets go, a handrail out of the way, a clear landing, and the coordination for the outlet with a licensed electrician.
What has to be done to stairs before a stair lift?
The treads have to be solid, because that is what the rail bolts to. Loose treads get screwed to the stringers, split or rotted ones get replaced, and blocking goes in where the installer's layout puts the bracket feet. Thick or loose carpet gets pulled back or removed. A handrail on the lift side usually comes off. The top and bottom landings need clear floor for the seat to swivel and the rider to get off, and an outlet has to be within reach of the rail.
Does a stair lift need blocking in the wall?
Usually not. Most residential stair lifts bolt to the treads and never touch the wall, so the blocking goes under or between the treads. A few models and some curved rails mount to the wall, and those need solid blocking between the studs at each bracket height. Your lift company's survey says which kind you have; send it to us and we prep for it.
Do I need an electrician for a stair lift?
Yes. The lift charges from a standard outlet near the top or bottom of the rail, and most installers want it on its own circuit and within a set distance of the rail end. A licensed electrician adds it. We coordinate the electrician's visit so the outlet is in before the lift is delivered, and we tell them where the installer's survey wants it.
Can a stair lift go on carpeted stairs?
Yes, if the treads under the carpet are solid and the carpet is not so thick that the brackets cannot seat. We pull the carpet back to refasten the treads and add blocking, then relay it, or, if the carpet is old and loose, remove it and cap the treads with wood so the feet sit on something solid. The installer's brackets then go through the carpet into the tread.
What about the handrail when a stair lift goes in?
The rail on the lift side is usually in the way of the seat and comes off. That leaves the stairs with no rail on that side for anyone walking them, so we hang a graspable rail on the opposite wall, or extend the one that is there. The holes from the old rail get patched. When the lift is eventually removed, we put the rail back.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and for the builders and dealers we sub for. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed September 26, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All aging in place pages
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