- Work
- Handrails, stair rails, guardrails
- Material
- Aluminum, steel on request
- Residential
- Yes, this category only
- Where
- Made here, installed on site
Aluminum is the rail you never repaint
A steel rail outdoors needs paint, and paint needs redoing. An aluminum rail does not rust at the base plate, does not need repainting after a winter of salt, and weighs about a third of steel, which matters on a stair stringer and on the back of the truck that carries it. We build aluminum handrails to the run that exists, measured on site, and we install them. Steel is still here when the setting calls for it.
Pro-Line Industrial Services fabricates aluminum handrails in Piketon, Ohio and installs them across Columbus, Cincinnati and southern Ohio. Commercial entrances, stair runs, ramps and mezzanines, and the front steps of a house.
Most handrail calls start with a code problem or a weather problem. An inspector wants a rail on a ramp, a stair run at a shop has never had one, or the steel rail that was there has rusted through at the base plates after ten winters of salt. Aluminum answers all three. It does not rust, it does not need paint, and it is light enough that a long run goes in without a crane.
Every rail is built to the run that actually exists. We measure on site: the rise and the going of the stair, where the posts can land, what they land on, and how the rail has to return at the ends. Then the rail is cut and welded here on Jasper Road and brought back to be set. A rail built to a catalog size that nearly fits is what leaves a gap at the top step.
Commercial work is most of it: loading docks, entrance steps, mezzanine guardrails, ramps at a plant or a clinic. Handrails, gates and fences are also the one category where we take residential work, so a set of front steps in Chillicothe or a deck stair in Waverly gets the same rail and the same install crew.
What the rail lands on decides the fixing. A base plate on a concrete step, a side mount to a stringer, a core-drilled post in a slab, or a wall bracket. We will tell you which one your run needs and whether the concrete under it is sound enough to hold it.
For a quote, photographs of the run from the bottom and from the top, a rough length, and a note on what is under it are enough to start. If the rail is outdoors or near a wash-down area, say so, because that is exactly where aluminum earns its keep.
How a handrail job runs
The same sequence every time, so you know what you are buying.
Rise, going, post positions and what each post lands on, taken from the real stair.
Aluminum for anything outdoors or near salt and water. Steel when the setting calls for it.
Cut, welded and finished in the Piketon shop.
Set, anchored and checked by the people who built it.
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| How long is the run | Sets the number of posts and the sections the rail ships in |
| What does it land on | Concrete step, slab, stringer, wall or deck. This decides the fixing |
| Indoors or outdoors | Outdoors, near salt or near a wash-down is where aluminum pays off |
| Is there a code requirement | Graspable rail, guardrail height and picket spacing are different jobs |
| Commercial or residential | This is the one category where either is fine |
Questions about aluminum handrails
Why aluminum instead of steel?
No rust at the base plates, no repainting, and about a third of the weight. On an outdoor stair, a ramp or anywhere salt lands in winter, aluminum is the rail that is still straight and clean after many winters. Steel is still right for some settings and we build both.
Do you take residential handrails?
Yes. Handrails, gates and fences are the stated exception to our commercial and industrial scope, so a set of front steps or a deck stair is welcome.
Do you install, or only fabricate?
We install. A handrail that is not anchored properly is not finished, so installation is part of the job.
Can you match a rail to code?
Tell us what the inspector asked for, graspable rail, guardrail height or picket spacing, and we build to it. We will say plainly if what you have been asked for is a guardrail rather than a handrail, because they are different jobs.
Will you replace a rusted steel rail with aluminum?
Yes, and it is one of the most common jobs we do. We cut the old rail out, sort the base plates or the anchors, and set the new aluminum rail in the same run.
Send us a handrail job
Tell us the run, what it lands on, and whether it is indoors or out. Photographs from the top and the bottom of the stair save a site visit.
Commercial, industrial and fleet work, plus awnings, handrails, gates and fences for anyone. We do not take farm work or home improvement jobs.
What to send about the run
Everything you leave out becomes an assumption, and assumptions are what make an invoice differ from a quote. None of this has to be formal.
From the bottom looking up and from the top looking down, with anything the rail has to pass.
Along the slope for a stair, along the floor for a ramp or a landing.
Concrete, a steel stringer, a wood deck, a block wall. A photo of the base is enough.
And whether salt, water or wash-down reaches it.
If there is a code note, send it as written.
An inspection date, an opening, or a fixed day.
