Repair person for pull down stairs to attic

The door for the pull down ladder type stairs to the attic does not stay tightly in place the way it used to. I have a piece of cardboard wedged in place now, which works to keep the stair door flush with the ceiling. But I'd like to have it fixed, so I can just push up the stairs the way I used to. Anyone you can recommend who knows how to deal with this 95 year old contraption?

Hazel,

I worked on one such door/ladder for a recent customer.  It turned out that the hardware for one of the springs had broken, and the spring itself was missing.

I spent considerable time searching, but without the name of the manufacturer (there was none on the steps), it is impossible to find parts that fit.  I think I went to 5 or 6 hardware stores, and I was unable to match the spring.

In the end we replaced the ladder.  It was not terribly expensive for the ladder (lightweight = rated 250 lbs, heavy duty rated 375 lbs), but it is partly a 2 man job, so the labor was somewhat more.

If you would like me to come for a N/C 'look/see/estimate', pls send me a PM.

Rich Baretto of the Honey Do List fixed my 80+ year old pull-down stairs. He did a terrific job and I'm so thankful since the new pull down stairs are not the same size as the original. I would have had to re-size the door frame in my ceiling if he hadn't fixed them. His number is 973-342-2496.

if it looks anything like this, it’s made by a company called Bessler. God knows how old mine are, but sturdy as hell. My house is 95 years old.

dano said:
if it looks anything like this, it’s made by a company called Bessler. God knows how old mine are, but sturdy as hell. My house is 95 years old.

 Looks just like those.

My pull down stairs look exactly like that. My house is 105 years old

Same here.  I was startled for a minute because our stairs also have rooms to the right and the bannister like in the picture to the left.  House is over 90 years old.