Refinishing and Re-screening your Hardwood Stairs

How can you take care of your hardwood stairs? It doesn’t matter how informed you are about caring for your hardwood stairs, all it takes to get your home’s staircases looking as beautiful as new is hardwood floor sanding and refinishing. Here’s what you need to know about hardwood stairs refinishing:

If your hardwood staircases have serious problems, such as deep scratches and gouges or water damage, then sanding and refinishing is something you definitely want to consider. You can also replace boards to match the existing staircase.

If your staircase needs minor work, then you should look into re-screening your hardwood stairs. Re-screening typically involves buffing and screening the stairs with an open mesh screen. It will eliminate most of the scratches. This type of process usually roughs up the existing polyurethane finish by applying new finish over the top. This type of service will need to be polyurethane, not aluminum oxide. It’s also much more economical than a full finish and stain, for best results on your hardwood stairs, you’ll need to maintain good hardwood floor care habits.

From refinishing, sanding and stair building, Beach City Stairs is here to help! Contact us today for more advice on your staircase project.

Stair Building 101

Building stairs can be very difficult for anyone and building safe stairs requires exact measurements. There really is no room for error, precise planning is best left to professional stair builders. Stair contractors have a good understanding of stair building; it’s often hard for a novice to tackle a remodeling project. But if you are well informed then you may actually find it easy to build a few stairs to a deck or shed.

First you have to learn the three parts that comprise the anatomy of a staircase. Strings are the sloped boards that support the weight of the staircase. They are generally made from 2x12s and are often called the underdeck. Treads are the surface of the step, they also vary in material depending on their size and look of the step. Lastly, risers are the boards that are under the treads. Risers are optional and are used to protect the stringers from weathering.

When calculating the measurements for your stairs, you will need to figure out the rise and run of the stairway. Start off by determining the height, or rise, of the stairs. Then divide the number by the desired height of each individual stair. Seven inches is a standard height for most purposes. This will give you the number of steps. You may need to round down. The height multiplied by the number of steps will give you an exact measurement of the height of each step, or the distance between notches in your stringers. The horizontal distance, or run, is determined by multiplying the number of steps by the horizontal depth of the step.

For materials, you should always use high-quality wood that is free of large knots such as cedar, redwood, or pressure-treated wood. This will be easier to work with, and the stairs will be long lasting. Bolts, decking screws, galvanized nails and hex bolts are hardware options used in building stairs. You should also assemble a toolkit to include a hammer, hand saw or jigsaw, circular saw, sawhorses, carpenter’s square with stair gauges to complete the task.

Ultimately, safety is always your priority when building stairs. The treads should be a minimum of four feet wide but wider is always better. Tall staircases should be divided into landings every eight stairs. Use a circular saw to trim away the notches on the stringers, but finish using either a jigsaw or handsaw for accurate notches. Remember to check that the notches are level and use a plane to carve away high points. If you have any questions or concerns, it’s always good to contact one of our professional stair contractors.

Handrail Installation Instructions: How to Install a Hand Rail in 10 steps

How to install a Handrail

You will need the following things:

-Handrail
-Stud finder
-Masking Tape
-Mounting brackets
-Hand tools such as hammer, screwdriver, drill and tape measure
-Helper for assistance

Step 1:
Find and mark the spot at the top of the stairs where you want the handrail to begin. Then walk down to the bottom of the stairs and mark on the wall where you want the handrail to end. The handrail is usually installed 36 inches above the step, so make your mark on the wall at the 36" height location.

Handrails are generally available in lengths of 10, 12, 14, or 16 feet long and are priced either by the foot or by the length, depending on the type of handrail and where you buy it. Use a tape measure to check the length between the marked top spot and the marked bottom spot. The railing must extend past the mounting brackets, so definitely make sure you account for this extra length.

Step 2:
You will be using at least 3 mounting brackets, and even more if the railing is over 48 inches long. One bracket at the top, one bracket at the bottom and additional brackets placed in the middle, no more than 48" apart. When you purchase the handrailing, you can have it cut to length at the store so make sure you bring your exact measurements with you.

Step 3:
Find the stud nearest the top of the stairs and place a 1" wide piece of masking tape where the wall stud is. Run the tape up and down, to give you a true indication of where the wall stud is. Use the tape to mark where every vertical wall stud is located to give you a better idea of where you can place the brackets to hold the handrail. Wall studs are usually 16 inches apart. Mark each stud so you have a selection of places to mount the brackets.

Step 4:
Unless you are doing corners or end-caps on your handrail, you can have the handrail cut to length at the store. However, if you are doing corners, you will need extra inches so you can do a 45 degree miter cut at home; measure the wood and cut accordingly. Ultimately, it is your preference as to how you want the end of the railing to look.

Step 5:
If you are using a wooden railing, it is easier to paint it or stain it before you mount it on the wall. If you are using a metal railing, you may want to buff it out before installing it on the wall. It is best to prep the handrail, no matter what material you are going to use, before you mount it to the wall.

Step 6:
To make sure your railing will be installed straight, it is a good idea to cut a piece of wood to the height of your railing and use the wood to mark the same height on the wall at each stud. You can also use a chalk line to indicate where the railing will be installed. Either way, just make sure you are at an equal height from the steps for the entire length of the railing.

Step 7:
Use a power drill or electric screwdriver to mount the brackets to the wall studs, using the hardware included with the brackets. Read any directions that come with the bracket as they could be helpful. You could use a screwdriver to attach the brackets to the wall stud but as you are going to run the screws through the wall and into the 2-by-4 wall stud, a power drill will make it a whole lot easier.

Step 8:
You may need someone to help you hold the rail in place while you attach the rail to the brackets. The rail is lighter to hold than the rail and attached brackets, that is why we attached the brackets to wall first, and then attached the rail to the brackets. Loosely screw into the railing with the bracket hardware at all bracket locations. Once you have the railing in place, check your alignment and if everything looks great, tighten each screw to secure the railing to the bracket.

Step 9:
Check the railing for splinters, sharp edges or any other problems. If you have small children, you may want to add plastic end caps to prevent injuries.

Step 10:
Children have been known to bump their little heads on the ends of the handrail so make sure the edges are smooth and rounded. You can use 90-second epoxy to install plastic end caps if necessary.

It’s always a good idea to consult a professional such as Beach City Stairs before taking on a project like this. Handrail Installations like these require you to be very exact with measurements and can be very frustrating to do.