Ways to Match Your Hardwood Stairs and Floor Part I

So you’ve spent countless months picking out your brand new hardwood floor. Now it is time for more fun. You have to start thinking about the hardwood stars that you will be required to install!

That sounds like a lot of fun. After all, hardwood floors are a stable foundation for an overall design. You want them to be as warm and inviting as possible.

The stairway you decide on needs to blend into the floor and be inviting as well. Subtle things like the grain direction, perceived strength and construction, wood contour, and finish colors and textures have a huge impact on the user’s perspective of quality and beauty in the finished stairway.

Our stair contracts provide you with some very useful information to consider as you plan on your upcoming staircase design.

Wood Grain

The wood grain direction is one of the strongest and most visual cues you have when laying out a floor into a stairway. This is because oru eyes love to find patterns and a soft flowing pattern of grain in a new pre-finished hardwood floor. But if this leads the eye into a space where the grain direction stops and runs perpendicular to the hardwood floor, it creates an abrupt barrier that disturb the overall flow and design of the space.

The first stair tread should have a grain that runs parallel with the floor to give people an invitation to continue. Bowed and curved steps are basically more grand and the convex shape tells the mind that the transition is soft and acceptable.

Construction

Simple stairways have a minimum number of elements and are great for designers when they want to put the emphasis of the house on the space. However, when you design a stairway with an overly simplified design the mind has concern for safety. A design may conform to code and may meet all the of the mechanical requirements, but do the users find it comforting and strong? That’s an important question you’ll have to ask yourself.

Always be sure to design a staircase that promotes a feeling of quality and stability, and factoring in elements that match the scale and quality of the rest of the design with a modified hand-rail design or thicker custom treads, that can provide an added touch of luxury and personalization.

Simple ideas to dress your staircase

Awesome ways to dress your staircase

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A lot of two story homes have staircases. This staircase is often carpeted, but it can also possess wood risers with stained or painted treads. Having a carpeted stair runner does allow you to have a lot of benefits. It exposes the beauty of the stained or painted treads but it also inserts a nonslip comfortable surface for the dozens of trips made up and down every day. After talking with our stair-builders, here are some choices to consider while dressing your home’s hardwood staircase:
Neutral Sisal.

This natural fiber is a timeless choice and the neutral shades in sisal are a pleasant backdrop to dramatic impact or statement pieces incorporated in other ways such as a colorful velvet sofette and large scale botanical wallpaper.

Dramatic.
If you’re looking to make a statement, then a wide striped runner will do the trick. This dazzling pattern enhances the dramatic contrast between the black and white tones present in this entry.

Geometric.
For years, geometric prints have reigned supreme in the textile world and a motif present in a runner ensures a contemporary look on your staircase. Opt for a repeat that plays off the existing hues present in the stain and paint for a pattern that is sure to complement instead of compete.

Coastal.
A classic stripe is a timeless choice that will also add a coastal or cottage vibe to a staircase.
You can always skip the carpeted runner and go along with a colorful painted stripe in blue or green, or even spice up the risers with tile. You will obviously get bonus points for creativity!

But then again, there’s something truly beautiful about leaving the staircase alone and not adding a runner at all. Purposefully choosing to not include a runner allows the stained wood to take the spotlight, and when coupled with white risers and balusters, the contrast is striking.

Everything you need to know about Deck Stairs

Deck Stairs are typically the last part of the deck to be tackled, this is because they’re the hardest part of the deck to build. The best solution for building strong deck stairs is to create a heavy duty steel stair brack system. This allows you to make automatic adjustments to create any rise or run you potentially require.

You really only need two stringers for deck stairs up to approximately 7’ in width. No center stringers are needed for this project because the riser acts as a load-bearing joist. That gives you strong and durable stairs. Majority of the saw cuts are eliminated and require only three to four cuts per stringer.

Professional stair contractors have a stair building system which is simpler and faster than the conventional stair building. The stairs turn out so well made that you won’t have to worry about hearing a squeak. These type of stairs can also be used for interior purposes such as basement stairs, tongue and groove stairs and even concrete form-work.

For interior jobs you can use stringers that are 2x6 and interior risers can be 2x8 or3/4” to 1 1/8”. Interior treads can be 2x12’s or 1 1/8” to ¾”.

The following tools and materials will be needed for building these types of projects: a power drill, skill saw, Phillips flat head, deck screws for every 9” of tread and riser connection.

Please contact us for more information about our stair building techniques.

Questions to ask a Stair Builder | Stair Contractor

There’s nothing wrong with asking your stair contractor questions. In fact, we think you should hammer away with questions!

Serious questions deserve answers, so homeowners shouldn’t hesitate when asking questions. The most reliable stair builders can provide you with answers. So ask your stair contractor questions and then take advantage of their experience.

As a former contractor, I have experience working all types of jobs. I’ve answered countless questions and solved numerous problems before the job even started.

The homeowners, who had hired stair builders before me with less experience were so thankful when I finished the job. It’s a big problem when you hire a contractor who doesn’t have a solution to your problem. So I would suggest taking your time and making sure whoever you decide to hire can get the job done.

For example, if you’re planning on remodeling your staircase, you must have a nice well thought plan. Provide your contractor with a dream design and ask for his or her opinion about the design. Find out whether or not he or she detects any problems.

Your stair contractor and his stair builders are going to be a very valuable source of expertise for you while they are accomplishing your project. A good stair contractor will help you solve your problems and sometimes by solving your problems, they will be solving their problems and this will surely benefit both sides.

If you happen to come across a stair contractor who isn’t willing to help or can’t answer your questions, it really wouldn’t be a bad idea to contact another contractor. See what he or she has to say about your current situation. This is important because having a good relationship with your contractor is going to make the job run smoothly. There’s absolutely nothing worse than being scared to ask questions.

What You Need to Know For Your Next Stair Remodeling Project!

Hire The Right Stair Contractor

Before you decide to hire a stair contractor, make sure you know who will be doing all the work. Many stair contractors sell the job and meet with the clients before any of the actual construction, remodeling or building begins. You need to know the people who are going to be doing the work for you.

So the best way to eliminate such problems is to work with both your stair contractor and stair builders. Make sure you know who will be doing the bulk of the work.

Here are a few important questions to ask your stair contractor:stair builder

Who will be building the stairs? Is it the stair contractor?

Do you plan on subcontracting the work?

Does the remodeling company have their own workers or employees?

Once you ask those questions, you should then aim to view a history of their last few stair remodeling projects. Determine whether or not you like their work. Make sure they can successfully carryout your stair design.

It seems like this misunderstanding can turn out to be a big problem in construction industry. The client or homeowner often believes that the contract will be working on the entire project, only to find out later that he was selling the job. Many times the construction crew provides you with a completely different impression, one that isn’t going to be pleasant.

The last thing you want is a construction crew that irritates you. For example, if you aren’t okay with smoking, ask the stair builders, whether or not any of the construction workers are smokes. It’s a simple question can be answered without hesitation, but you get the point. Ask as many questions as you want because it’s your money on the line. You want to make sure you hire the right company to get the job done.

You need to find out who you can contact if there is a problem on site. Find out who you should contact and how long it will take to resolve them.

So if you want your new staircase design to turn out well in real life, make sure you create a successful relationship with your stair contractor and stair builders. Your goal should be to solve as many of your potential problems as possible, before the job gets started.

Beach City Stairs has an extensive list of clients based in San Diego, Carlsbad, Encinitas, La Jolla and Ranch Bernardo.