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.

Three Endless Designs for your Staircase Remodeling Project

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Do you happen to live in a big house? Maybe your house is two stories? If you decide to remodel your home, be sure to give your staircase some thought. This is because the design possibilities are literally endless when it comes to remodeling a staircase. Your staircase could be either hardwood or carpeted.

If you are replacing carpeted stairs or building a hardwood staircase from scratch, then you must know that hardwood steps don’t necessarily have to be built the traditional way. Our stairbuilders have three terrific ideas to give you stairs some personality:

Decorate

Consider putting tile on the hardwood staircase to create a very unique look. It can help prevent scuff marks. If you want to be creative, then paint them. You can use a solid color to match or contrast your walls. You can even create a fun design like a faux carpet, numbers or nature.

Use the banister

Whether a curvy and whimsical or straight with vertical and horizontal lines, an interesting banister can transform your wood staircase into a work of art. Although it’s generally best to pick a design that complements the staircase. Some homeowners choose to be bold and contrast with their steps to create a stunning look. Don’t be scared to add texture or possibly incorporate different materials such as glass, rope or steel.

Make it freestanding

Although most hardwood staircases are generally against a wall, you could also build your steps as if it’s a center stage. Take your time to think about other shapes that are curved, spiral or switchback. Then put them in the middle of the space to divide a large room while giving an open feel.

So if you’re ready to transform your old carpeted stairs into a fresh, new hardwood staircase then you definitely want to talk to a stair contract to figure out the best way of doing so. Find out how we can help you enhance your stair 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.

3 types of flooring for staircases

When building stairs it’s important to always surround your staircase with durable flooring materials.

Why is it so important?

It’s because all flooring areas that lead towards the stairway and even the staircase itself will often be high traffic area. The area surrounding your staircase will be used frequently. People will walk to and from the staircase, up the staircase and into the hallway upstairs or possibly even downstairs.

So let’s go over a list of durable floorinhttp://beachcitystairs.com/wp-admin/post-new.phpg materials:

Carpet

Carpet staircases are very simple. Carpeting reduces noise and it even controls dust. If you have a wood staircase, you should think about installing a carpet runner or stair tread carpet pads. Carpeting provides you with additional traction while walking up and down the stairs. Other types of flooring can create hazardous problems for your family and guests. Don’t be fooled, because people slip down a stairway more than you think. Safety is always a concern when building a staircase.

Tiles

Tiles are also durable, they’re long-lasting and it works great in high-traffic areas. However, even though it lasts a long time, you need to assess the potential problems you’ll face in the future.

For example, tile is considered to be slippery when wet. If you’re walking down a tiled stairway with a little moisture on your shoes, socks or bare feet, you could very well find yourself in a slippery situation. Ceramic tiles can create safety problems if used as a stair tread or step covering.

Timber Flooring

timber stairsSo we’ve talked about carpeting and tiles, now let’s discuss the pros and cons of timber flooring. Timber flooring comes in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors and patterns. If you’re really looking for a fantastic look, wood flooring is what you’ll want. Talk to your stair contractor to see what types of wood they recommend.

Like many other houses, your staircase can always be a decorative centerpiece in your home. Look at it as a beautiful piece of furniture.

Wood looks very nice, but it can also be slippery when wet. It also doesn’t fare too well in high-traffic areas. But that’s why you have a 1-on-1 meeting with your stair builder. Ask your stair builders for extra information. It’s always a good idea to be informed and well prepared when rebuilding an important piece like a staircase.

Whether you decide to install tile, carpet or even wood in your new and improved staircase, do your best to find a professional stair contractor. A good stair contractor will always deliver what you want.

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.