Every few years I get a request to build a painted staircase. This one was pretty cool because the lady wanted Birdseye maple accents and pretty much left it up to me as to the final design. I had plenty of space to work with so for once I didn’t have the battle the lack of headroom or other code related issues. All parts custom made and prefinished before delivery. Usually I don’t sweat the install however on this one the wall framing was pretty poor. I ended up having to cut holes in the dining room drywall in order to straighten the wall studs enough to avoid scribing a 1 ½ inch serpentine bow into the stringer molding.
Photo’s of master newel, newel base, newel top and newel cap.
Newel posts are internally supported by steel weldments screwed to the stair carriage and or floor framing.
Replies
Detail of birdeye raililng and second floor balcony railing.
Beautiful!
Did you mold your own railing?
Do the maple treads go all the way across, or are they just ends?
Wood like that is quite expensive. Did you quote your client any lesser-priced options?
How 'bout curly cherry, fiddleback maple, quartersawn white oak, etc.
My nitch is speciality woods and I produce all my own parts from the raw material. The maple treads on this project are ends only. I resaw 1/8 thick veneer and bookmatch, laminated up on a 1 inch thick core of baltic birch, finished tread thickness about 1-3/16 thick with a 2 inch wide noseing. Yes I have used all the other species you mentioned. They wanted birdseye so I didn't bother quoting them a lesser cost wood. The railings run $80 lin ft. including the insert shoe. I have a unique way of fabricating the treads and since most of the cost is labor the figured wood option doesn't add much to the overall cost of the project. Usually on a 14 riser staircase the sepecility woods add about $300 to the job over my plain oak treads.
Those are beautiful!
I love any kind of figured maple and these are as nice as it gets.
Where are you finding the birdseye maple to do those hand rails? Or is it a secret!
I did a hand rail in a 1840's federal house out of tiger maple and it was difficult to find 12/4 to do that.
Looks great, as usual
Doug
Thanks Doug, see post 11 for some answers to your questions. You are right 12/4 is impossible to find. These railings are unique to my operation, entirely grain matched and laminated from 4/4 stock. There is a lot of labor involved but the finished product looks like it was milled from one solid piece of killer wood. I'll post some photos the next time I run a section.
Thank you
tread and stringer detail photo
Edited 12/12/2005 9:40 pm ET by riverman
second floor newel
Not a fan of painted staircases but your work and the selection for the project is excellant. The birdseye maple is awesome!
Thanks, I'm not big on painted either, for one thing it's a lot more difficult to get a good paint finish as opposed to a clear coat on natural wood.
Where did you get the birdseye maple, in the next 3-4 months I'll be looking for some and some curly cherry, and red oak.
I'll probably get lambasted from somebody for posting this but I live where the stuff grows and buy a lot of figured wood for my own use as well as sell birdseye, curly maple and curly yellow birch, (4/4 only) mail order nation wide, to the trades and hobby woodworkers. Shipping is a big factor so I don't know how the final price would shake out for you. I find less and less of the material every year so I don't advertise anymore but I'm always willing to help a fellow craftsman whenever I can. Curly cherry I don't seem to find anymore and the red oak you should be able to get locally. Depending on where you are I may be able to find you a place in your neck of the woods. My website may have some into and ideas to help you out. http://www.northernsunwoodworks.com
Edited 12/12/2005 11:21 pm ET by riverman
Thanks, I travel Michigan on my job. I'll contact u thru you web. Thanks,
I checked out your website -- (I paused here for at least a minute to try to find the words) -- awesome and inspiring.
clearly you care about quality. I'm so happy to know you're out there.
I'm starting a mantle today and I guarantee it'll be that much nicer now that I've seen how high you've raised the bar. (I'm fluting curved pilasters - should be fun.)
by the way, it sure is cold here in florida this morning -- I almost had to put on long pants.
Long pants Eh!Around here we put the shorts away two months ago.
thats a beauty way to go eh.
after ten years down here, I'm finally missing that white stuff. I could probably handle a week or two. (originally I came from Banff Alberta, so I've seen my share)
Nice, nice work. Personally I like painted together with bright work. All of one is just too monotonous for me.It's also very timely that I stumbled on your thread. I've got a painted/maple set for a very fussy client ( an engineer who not only knows everything, but knows how to do it ALL well<G>). This was supposed to be an enclosed stair with painted skirts and risers, and three landings. Two days ago, one flight and landing are half open, and they want a maple skirt there. ..I like the way you ran the vertical strip on the skirt (what's that called, anyway?) Would make a great transition if I lost the reveal...hope you don't mind if I take a few liberties...don't worry too much, these folks are way to cheap to pay for real quality (transplanted Michiganders, ha!).And again, thanks for posting your always unusually inspiring interpretation of an everyday, utilitarian object...whoa<G> Hey, pocket doors can't come off the track if they're nailed open
I like the way you ran the vertical strip on the skirt (what's that called, anyway?) Would make a great transition if I lost the reveal...hope you don't mind if I take a few liberties.Virtical strip. I call it a riser to stringer transition block. I use it to cover the gap between the riser and stringer. Since all my stuff is delivered pre-finished the classic miter joint is out. I rabbit out the edge of the riser (see photo) about 3/16 deep this allows me to mill a "Tee" molding which laps the joint on both sides by an 1/8 and tucks nicely under the birdseye cove molding. The Tee mold is glued in place with a few dabs of silicone.
Armin: You sure do the best work I have ever seen on stairways. I just now saw this thread...and just remembered it was you. I should have been able to tell.
Keep up the awesome work and best of 2006 to you.
Stan
Edited 12/25/2005 9:12 pm ET by StanFoster
Thanks Stan and the best to you in 2006 as well.
Armin,
I really like the balusters....saw they were turned 90 degrees and like how you transitioned them into the rail.
So you install the stairs is pre-finished peices? What would be the down side to building the stairs as a unit?What does this situation in my life ask of me?
What would be the down side to building the stairs as a unit?As opposed to pieces:Transportation is a big factor. A lot of my projects are several hundred miles away some a couple of days travel away. So being able to knock them down saves trailer space as well as being able to carry them through door openings and pretty much install them on site with one or two people. Pre-finished means they are usually the last thing to be installed in a house, just before the carpeting. In the case of hardwood floors I come in after the flooring guys are finished. So manhandling a huge staircase into an almost finished home is not really practical. The advantage of the prefinished option is the parts are disassembled and sanded, stained, painted or clear coated as individual pieces. Thus runs, sags, masking or overlapping of stain problems are eliminated, as well as a finishing room is more dust controlled than on site painting. The final result being a far superior finish than a site applied painter job. The finish quality give me a great edge over the competition, it looks more like a furniture grade finish than the usual construction methods produce. The big downside it everything better fit since there is no graceful way to come in after the fact and fix a major blooper. It also takes more time to do it this way and while I do ok with it it is not the most profitable aspect of home construction.
That is a cool newel. I like that bird board
That is a cool newel. I like that bird boardCool Newel, Hey, that rhymes, you turning into a poet?
Very nice work sir. Like Trim, I too really like the ballusters. Also the trim in the background like the baseboard and window trim is unique and custom I can tell. I don't know if you did the other or not but the place looks great on account of the workmanship.
Thanks Jer, no we didn't do the trim in the house. Currently we are building a freestanding spiral, to match the main stairs, which is due to be installed next month.
Wow all of it is real nice looking! Next to Stan, you guys do make them beautiful!
Blue: Seriously....it is embarassing to be even considered at doing work at Armins level. I am way over rated....thats my story and I am sticking to it.
Happy 2006 to everyone.
Stan
Thanks Stan, I would never consider myself better than anyone else, just that I have been at it longer than most. In another month I will have been sweeping the floor at the school of hard knocks for 39 years. Considering I never worked less than 50 hours a week I could safely add another ten years to the tally. I have the utmost admiration for your work, we have different methods and go to different extremes to get the job done. The end result is the same, we both have a long list of happy clients, what could be better than that.
Armin: Thanks for the comments. I love my stairbuilding....but have to balance it with trying to figure out how to make a living at it as well in my area. My wife and I decided a long time ago that she would run the household..and I bring in the income.
I went from my hobyy of building kentucky longrifles for just the pleasure of woodworking to a finesse degree...to making a profit building stairways. I am not able to build stairways to the degree I built those rifles. Just not enough hours in a day...and no clients within driving distance that I know of.
So.....I try to do a nice job...and so far my clients have been very satisfied.
Its just that I know I could build these stairways to the degree that I build my rifles....if I had the opportunity.
Thats why I say my stairwork is overrated. It could be better.
Stan