I’ve a friend who is going through his house and replacing all his carpeted floors with prefinished oak strip flooring. The finish on this product is quite dark, a real deep reddish brown.
It is a product by Mirage, and looks like this:
All the trim in his home is clearcoated pine, which of course has over the years darkened the way pine does to a honey color.
He is about to do his staircase, which had been carpeted. He asked for my advice.
It is my opinion that his treads should be red oak, stained and finished to match his nice new floors that come to the bottom and top of the staircase, but that all the other stuff . . . risers, scotia mold, skirtboards, molding atop skirt . . . should be pine, and finished like all his baseboard, casings, chair rail, etc.
I cannot quite picture how all this might look. Ed’s first take on this was to do the skirts and risers and related moldings all in oak, finished like the floor.
Whaddya think?
Edited 11/12/2005 7:02 pm ET by Stinger
Replies
I would do treads in oak to match the floors, then paint the stringers and risers. I don't particularly like white, but the color, of course, has to go with the decor.
What about the rail and the balustrade?
As Wayne suggested you have to look at the big picture, not just the trim. A staircase stained completely dark can be quite dominant. One with dark stained treads and rail with the rest painted white can look really handsome depending on the style and setting of the house and its interior.
Consult a designer?
There is no painted woodwork in the house. The balustrade is all pine, clearcoated.
Some pics might help.
Have you asked Ed's DW?
She has no preference, and defers all this to him.