Stair design

11 years ago

trying to decide on stair design ... a photo of our flooring is attached.
Question ONE
Should we go with:
a) all wood treads, risers, stringers, posts
b) all wood treads, risers, stringers, BUT white posts
c) wood treads, PAINTED risers, stringers, posts

Question TWO
Should the newell post and handrail match the floor colour?

thanks everyone!

Featured Answer

stevenlh123

11 years ago

First, the wood is gorgeous! What species is it, walnut?

As for the trim work, I think it is just a matter of taste, and how much of the wood tones you want to see in the stairwell. Personally I think all wood stairs can look somewhat monolithic (though the wood you are using has a nice amount of character and grain variation, so that should help minimize the "monolithic" look). I do like some contrast between the wood and painted trim. If it were me, I'd definitely paint the stringers, and probably the other elements as well.

I'll be having hardwood stairs installed in a couple of weeks, and I am trying to decide between painted or wood risers (all other elements are painted). I like the contrast of painted risers and wood treads, but wood risers will be the most maintenance free, and ease of maintenance is a big reason why I am doing this. Some folks have said they've used "porch" paint for the risers, and indeed the brand I would use (Kelly Moore) does have a porch paint that is supposed to be very durable, abrasion and scuff resistant, and easy to wash. Probably the direction I will go for my project.

Good luck with your decision; I'll be interested to find out what choices you make.

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Comments (6)

Elle
11 years ago
A photo of the proposed staircase location would help to see nearby trim, etc.
our custom build thanked Elle
our custom build
Original Author
11 years ago
no trim yet ... no insulation even ... we're going for a "clean but warm" feel ... is that too nebulous?
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our custom build
Original Author
10 years ago
thank you! The floor is actually "ochre smoked oak" from Urbania floors ... they are a hidden gem based in Mississauga Canada. t's a urethane finish but looks oiled. gorgeous stuff!

Good luck with your project!!
stevenlh123
10 years ago
Interesting. It is indeed gorgeous stuff. Your wood choice is pretty similar to ours, which is Provenza Grey Frost. It also has that somewhat gray, "lightly smoked" tone. Also a urethane finish (felt like an oil finish would be too high maintenance).

We ultimately decided to do wood risers, not painted. I did a mock up of what the painted risers would look like, using large pieces of foam core which I painted off-white to simulate the risers, then placing the foam core and shorter boards on the existing stairs; see attached photo. Doing this made me realize that the white risers would make the stairs a focal point, and I didn't really want that; it was too much of a distraction in our space. So, wood risers it is. All the rest of the trim in the stairwell will remain white.
our custom build thanked stevenlh123
our custom build
Original Author
10 years ago
What a great idea! Nothing like seeing something in real life to get a sense of what is going to work best for you. Looks like a lovely space.