Staircases
In
the old days a staircase was often out of view when you came
in a house. Now, when you enter a newer style house ,one of
the first thing you see is the staircase. It stands out like
a show piece, a thing of beauty.
New
staircase
Often made from birch ,red
oak or maple or ash. To put the finish on a new staircase
I will sand the skirts ,risers and treads. I then proceed
to vacuum the whole staircase in order to make it dust free,
and brush on a coat of sealer to seal the wood. The whole
staircase is sanded once again after its dry and vacuumed.
A coat of Polyurethane is brushed on the entire staircase
and it is then let to dry overnight.
On the following day I fill all
of the nail holes (If Richard's Woodworks built the staircase
there wont be too many nail hole to fill as he is the best
staircase builder I know.),I then re sand the staircase, vacuum,
and brush on the last coat of Polyurethane . The client has
the choice of a satin, semi gloss or a high gloss finish.
(I recommend a semi gloss). A high gloss finish will tend
to show scratches, dust and imperfections more and will look
dull in the heavy traffic area, and a satin will look a bit
dull. I have found that a semi gloss looks newer for a much
longer period of time.
The spindles, handrails, and the
newel post will usually be brought to my shop and sprayed
with clear or white lacquer for an amazing finish before they
are installs
CLICK HERE TO SEE SOME NEW STAIRCASE
PICTURES
Staircase
re-coating
If
your staircase is starting to look like it needs a face lift
it might be time for a re coat. To re coat a staircase I will
lightly sand the finish and then vacuum the staircase and brush
a coat of Polyurethane then the next day sand it once more,
vacuum and brush a second coat of Polyurethane
for that new staircase look.
Staircase Refinishing
There
is nothing that I like more than an antique staircase. Often,
they have threads made of Maple or Birch and the skirts and
risers are often made of Douglas Fir. (In this region) It
may be a very dark reddish color or almost black, but when
Douglas Fir is refinished, it is transformed into a very beautiful
wood that is hard to get now days. It can often be found in
older homes in this region on baseboards, casings, doors and
on kitchen cabinets. A lot of these old staircase have unique
spindles and newel post. Often people don't realize the masterpiece
they have within the hidden beauty of an old staircase, all
it needs is to be refinished.
To refinish an old staircase I
will strip all the finish with chemical stripper by hand
and wash the wood with lacquer thinner to get the wood as
clean as possible. Then I sand the whole staircase and fill
the worst holes and dents. I don't want to fill all the
dents for fear of ruining the character of the antique staircase.
I then apply 3 coats of Polyurethane using the same technique
as in new staircase listed above. The handrail and the spindles
are either done on site, or I contact Richard's Woodwork
( The best staircase builder around) or Master carpenter
Wain Spicer to remove the spindles and handrails. I then
bring them to my shop to strip, stain and/or spray with
lacquer. Often this is the best method, for when he reinstalls
them, they will be very solid and secure
I
don't have too many pics of staircases that I refinished because
I allways forget to take pictures. One day I will go visit
my old customers and take some pics.
CLICK HERE TO
SEE SOME REFINISHED STAIRCASE PICTURES
Staircase
component
I
spray new spindles, handrail, and newel post for several suppliers
and contractors. I also strip & refinish them.
I will stain and\ or spray them with
clear, white, or any choice of colored lacquers the client desires.
