Choosing The Right Wood For Each Part Of The Staircase

You make use of wood stairs while going up and down in our house for years, without even the realizing the damage and, wear and tear, it has to undergo regularly. Above all, if you use low-quality wood during construction, the staircase will start damaging early. Stairs play an integral role in daily life, especially, if you live in a two-story house.

If you’re considering installing a new set of stairs or updating them, there are some basic things you need to know. For instance, a stairway and a stair might sound similar but may mean different things. A stair is a place where you step on while a stairway represents an actual space in which a stair fits. And, choosing the right wood for each part of the staircase is mandatory. Because every part serves the different purpose, so you require a specific type of wood species. Whether the stairs you have installed are basic or advanced, they are all made of four distinct parts. These days, most of the people prefer wood stairs because custom-made beautiful wooden stairs provide class and unique style to every home. The following are the parts of the staircase with the type of wood species used:

• Treads - These are the flat boards that you step on while going up or down the stairs.  The vertical segments between the treads are known as risers. The wood species used for making treads include maple, cherry, oak, and mahogany.
• Balusters - Typically the most prominent feature of any staircase is the upright posts that fit between the base and the handrails, are balusters. Starting from basic to extravagant, balusters come in numerous shapes, sizes, and designs. The common type of woods that are used to make balusters include cherry, alder, and mahogany.
• Newel Posts - They are the large posts found at the landings, bottom, and top of the stairs. Newel posts provide a strong base for handrails and come in a wide range of shapes and sizes. The most common woods that newel posts are produced from are maple, poplar, beech, maple, and oak.
• Stair Handrails - The stair handrails are the installation that you hold to take support from or rest your hand on as you travel up or down the stairs. Although they mostly come in flat or rounded designs, there are various other designs of handrails. Desired woods for handrail filings include maple, oak, beech, and alder.

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Tips To Maintain Indoor And Outdoor Wood Stairs

Custom-made beautiful wooden stairs provide class and unique style to your home. With regular maintenance and care, you can make your wood stairs to look as good as new for several years down the line. Proper maintenance not only enhances your property’s value but also avoids expensive repairs. If you already have a wooden staircase or planning to install a new one in your exterior or interior setting, first, you must be familiar with how to maintain it.

Regular maintenance such as cleaning, scratch and dent touch-ups and infrequent refinishing are few of the main processes that help in maintain wood stairs. Further, extra procedures to prevent wood damage, including rugs to keep debris away from the floor, can help wood stairs to remain in best shape and condition.

Here are the simple tips that help to maintain your wooden stairs.

• Cleaning - Regular cleaning of the wooden stairs is necessary, which include vacuuming, damp mopping and sweeping them. Make sure all wet spots and spills on the wood are cleaned immediately to avoid unwanted stains and damage to the wood. If your stairs need a good liquid cleaning, use a cleaner specifically designed to clean wooden stairs.
• Mold - Wooden floors or stairs in humid and moist areas are prone to mold growth. Routine removal of mold can help in increasing the lifespan of wood stairs. Although mold can go away when wiped up, it tends to come back until a disinfectant is used to suffocate the mold spores. As recommended by North Dakota State University, to kill mold spores you need to clean wood stairs with a solution of 1/4 to 1/2 cup of bleach in a gallon of water.
• Damage Control - Wood stairs can get damaged with the shoes and other hard surfaced things. In order to control damage, you need to put rugs near the entrance or carpets at the bottom of the staircase to catch any debris present on the shoes. This protects the wood stairs and floors from scratching. Do not wear dent-causing footwears, including skinny and hard high heels on wooden stairs.
• Regular Waxing - Routine waxing helps to make your wooden stairs stain-proof, waterproof and protect them from scratches, scuffs, and dents.
• Refinishing Maintenance - Each day, wood stairs deal with lots of heavy traffic, the finish might get cracked or damaged. You need to completely remove and replace the damaged finishing once they wear out and then apply the new finish as per the manufacturer's instructions.

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