Squaring Up Wood Stairs & Railings For a Contemporary Vibe
- Home Case Studies Squaring Up Wood Stairs & Railings For a Contemporary Vibe
This is what you see upon entry, nondescript stairs, railins and newel post the clients wanted to modernize.
We began to transform these stairs and railings to a squared, contemporary style.
Not liking the curved bracket detailing on the open stairs, they wanted them removed.
Preferring to blend color with the upstairs hallway, we matched the color precisely. 
The new stair treads are not stained and refinished and blend nicely with the upper hallway.
Here the curved brackets were covered with a solid piece, and the risers were capped with wood veneers.
Even the upper railing, newe and short railing are more cohesive than before.
Together with the veneer riser caps and the squared railing the entry stairs are taking on a modern vibe.
Not only installing a squared railing profile, the upper and lower rails were tied together for a sleek look.
- Location Cherry Hill, NJ
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Job:
Transforming hardwood stairs and railings to more contemporary look
Clients See Our Hardwood Floor Work on Facebook and Give Us A Try.
In what has become a string of clients seeing our pictures I posted on the Facebook group “What’s Up in Cherry Hill.” This Cherry Hill couple contacted us for their stair project.
Slowly adding their own flare to the house, they wanted to upgrade the stairs and formal entry. Now done with some trim and new hardware, they wanted to tie in some new metal to match the new hardware. To achieve the new look the had a combination of goals. After removing the carpet themselves they wanted to sand and refinish the stairs and hopefully replace the railing components.
Their goal
- sand and refinish the treads, and paint the risers
- consider sanding the railing and newels posts, or replacing them with a contemporary style
- replace the spindles (aka balusters) with metal ones
- remove the dated curvy tread bracket, and just square it off
- dress up the railings with newer hardware and tie in upper and lower railing
- install a bound runner on the stairs
In partnership with our stair guy (a master carpenter who fabricates custom or installs stairs and railings), we met the clients and got our proposals together.
A finalized project
After the numbers were proposed the clients approved the projects. They were excited to go with replacing the railings. And they opted for a squared off look. There would be 3 square railings. He would make a new square newel post to match the upper one at the bottom landing tread. And as a flare he would use a square turn to tie in the railing mid way up. This way the two sections would be connected. And new metal spindles and brackets would tie in with the newer door hardware they just upgraded to in the entry way.
For our part, we were on deck to sand the stairs and risers, then sand the railings and stain them to match, and do the final painting and caulking as a finished product.
The work
First we cut out the existing wood spindles, but kept the railing in tact (for safety reasons). We suggested that they go with a riser cap, a veneer installed covering the riser, to provide a “clean slate” surface that would be blemish free. This covered some stair and staple marks the sanding that didn’t get sanded out.
Meanwhile our stair guy ordered the stair parts, and fabricated the railings in his shop. Once were were done the tread work he came back and installed the riser veneer. He also cut and installed a plate to cover the curvy tread brackets. Next he installed the new railings, the new newel post and tied them all together.
Hoping back n forth, we then returned to sand and finish the new railings and newel posts (to match the treads). We painted the riser caps and stringers and installed the stair trim called scotia. With the bulk of the work done our railing guy came back and put the new metal spindles in.
The results
The entry and stairs now have a fresh contemporary look. Gone is the dated rounded curviness, in are squared off, smart edges with a balance of wood and metal that is quite appealing!
Our clients couldn’t be more happier. They got exactly what they wanted. The work was done by craftsman with an eye for detail worthy of any nod from fellow peers. And the results are stunning and are clients couldn’t be happier!
