Designed Stairs

Designed Stairs has the experience to design structural, open-riser staircases that are also beautiful works of contemporary art.

  • Hardwood Stairs in Cherry: Key Items to Consider

    Cherry for a curved stair

    For hundreds of years cherry has a been a desirable wood species due to its beautiful natural color; its subtle grain lends itself to elegant applications. Cherry is an excellent wood for furniture, cabinets and stairs. Cherry is easy to work with, however it does present a few challenges to be aware for use in stairs.

    • Bleaching from light. Cherry is a hardwood by classification, however within that category woods have a broad range of density and hardness.

    • Cherry dents easily. It is not advisable to use cherry on stair treads due to the heavy use, unless you plan to carpet over the treads. Historically, oak or maple was often used for treads, due to their hard character.

    Today, we have tropical species that do a great job of blending with cherry’s natural color. Sapele Mahogany is a tropical species that blends well and has great density for use on treads.

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  • Finishing Maple Stairs

    Clear coat of finish on maple stairs

    Maple is popular wood for interior trim, flooring and stairs. Maple has natural beauty with a smooth surface due to its closed grain properties of the wood. The hardness of maple makes it a great choice for stairs and any place that gets a lot of abuse from heavy use.

    Maple is usually clear coated which highlights its natural tones. In recent years cabinet and flooring companies started a trend of staining maple. While these products are typically factory finished with systematic and tested processes, staining maple trim and stairs yourself is tricky. Maple tends to absorb stain unevenly which leads to a blotchy look. The darker the stain the more blotches will be apparent.

    What You Can Do

    Stained finish on maple stairs
    Maple Stair Stained

    Applying a wood conditioner or a shellac seal coat prior to staining provides a barrier between the wood and the stain. This will help minimize the blotchy effect. Also, try a gel stain verses a penetrating stain. A penetrating stain is designed to absorb into the wood, and this does not work well with maple.

    As with all finishing projects, test the desired finish on a piece of scrap wood before you begin to stain. Try different conditioners and stains to produce the desired effect. Investing a few dollars and a little time on products to get the best quality will pay a big return when staining an entire stair.

    Staining your maple stairs takes patience. But the time invested to do it right will reward you with years of enjoyment and beauty.

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  • How to Fix a Squeaking Stair

    A squeak in a stair is generally caused as the lumber dries out over time. Hardwoods are regulated by industry standards for a moisture content of 6-8%. This matches the moisture content inside the average home and allows the wood to remain stable under normal conditions.

    Pine (grades used for basement stairs and stairs to be fully covered with carpet) has a typical high moisture content of 12-16%. Over time as pine shrinks built stairs will begin to squeak.

    If your stair is squeaking, check the humidity level in your home as a first step. Verify where the squeak is coming from. You may hear a squeak walking up the stair, but it could be coming from the framing material rubbing against the stair, and not the stair itself.

    Tools to fix a squeaking stair

    How to Fix

    You can typically fix the squeak, as simply as “toe nailing”* a long nail or two in the area that is squeaking. That is not to say more squeaks won’t develop over time, as the lumber continues to dry out to equal the humidity level of your home.

    *Toenailing: driving a nail at an angle into a board. It makes a strong joint while it also pulls joining boards into position.

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  • Staircases for Small Spaces

    There are a number of stairs that will get you from one level to the next while using very little floor space. Here are the options along with the space needs, cost and ease of use.

    Ships Ladder

    A spiral stair is a stair that typically rotates off a center post. These stairs are available in diameters as small as 4′. A spiral that is reasonable for the average size adult to walk, should be at least a 5′ diameter (requiring a 5′ x 5′ floor space). Spiral prices have a huge range, from $500 to over $100,000. The low end is a poor quality production spiral. The high end spiral is a work of art. For a good quality custom spiral stair you should plan on a ball park of $10,000.

    Alternating Step Stairs blend a ladder and stair together. Their walking comfort is similar to a ships ladder, but they take a bit more effort to use. You need to start off with the correct foot and coming down can take a bit of concentration too. These are generally custom made, and cost a few thousand dollars. The floor space required is slightly less than 3′ x 3′.

    Loft Ladder

    A ships ladder is the most walkable ladder. It has railings on both sides. If you remember the old movies that took place on ships — the captain nearly ran down the ships ladder with ease. The railing is what makes the ships ladder so easy to use. The floor space required is about 2′ x 3′. The cost of a ships ladder will be similar to that of an alternating step stair.

    Loft or Library Ladders are generally used without a handrail; as you climb, you hold onto the sides of the ladder. Some ladders are almost vertical (harder to walk), while others project out onto the floor a foot or more. Custom made library ladders are around a thousand dollars, and can take as little floor space as 1′ x 2′.

    By determining your space and your budget, you can figure which one is right for you.

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  • Controlling Stair Costs

    Budgeting for stairs as part of construction costs

    A common question I hear is, “How much does a stair cost?”

    The price range of stairs is very large; from a pine boxed stair for a basement — a few hundred dollars — all the way up to an artistic stair for well over $100K.

    Start by establishing your stair budget and determine what you want to spend. Typically, stairs cost in the range of 1.5% to 2.5% of your home price. The low end of 1.5% represents a basic trim package. The higher end of 2.5% is custom level trim.

    If your goal is to keep your stair costs at the lower end (1.5% of your home price), use styles that are stocked and readily available. Red Oak and Poplar are materials that are likely to be your most affordable options.

    Generally speaking the smaller the components the less the cost. If you are making the trim a focal point of your home, and have budgeted 2.5%, you still may need to make some hard decisions to keep within that range. Stairs in custom materials can get costly quickly, due to the high quantity of components that are required in just one stair. Making all those individual parts for one job, adds a lot of labor and cost to the job.

    You may need to ask yourself what is more important to you: style or material? You may need to forgo the style you want to keep the upgraded custom material, or go with the style you want in a less expensive material. Designed Stairs has styles categorized for budget by:

    • Builder’s Choice (stocked, more affordable styles)
    • Architect’s Choice styles (custom styles or styles that tend to be more costly for various reason)

    This makes it easy to focus in a direction to help keep you on budget.

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  • Budgeting For Stairs

    When you are planning your construction project, it will be good to know how much to allow for your stairs. There is a strong relationship between the total value of a house and the amount spent on the staircase. An average custom staircase costs from 1.5% to 2.5% of the home’s selling price.

    Chart comparing stair price with home price

    The low end of 1.5% represents a basic trim package. The higher end of 2.5% is custom level trim.

    Sometimes I see large multi-million dollar homes that are focused on size and not trim quality. In those cases, those homes can still remain at the 1.5% level for the standard trim level. It is possible to spend less than the 1.5% by doing carpenter built stairs and lessening the footage of balustrade, but realize you undervalue your stair compared to what is typical. On the other end of the spectrum a stair can be a work of art and the key feature to the entire home. In those cases may go well beyond the 2.5%.

    *All prices were effective in October 2012 and assume custom hardwood stairs with some open balustrade. The more costly stairs also have more open balustrade.

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  • Finishing Hardwood Stairs

    Finishinig wood stair

    Finishing stair parts before installation is not recommended. The installation process involves cutting, fitting and sanding, which would result in touching up of finish, and a less than high quality end result. Additionally, gluing of various parts is done during installation, and glue should adhere to raw wood (not finish) for the best bond. Prefinishing parts prior to installation could result in the stair squeaking, due to poor bonds.

    The sooner a stair is finished the less potential for damage to the raw wood from the job site, and the better the quality of the finish. Hardwood stairs should be sealed on all sides to retard movement from humidity fluctuations and protect from exposure to job site elements and damage. Seal the stair as soon as possible after installation.

    Sun or artificial light affects the color of woods such as cherry, walnut and maple, and they should be finished immediately to limit coloration changes.

    The stair parts should come sanded to a level ready for finishing, but for best results some additional preparation is recommended prior to applying stain.

    First, do a careful inspection of the stair with a light to detect any damage that may have taken place after installation. This sort of damage is usually minimal and can be easily sanded out. Dirt or mud on the stairs can typically be removed with paint thinner or lacquer thinner, whichever is compatible with the finish. A light sanding should follow the cleaning. Just prior to application of the finish, the stair should be blown off and wiped with a tack rag to remove any fine dust.

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  • Costs of Stairs by Shape — Curved to Straight and Every Shape In Between

    Stair shapes

    A common question I hear is, “How much does a stair cost?” Both the shape of the stair and the footage of the balustrade will set the price of your stair long before you start making selections for style.

    Consider selecting the stair shape when you are working with your Architect on your plans.

    • Straight

      The most cost effective stair shape is the simplest stair to build. Consider saving money on this simple stair shape, then you may have more money in your budget for upgrades on balustrade style and materials. Straight stairs start around $3,000*.

      Landings: L-Shape and U-Shape

      These are more expensive than straight stairs, as both the stair and rail take more labor at each turn/intersection then a simple straight stair takes. Landing stairs start at around 4,000*.

    • Winder Treads in Lieu of Landings

      Landings are framed and covered with flooring, while winders are custom made stair treads, winders will cost more than landings.

    • Trapezoid Angled

      This is also called “the poor mans curved”. There are a lot of intersections and fitting (labor) on this shape stair. Their price is generally between the Landing stair and a curved stair, starting around $5,500*.

    • Curved

      Curved stairs are the most desirable stair, due to the beauty and prestige they bring to a home. These stairs take skill in many areas, including engineering and advanced woodworking skills, along with specialized curved stair skills. A curved stair is the most expensive stair shape. Typically curved staircases start at about $9,000* and go well over $100,000 due to custom materials, styles and more complex engineering.

    View the Designed Stairs Inspiration Galleries to get more information on specific shapes and why you may want to choose one over another (beyond price).

    *All prices are effective in October 2020 and assume custom hardwood stairs with some open balustrade. The more costly stairs also have more open balustrade.

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  • Wood Stair Acclimation to the Job Site

    Worker measuring wood moisture

    The environmental conditions inside the house are critical to the quality of the stair. Hardwood lumber has been dried through a very controlled process to an industry standard moisture content of 6-8%. This matches the moisture content inside the average home and allows the wood to remain stable under normal conditions.

    In cold climtes, when a house is heated to a high temperature in winter, the air can become very dry, causing the wood to shrink. This shrinkage can make cracks visible in the wood and joints may begin to open up. Subjecting a stair to high levels of heat is like putting it in an oven and will accelerate the deterioration of the stair.

    All hardwoods must be sealed on all sides to retard movement and protect from exposure to elements and damage. It is recommended to seal wood immediately.

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  • What Stage of Construction Should Hardwood Stairs be Installed?

    Installer with stringer

    When your stair is installed will have a lot to do with how it turns out in the end.

    Plan installation of your hardwood stair for after your drywall has been taped, sanded, and primed. The drywall process can cause damage to the stair. Drywall mud and paint overspray can make the stair finishing process very difficult and may even make desired results impossible to achieve.

    Most hardwoods are an open grain wood and when dirt gets embedded in open grain it is very difficult to remove, even with sanding. This will have a negative effect on the appearance and texture of the finish. Care must also be taken to protect the stair from dirt and mud.

    NEVER COVER HARDWOOD STAIRS WITH PLASTIC. Plastic does not allow airflow, trapping moisture underneath and causing the wood to expand and contract. This expansion and contraction causes the wood joints to open up and may cause the wood to crack.

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