Hardwood Stairs

Bicycle

Hi there.

Some advice on hardwood stairs please.

We're in the middle of organising some home renovations. Part of the renovations include a new open tread stairs.

Our architect wants to put in a walnut stairs but having researched the area we are having doubts about it. We've been told its a semi-hard rather than a hard wood and that it scratches easily. And because of the colour, the scratches are more apparent.

Now, while we love the concept of the Walnut stairs, we really do want something that is hard wearing and won't need a lot of maintenance.

Can anyone recommend a hard hardwood (as opposed to a semi-hard wood)

And does anyone know about Parador wood? I was lead to believe by one supplier that it was a genuine type of hardwood that was about the hardest around and is sustainable. However, my research on the net suggests its a brandname. Could someone fill me in, please.

Thanks.

mav79

Hey bicycle, Parador are a brand name. All hardwoods will scratch and mark but you are right about walnut showing up marks easily. They are harder to touch up as well.
If you like walnut you could always use walnut handrail, baluster and newel posts with painted treads, that way you could use beech or maple threads which i find very hard wearing and easy to touch up if they get marked or damaged.

Mr Woodcraft

Hi Bicycle,

The Hardest Hardwood we have used has got to be Oak. It is seriously tough stuff and not that easy to mark.

I would not rule out the walnut too easy though. A walnut open thread stairs is fab. You could still use the walnut but get it lacquered by a professional sprayer instead of varnished by a painter. If you use a really good quality lacquer it protect the stairs from a lot of the ware and tear.
The lacquering of any stairs is extremely important and essential to protecting it no matter what wood you use.

http://www.woodcraftireland.com

SpitfireIV

Walnut can mark easily alright and is realtively soft, but on the upside its a pretty easy wood to work and looks beautiful once properly finished, especially the American Black Walnut!! You have a couple of good ideas there. Off topic a bit, but I seen a stairs being made on 'Grand Designs', the threads were made from 18 and 12mm ply sandwiched together and a 5mm veneer of Walnut on the top and bottom so you could still see the ply in the middle, it looked sweet and very contemporary!


Like I mentioned earlier, walnut can be soft, look what happened to this walnut table top I was making when I left it too close to the stove and picked it up, its one inch thick!!!! :eek::eek:



Bloody imported stuff! :mad:











:D:pac::P

Bicycle

Thank you all for your help, and apologies for not getting back to you sooner.

Things have entered into suspended animation for a bit. We finally got costings and they were rather too far beyond budget so we're pruning at the moment.

I'm still fairly reluctant about the stairs but am hoping to have a resolution to the budgetary issue in the next 10 days or so and will then analyse the stairs situation once more, bearing in mind the sage advice given here.

Have a good weekend all!!