ARTICLES
Article featured in March Newsletter for CARAHS
(Canadian Association of Renovators and Home Stagers)
Reface
Your Staircase
Paul and Shauna Mawdsley
Harmony Hardwood Stairs & Flooring
In the last 10 years designers and home owners have fallen
in love with prefinished hardwood flooring. Now, home owners
desire a convenient and cost effective way to transform
their carpeted stairs into a beautiful hardwood staircase.
This demand for hardwood stairs has been a challenge for
the flooring industry. Resurfacing stairs in hardwood is
more about custom woodworking than installing flooring.
It requires being able to manufacture custom stair treads,
stain-matched to prefinished hardwood flooring.
Don’t let your staircase become someone’s experiment.
Here are a few things to consider before choosing a company
to resurface your stairs:
- If
you have maple, birch, jatoba or walnut floors, you should
not have to settle for oak stairs.
-
Will your new stairs look like an original hardwood staircase?
How the treads are manufactured has an impact on the finished
look.
-
How are the outside returns attached? If attached with
brad nails, you will see wood filler blemishing the open
side of your staircase.
-
Can you match the stain to my flooring?
-
Will the steps come prefinished or will my home smell
like stain and urethane?
-
Do you provide custom options for stringers, risers and
railings?
-
Is there a product and installation warranty?
-
Can I visit a previous client to view your completed work?
This
last question may be the most important. Companies who do
good work have good relationships with their clients and
will be able to arrange a visit. Quality is something you
can see. Previously satisfied clients are references you
can trust.
