Stairs are by definition an essential part of every house, be it that they have more than one floor. We use them every day, several times and these high traffic areas need to be built with the right wood. There are many options for stair treads. Before you choose the material for your project, it is important to understand your available choices.
Regardless whether you are building a new house or renovating an old one; designing a staircase that suits your style and lifestyle is important. After you’ve decided on the type of stairs, it’s time to choose the type of tread.
Some of the wood types you can choose from are:
Reclaimed ironwood
Red Oak
White Oak
Walnut
Brazilian Cherry
There are many wood options for interior staircases. Each one will have a different look. Red Oak, White Oak and Hard Maple are some of the most popular woods. Walnut and reclaimed ironwood are also available. These woods require regular oiling and maintenance to preserve their natural beauty. They can also be left out in the elements to develop a greyish color. It is also popular to bleach or whitewash wood in order to give it an antique look and lighten the surface. Sometimes, pigment is applied before the finish coat to allow the natural grain to shine more.
Reclaimed ironwood: it is a remarkable wood. It's extremely slow growth rate at less than 0.5mm a year. As a result, it is one of the most durable and heaviest timbers in the world, and it is ideal for both interior and exterior applications.
Red oak is an easily available hard and heavy wood with moderate bending strength and stiffness. It has a high crushing strength and steam bends well. The red-tinged brown heartwood and white tones of Red Oak creates a subtle but resonant contrast that makes this wood uniquely enjoyable
White Oak is lighter than red oak, and it is a heavier hardwood with moderate bending strength. is a hard and heavy wood with a medium-bending and crushing strength, low in stiffness, but very good in steam-bending. It has great wear-resistance. Readily available, but not as abundant as red oak.
Hard Maple is a creamy, white color with a slight reddish brown tinge. The wood is hard and heavy with good strength properties. In particular, it has high resistance to abrasion and wear. It also has good steam-bending properties.
Walnut wood is hard, heavy, and resilient, capable of resisting warping and suffering very little shrinkage. The grain is irregular but typically straight with a medium texture. Well known for its characteristic dark coloured wood with attractive grain patterns.
Brazilian Cherry also known as Jatoba, is one of the most popular exotic hardwoods.Brazilian cherry is one of the hardest. The Janka hardness test gives it a rating of 3500, which makes it incredibly durable. Like other species of cherry, the color of Brazilian Cherry hardwood will deepen and darken with age.
