Replies

1. 
   YesMaam27577 | Jun 08, 2007 05:14pm | #1

   First, I'll answer your question, then I'll tell you what you might not want to hear.

   Solid birch, maple, or oak are excellent choices, mahogany is a very close second. Hard maple is better than soft maple, and white oak is better than red oak.

   Now, here's the rub. When you add a layer of wood to an existing staircase, it (obviously) raises each tread by the thickness of the new material.

   This means:

   That the first step will be higher than it formerly was. (You're raising the step, but not the floor beneath.)

   That all of the "inbetween" steps will be the same height that they have been in the past, and

   That the top step will be shorter than all of the rest. (You're raising the step, but not the floor above.)

   If this is something that you are doing in your own home, you might not care. But if you ever sell your house, and the buyer requests an inspection, you'll have a problem. And if you are doing it in a "flip", think again. Every building code requires that the rises within a staircase be equal.

    

    

    

   Support our Troops. Bring them home. Now.  And pray that at least some of the buildings in the green zone have flat roofs, with a stairway.

1. 
   shelly | Jun 08, 2007 06:10pm | #2

   Thanks for your quick response.

   Thanks for drawing my attention to this issue.

   We are in fact in the midst of a renovation which involved taking up our existing floor in order to accommodate underfloor heating. As a result, our floor level actually increased approximately (a little over) 3cm so this would be compensating for the increase in height of the floor.

   Sorry that I'm not completely familiar with the term 'flip' but this project has been undertaken using architects, engineers and a reliable and experienced builder. My only problem (being the client,) is that I know absolutely nothing about wood, how it retains its size or expands or whatever ;) 

   shelly in Jerusalem

1. 
   JeffHeath | Jun 08, 2007 07:31pm | #3

   Shelly

   Stay away from the mahogany for a floor, unless it's of a harder variety like Santos Mahogany.  It's just too soft for a floor, especially stairs.

   Any of the other species will be absolutely fine for flooring or stair treads.  Obviously, make sure that you allow the wood to acclimate to it's new indoor environment before attaching it to the stairs.

   "Flipping" is a term for renovating a home for the business purpose of turning it around quickly and selling it for a profit.

   Jeff

    

2. 
   YesMaam27577 | Jun 10, 2007 05:31pm | #5

   Sorry that I'm not completely familiar with the term 'flip' but......

    

   Ah, tis me who should aplolgize. It had not occurred to me that you might be outside of the USA, and in this day of multi-nationalism, it should.

   "Flip" is a term, here in the states, that encompasses the process of buying, renovating, and selling a house for profit. (Buy it, fix it, and 'flip' it back onto the market.)

    

    Support our Troops. Bring them home. Now.  And pray that at least some of the buildings in the green zone have flat roofs, with a stairway.

1. 
   shelly | Jun 12, 2007 05:39pm | #7

   Many thanks to you all for taking the trouble to answer my question, I truly appreciate your kind help.

   shelly

2. 
   Lataxe | Jun 08, 2007 10:14pm | #4

   Shelly,

   Hard maple was traditionally used (in Britain at least) for factory floors.  It is very crush proof, compared to many other timbers; and also takes wear from feet very well (ie long-term abrasion from shoes and the dirt embedded in them). 

   I have made a number of items from a section of an old Victorian mill floor in Bolton.  This floor consisted of 20mm thick hard maple planks from Canada.  The lack of dings or other deep damage is remarkable for a floor 150 years old that had been subject to that cast-iron Victorian machinery and the traffic of a thousand metal-shod millworker clogs.

   If you want a darker timber consider teak or iroko, if you can get it.  Iroko is used a lot here now for slab-style wooden stairs, as it too wears very well under abrasive forces. 

   I have some old teak that is a bugger to work.  Worst of all is its refusal to sand, even on a great big belt sander......so it would be ideal for flooring, especially stairs.

   Lataxe.

1. 
   Joe Sullivan | Jun 10, 2007 06:12pm | #6

   Lataxe:

   I just worked my first teak and was surprised at how easily it tooled.  The oils made my #4 Stanley just slide and sing.  My teak has been in storage about 10 years.  It was originally part of a shipping crate from the far east -- as is much of the teak timber in the USA.

   In light of my experience I was surprised to see your post.  Was yours much older?

   Joe

1. 
   Lataxe | Jun 12, 2007 09:13pm | #8

   Joe,

   Teak - it does seem to vary....

   The stuff I have comes from two sources: old chemistry benches from the local university; and an old Victorian table (or rather, the remaining parts of one).  The chemistry benches were installed in 1967 but I don't know who made them or where the timber came from.

   Both types of this teak are very dense and seem to contain quite a lot of silica or some other hard mineral, which shows as fleks and tends to glaze over if sanded or scraped.  The Victorian stuff is the worst, though; and is also a bit heavier  (I'd guess around 0.7 - 0.75 SG or more.  The grain also roils about but this provides a very satinwood-like appearance, when you eventually get it polished.

   The degree of oiliness varies a lot, with the most oily also being the lightest (but still not light).

   Colour also varies a bit.  All the Victorian, but just some of the chemistry bench planks, are very dark brown whilst other of the bench planks are much lighter-coloured.  

   None of it is easy to work.  The Marcou planes certainly cut it; and cleanly. But it requires a high blade angle and a LOT of push.  Its very difficult to sand.

   Lataxe

1. 
   Joe Sullivan | Jun 13, 2007 04:52pm | #9

   It must be the age of the teak that makes the difference.  My 10+ year old teak is remarkably easy to tool.

   J