Sensational Wood Interiors

11/15/2023

I'm excited to share with you the fresh new look for this renovated staircase! The stair was resurfaced using solid maple tread covers, complete with mitered returns and scotia moulds underneath. Since the risers and stringers were to be painted white, I used paint grade veneered plywoods for these. Because I make many of my own stair components in my shop, I was also able to make custom built tread covers for the 3 winder treads in this stair. After laying down a wide ¾” maple nosing, I installed a handrail overtop that utilized 4 ½” clean faced maple newel posts, a maple top rail and pre primed white balusters. I added chamfers to the newels, that I had made, to match those on the balusters to create a smooth, uniform look. I’m very happy with how this project turned out and hope that the customer is enjoying their new staircase!

Do you have a stair or handrail project coming up? We can help you transform your space with our quality craftsmanship and design. Contact us today at 613 453 7940 and let us help make your dream stairway a reality.

We provide stair and handrail services in the Kingston, Belleville, and Picton (PEC) areas. To learn more about what we offer visit our website at www.sensationalstairs.com .

10/31/2023

A while back we completed a stair and handrail installation for this beautiful century home that was being renovated. The new stair and handrail were made of red oak, which added warmth and elegance to the space. Since the customer wanted the treads to be carpeted we used pine for these rather than red oak. The back of the exposed stair was enclosed using a red oak veneered plywood panel that was then tastefully trimmed out. The newel posts were 4 ½” box newels with a 6” base, a faux panel and a collar mould; the balusters were square with chamfered edges, which, together, complemented the style of the house. We are very happy with how this project turned out and we hope the customer enjoys their new stairway.

Do you have a stair or handrail project coming up? We can help you transform your space with our quality craftsmanship and design. Contact us today at 613 453 7940 and let us help make your dream stairway a reality.

We provide stair and handrail services in the Kingston, Belleville, and Picton (PEC) areas. To learn more about what we offer visit our website at www.sensationalstairs.com .

01/14/2020

A beautiful stair and balustrade for this new home! The risers and stringers will be painted white while the treads, nosing, newels and top rail will be stained and urethaned to match the floor. Since this is a floating floor (click type), the extra wide custom made nosing overlaps it thereby allowing the floor to expand and contract through the seasons. For more information visit http://sensationalstairs.com or call us at (613-453-7940).

10/01/2018

A handrail spanning a balcony defines an area that can be used as a relaxing sitting area or as an office that offers, both, a feeling of openness and a great view to the room below or out a bank of windows! Find out more about our stairs and handrails at www.sensationalstairs.com or call us today at 613 453 7940.

05/14/2018

This red oak stair and handrail have been finished with a dark stain that reveals a nice contrast within the grain of the wood. Some stains offer a consistency in colour while others offer more contrast and it’s a good idea to try a few stains on some hardwood scraps (that we can provide) to check not only for colour, but for grain appearance as well. A job well done by the painter.

A lot of customers also like these balusters – simple (and easy to dust), yet elegant.

Find out more about our products and services at http://sensationalstairs.com
(Or you can go directly to our stairs page http://sensationalstairs.com/wp/stairs-2/
or to our handrail page http://sensationalstairs.com/wp/handrails/ )

02/22/2018

“Blotching occurs when a wipe stain is applied and the wood takes the stain unevenly.” This article discusses why blotching occurs when staining some woods and it offers suggestions of how to minimize this effect, such as pre stain conditioning. Talk to your painter or talk to your paint supplier about whether you need a conditioner for your stair or handrail and, if so, what to use and how to use it. And do a trial run with some scraps to be sure that the technique you are using works for you, as well as to ensure that you are getting a reasonable colour match with your stain. www.sensationalstairs.com

Areas where the grain of the wood allows the stain to enter easiest are susceptible to blotched, uneven staining.

02/13/2018

Stair Resurfacing (sometimes referred to as stair capping) – after the carpet was removed from this stair we resurfaced it in red oak to make it look like a hardwood stair! We make our own solid hardwood tread covers in our shop so they can be custom made to fit your stair including pie shaped winders, volute treads and curved stair treads. Find out more about our resurfacing option at http://sensationalstairs.com/wp/resurfacing/ or call me (613 453 7940) if you have any questions.

02/04/2018

To continue the theme of white ash used for their flooring, this customer asked us to make a custom white ash handrail. Sometimes red oak is mated up with white ash for the handrail, mainly due to the availability of red oak components (or the lack of availability of ash components) but, while the two woods are similar in the broader grain pattern, red oak is quite ‘busy’ – a lot of smaller features – within the grain, while ash has a fairly clean appearance. There is also a marked colour difference - white ash being white, while red oak is (not surprisingly) reddish. To me, the darker the woods are stained, the less noticeable these differences become.

I also like these balusters. While the feature is a little larger, it doesn’t overpower when placed in sets of three. www.sensationalstairs.com

09/28/2017

A solid knotty pine stair and handrail for this new home! For knotty pine newels I usually recommend clean faces (no panels), since the knots are the feature that you want to see. I then make the skirts at the bottom a bit longer to maintain a balanced perspective. There’s nothing like pine (or even wormy soft maple) to give a rustic, warm feel to your home or cottage. www.sensationalstairs.com

09/26/2017

A lot of people inquire about stairs with painted risers and stringers, like in this new installation. It does give a fresh clean look. For the newels, the caps can either be painted like these or they (and the collar mould below it) can be kept as hardwood and stained to match the top rail. This customer chose square balusters with chamfered edges that give a softer, more open feel to them. www.sensationalstairs.com

06/15/2017

The stair for this 19th century limestone farm house renovation used hard maple treads and balustrade while the stringers and risers were to be painted; so we used poplar for the stringers and paint grade maple veneer plywood for the risers. In keeping with the ornate appearance of the original handrail the customer went with 4 ½” box newels (with skirt, panel and collar mould), 1¾” pin top balusters and Lambton top rail. To improve night time visibility the customer incorporated low voltage LED lights into the side of the stringers (protected by green tape in the photo). visit www.sensationalstairs.com