Is your staircase an eyesore at the moment? Did you know your stairs can make a big impact on elevating your home? While trends come and go, there are ways we finish stairs in our client’s homes that are both classic and timeless. Keep reading to see some of both our favorite materials, as well as construction methods.
Materials
Carpet
Carpeted stairs are the most budget-friendly option for a stair material. If you have pets or kids (as well as us clumsy adults), keep carpet in mind, since it provides more traction when going up and down the stairs. Besides this, there are still benefits to the carpet option. Carpet is much more comfortable on the feet, especially if you choose a nice, thick carpet pad under it. Plus, if you desire something more unique, carpet allows you a variety of options from textured to patterned and will make your stairs not so bland.
Wood Treads
There are two different ways you can choose to finish wood tread stairs. Treads are the horizontal part of the steps (the part you step on), while risers are the vertical part of the step. For the #NewportBuild’s stairs, both the treads and the risers are stained. Meanwhile, in the image below, #thelakeloft’s stairs have painted risers with stained wood treads.
There is no right or wrong between these two options – it really all is personal preference.
Wood Treads with Runner
This option is happy middle of wood treads and carpeted stairs for functional purposes. With the carpet runner, the stairs will be more comfortable on the feet and less slippery while still exposing the wood treads on the ends. This can also be a more versatile option since you can replace the carpet runner easier than fully carpeted stairs!
Construction
Ankle Wall
Getting into the “construction” of stairs, ankle walls are a common option. If you are looking at the side of the staircase, ankle walls cover up the ends of the stairs, while creating as sloped, continuous wall for the railing to sit on top of. We prefer to use an ankle wall with carpeted stairs because then you don’t see any unfinished edge of the staircase.
Exposed End Caps
Next up on our stair construction method are exposed end caps. With exposed end caps, you actually see each tread from the side of the staircase like in the foyer at our #pinegroveproject. They are beautiful, but this option can be a little bit more expensive than an ankle wall. In our opinion, the clean aesthetic of them are worth the splurge if they’re in your budget.
Half Wall
Half walls are a pretty self-explanatory option. It’s when one or both sides of a a staircase has a half wall instead of a railing and spindles. This is the most economical option by far, however the downside is that it can make your staircase feel a bit more enclosed.
Choosing the right way to finish your stairs is completely up to you and how you use your home. As mentioned, there are several factors that go into each style and pros and cons of each. Nonetheless, they all look beautiful and just depends on your style and taste!
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