New Stairs

I spent a lot of time looking for a stairs contractor. A lot of contractors I talked to claimed to be carpenters, but after further discussion, it seemed they were just guys looking for work that have worked with wood before. Stairs are among some of the most complicated aspects to home carpentry and typical you're dealing with expensive materials, so I didn't want this job screwed up. Also, you typically need to put down a hefty materials downpayment, often 1/2 or more. One contractor I spoke with turned out to be a scammer. My wife found reviews that he would show up maybe a couple days, then demand more money, and walk off if his demands were not met.

I found Rick by calling a local millworks shop and asking who is buying their stuff. We already had a very good idea of the design we wanted by looking at hundreds of photos on Houzz.

Here's the original house stairs from 1973

You can see where the previous owner's cat used the stairs as a scratching post. 

The design goals of the stairs were square craftsman post, maple wood, iron balusters, and white risers, stringer. I choose maple as it is among my favorite wood species. I think the grain is beautiful and has a nice warm glow with the right stain. It's harder and more durable than some other premium woods like cherry, and not as expensive. The obvious choice for many is oak but I don't care for the grain so it was not considered.

It was interesting to watch the methods Rick used. For example, he cut out a veneer for the stringer using birch plywood to hide the old gouged stringer. He used a router to create a nose on the cap (wood under the railing).

And finally with stain. I was disappointed with the stain job -- done by Rick's son's in law. The did not spend much time preparing the wood (Sanding, cleaning) etc. They definitely rushed the job. The left the stain on way too long so some parts are darker than others. For example they put the stain on the treads working their way down, then wiped going back up, so of course the tread at the bottom is lightest and the top tread is darkest. In hindsight, I would have done the staining myself since it's not hard, it only takes patience and the ability to follow directions and prepare the wood properly. they put three coats of oil based polyurethane (satin). One of the guys did a better job (lower stairs) which have a smoother finish and more consistent stain.

Now all that's left is to paint the risers and trim white.