By Mark Clement
I admit it. I'm a big fan of pre-finished floors and floor parts. At some level deep down there, it makes the carpenter in me feel like I'm taking a shortcut — that hardwood should be installed raw and sanded into plane — but I've gone down that road.
It is one dusty, dirty, and long road.
Pre-finished floors have come a long way in the last few years. The finishes are rock solid and provide good UV protection; the micro-bevel that used to come on pre-finished strip (a spotlight that reflected the fact that the floor was store-bought rather than site detailed) is truly "micro" now and much harder to make out; and there are more species widely available. Add to that a price that is often comparable to raw wood you have to schedule your floor guy sand — and clean up after.
Where the pre-finished group has had some catching up to do is when you want to take all this pre-finished finesse up the stairs. There has been a dearth of stair parts. Stairtek, however, is doing their best to make that problem — like the not-so-micro micro bevels — a thing of the past with what looks like high-quality tread and riser parts.
They're available in a wide range of species: red and white oak, silver maple, black walnut, yellow birch, and beech, to name a few. What's really cool, though, is that they can be stained and finished to match existing finishes from other pre-finished floor manufacturers. Say you install a Bruce floor; you can install perfectly matched Stairtek stair parts. This is a great solution.
What's also cool is that you can get painted risers to offset and highlight all the natural wood. Another sweet move.
Not having to sand, finish and then clean up from sanding and finishing is a colossal labor saver. It's great for reducing cycle time in new construction (some of Stairtek's clients are big builders who are ardently focused on reducing construction cycle time) and ideal for remodeling applications, especially where the home is occupied and dust is a concern.
There's also something else I like: the installation video on Stairtek's website. Stair work is advanced carpentry, and it's clearly done by people who know what they're doing and care that it is done well. My hat is off to you.
For extensive remodels or new construction, Stairtek also offers a stair cover that really protects the product underneath. You can install the stairs whenever it's right for your project and simply peel the cover off when done.
Stairtek treads look like they're on the rise.
Stairtek
Mark Clement is a remodeler and author of The Carpenter’s Notebook and The Kid’s Carpenter’s Workbook, Fun Family Projects! Find out more at www.TheCarpentersNotebook.com.
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