When you are designing your property, it is effortless to neglect about the stairs. Nonetheless, you really don't want it to appear like the stairs were an afterthought. Ideally, you ought to place just as significantly energy into the style of the stairs as you do the rest of your house. Otherwise, they might seem out of place, which can subtract from your home’s total design and style.
The good news is, there are several various alternatives for stair treads. You can select from a assortment of various wooden species, all of which will supply your stairs with a special search. There are pros and downsides to every species, and one particular is not automatically better than yet another. It is all about what you’re searching for and what your programs are.
The Top 5 Best Woods for Stair Treads
1. Oak
Oak is the standard species to use as stair treads. It matches just about any style fashion and is an really versatile piece of wood. In many instances, there are a lot of various sub-species that you can select from as properly, these kinds of as purple oak or white oak. These can offer the character your house wants although even now employing the standard oak wood.
Moreover, oak is quite sturdy and commonly available. Whilst it can be a lot more pricey just because it normally takes an oak tree quite lengthy to develop, its longevity often makes the extra price really worth it.
Just be sure you are ready for the larger upfront price. Additionally, on the draw back, numerous folks use oak wooden on their stairs, so it can make them seem to be a bit ordinary—there is not significantly shocking about oak wood.
2. Hickory
Although oak stair treads are by much the most typical selection, hickory is also not unheard of. This form of wood is very frequent for stair treads. It seems good, and it is 1 of the most sturdy woods on this listing. If you are concerned about the longevity of the wood, then you may possibly want to just take a seem at hickory stair treads.
In numerous cases, you can use hickory along with just about any house style. It has a normal physical appearance, which permits it to mix in seamlessly with most design and style elements. Even so, it looks notably great in rustic configurations, as every single tread will display some variance in color.
3. Maple
Maple was as soon as really common for use all through the home. Nonetheless, it has gotten less well-known over the a long time as designers have moved back towards oak and hickory. The tan and white hues of maple make it a great way to add design and texture to a home, although it is not likely to blend in as properly as other alternatives on this list.
Maple isn’t as durable as hickory, but it can face up to fairly a bit of foot targeted traffic. It’s also priced in the middle variety when it arrives to wood tread choices, related to both hickory and oak. Consequently, the major deciding level is which one particular you like very best.
There are also numerous species of maple. Every has a different search, so be certain to do some searching before you settle on a particular sort.
4. Poplar
With its darker grain visual appeal, poplar fills a function in home layout that other woods cannot. it has a significantly richer coloration than other possibilities on this checklist, which can make it great for these that truly want their staircase to stand out.
Plus, it is also one particular of the most inexpensive choices obtainable. You are likely to pay for that in longevity, even though, as this type of wooden is one particular of the least resilient out there. It may not be best for substantial-traffic areas for this purpose.
If you are hunting for a less costly dark wooden, however, you genuinely simply cannot defeat poplar.
5. Walnut
Walnut is another extremely dark, abundant wood. In comparison to other varieties of wood we have mentioned, it has a great deal far more character and its darkish brown color is challenging to defeat. Due to the fact of this darker coloration, it hides dust and dirt much far better than other options. For that reason, it is excellent for high-targeted traffic areas that you do not essentially want to clear continually.
Moreover, there are some walnut options that give even more character. Typically, these are named character walnuts, and they provide irregular grain designs that can truly make your stairs the wow aspect of a area.
However, walnut stairs are incredibly expensive—more so than even oak. They also are not as widely available, which can make them more challenging to get your arms on. You are not heading to discover as many types of walnut, either.
Walnut also tends to be considerably less tough than other choices and you are going to want to replace it sooner. That additionally the increased value often can make men and women steer very clear unless of course you just really like the look of the walnut.
Can You Use Any Wood for Stair Treads?
Typically, if the wood is generally used inside properties, you can find stair treads created with it. That does not essentially indicate that any wooden must be used for stair treads, though. Normally, you’ll only uncover harder woods utilised for this function, and for a great cause.
Softer woods generally cannot withstand the constant use and tear that often comes with stairs, which typically see far more put on than other elements of the property.
For the most portion, it comes down to what you like. Particular folks are just likely to like particular varieties of hardwood greater. If you have other wood in your property, you should consider about how your stairs enhance that wood. That’s especially crucial if you have hardwood leading up to the actions. You want the wood to at minimum match relatively, however it does not have to be just the identical.
What to Look For
There are quite a number of factors to keep in brain when you are picking a kind of wood for your stair treads. Here’s a fast rundown of the selections you will need to be generating to pick the best stair tread for you:
- Price. Different sorts of wood cost different amounts. Therefore, you’ll need to consider your budget when you’re installing wood onto your stairs. For instance, walnut may look nice, but it is also very expensive. Luckily, there are many budget options as well, such as maple.
- Durability. Your stairs get a lot of wear and tear. Therefore, they often do best with some sort of more durable wood. Otherwise, you may find yourself needing to change the wood sooner than you’d expect.
- Aesthetics. Most people are going to choose wood based on how it looks. That’s a perfectly fine metric to consider, as long as the price and durability are considered as well. Choose something that matches the whole theme of your house, since your stairs are likely going to be one of the main focal points.
Conclusion
Picking wooden for your stair tread can seem to be overpowering. Following all, there are many different possibilities on the industry that you have to select from. However, each and every kind of wooden has its very own aesthetics and looks. For that reason, you are going to very likely be ready to narrow down your listing fairly rapidly.
On top of aesthetics, be positive to also think about the value of the wooden and its durability—you do not want to fall in love with something outside your price tag range or pick a wooden that you’ll require to replace faster than you’d like.
Featured Picture Credit score: Steven Ungermann, Unsplash
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