Resources

Clients

Understanding all of the different parts of a stair system can get confusing. Which is why we’ve put together this handy chart to help people understand what we’re talking about.

For Clients

Contractors

Understanding all of the different parts of a stair system can get confusing. Which is why we’ve put together this handy chart to help people understand what we’re talking about.

View Contractors

Stair glossary

Understanding all of the different parts of a stair system can get confusing. Which is why we’ve put together this handy chart to help people understand what we’re talking about.

View Stair Glossary

CHeck us out on HOuzz

We use Houzz as a platform to showcase pictures of our past work. If you’re interested in working with us this is often a good place to start so that you can visualize the possibilities for your project.

Visit Houzz Profile

Suppliers & Tradesmen

These are all solid companies/individuals with excellent reputations. We have them on our speed dial, and have years of experience working with them. If they are on this page, you can trust that they stand out in excellence.

McCoy Millwork Showroom

Portland, OR
Website: mccoymillwork.com
Phone: 888.236.0995

Westfire, Inc.

Aurora, OR
Phone: 800.692.6996
Email: joseph@westfiremfg.com

Woodcrafters

Portland, OR
Website: woodcraftersoregon.com
Phone: (503) 585.2262

Solid Form Fabrication

McMinnville, OR
Website: teamsolidform.com
Phone: 503.435.1400

MW Design Workshop

Salem, OR
Website: mwdesignworkshop.com
Phone: 503.364.6430

Lovett Deconstruction

Portland, OR
Website: lovettdeconstruction.com
Phone: (503) 954-2347

Enviro Test

Gladstone, OR
Website: envirotest.biz
Phone: (503) 780-0536

FAQs

Can I send pictures to you?

Yes, you can, email is best. In a lot of cases we can give you a range of cost from pictures for budgeting. It also starts the design process and Q & A what is possible.

How much per foot?

Every staircase to be remodeled is different. Some are easy and some are complex. Each project is different and requires its own pricing. So, no we don’t charge per foot.

Where do you set up?

Normally we set up a small work space in your garage, one car bay, two car bays is better. Sometimes in the room next to the stairs if the room is going to be worked on, ie new flooring, etc.

How long does a project take?

On a large full staircase remodel, say going from a carpeted tread over to a hardwood tread with railings and balusters, on average three weeks. Smaller staircase with a straight run about two weeks.

Will we be able to use the stairs?

At the end of every day, you will have access to the upper floor. In most cases even during the day. We too need to get up and down the stairs. When getting new hardwood treads we use the old subtreads for temporary treads.

Can you work on a project while we live there?

This is your home and we try to make it
job-friendly as possible. This is something we specialize in. We’ve worked in hundreds of
occupied homes and make accommodations for you to get around during construction.

How dusty does it get?

We plastic off doorways as needed with tension poles and plastic. At the end of the day, we can roll back the plastic for access. All our cutting and sanding tools are in vacuums to collect debris. We also vacuum while we work so as not to track it everywhere. At the end of the day, we vacuum floors and stairs.

Do you include the painting and staining?

No, we can recommend one. We have a
painter that we’ve used for over 20 years. They know our stairs and what they need, in turn, we
know what we need. You would work directly with them and we coordinate with them on the
project.

What are your working hours?

Our normal operating hours are from 8 to 5 Monday to Friday. We sometimes work on Saturdays if you allow. Operating times can vary depending on what the completion schedule is. We have been known to work till 6 or 7 again depending on the completion schedule.

We just had new floors installed and now want to do the railings can you do them now?

We like to do the railing and treads if possible before new floors go in if your schedule
allows. If the new floors are installed, we lay down heavy construction floor protection (Ram
Board) on all work areas and tape the seams. It allows for easy cleanup and sometimes we
leave it down for the painter if they are right behind us.

Can we do the painting and staining ourselves?

Unless you are a professional painter I
recommend not. You’ve just invested a lot of money on the most focal point in the home, let a pro finish it. It’s like a very expensive oil painting to want to display and you frame it with some materials you had in the garage to save money. Our painters are fast, clean, and very experienced doing the finish on our stairs.

I have young kids running around and no railings, what do you do?

If they get in our way, we give them a job. They usually last about 5 minutes and wander off. In most cases, we can leave up the 2d floor guard railing or we set up a temporary railing. For the stairs going down, we can also set something up temporarily. Somehow little dudes and dudettes seem to know “stay close to the wall” after a talk from the parents.

Should all the materials be pre-stained and finished before installation?

No, no, no. We have to cut, fit, install and sand just about everything we touch. If it has been prefinished and we break the finished surface and stain it will not match if you try to touch it up. A painter’s worst nightmare no matter how good they are.

Should my flooring contractor install the treads?

We really like us to do the tread and riser installation and here is why. In most cases, the vertical height of the step needs to be corrected and the tread needs to be level when installed. If not it will show up later when setting a post or baluster. We have experienced more than once putting our work on top of someone else’s and not come outright. If we can do the tread install at the beginning we guarantee it will be and look right.

Can we use engineered flooring on our stair treads so it all matches?

From a stair guys point of view, I don’t recommend it. It is better to go with a full hardwood tread and stain to match. Our viewpoint is, it takes a lot of labor to do it and we’ve seen a lot of improperly installed flooring on stairs. The painter we use is very good at matching stains. There is a lot more conversation to this answer as to why.

What to expect when we arrive.

We set up for dust control and floor protection where needed. Controlled confusion: compressor noise, saw noise, banging, sanding tool noise and the occasional yelp from an installer when they hit their thumb with a hammer or board cut too short. The occasional Irish wit.