Stair Resources
TREE OF LIFE STAIRS
Custom
Tree of Life Stairs is a custom stair builder, which means that if you are looking for can't be found, then we make it ourselves.
Attention to Detail
Your staircase should look good when viewed from afar as a whole, as well as up close. Tree of Life Stairs takes the time and effort to create a uniform cohesive look for your staircase.
Quality
Both the materials and the building practices that Tree of Life Stairs employs are among the best in the industry.
OUR PROCESS
Every job is unique, but for the most part all jobs will follow the same process. This process includes consultation, fabrication, demolition, installation, and finishing. In the initial consultation, you will be met with in your home to discuss the style of staircase you desire, the scope of work to be performed, and potential timeframe for start and completion. All needed measurements will be taken at this time as well to be able to give an accurate estimate for your project. The fabrication portion of the process comes next and will take place before any work is done to your home. Many of the stair parts that will become part of your staircase will need to be milled from raw materials.
After the fabrication is complete, the demolition of the existing staircase will begin at the time that was previously scheduled. The extent of the demolition will depend largely on the scope of the work being done. For the average job, care is taken to cover the immediate area with paper and plastic. Cleanliness is very important and will be maintained as much as possible. Next, the existing handrail and posts will be carefully removed. Then, the carpet, carpet padding, and tack strip so that the subfloor of the staircase is exposed. At this point, your staircase will be devoid of its original form lending the opportunity for new life to be breathed into the existing framework of your home.
The installation of your staircase comes next and is what will take the majority of the time and work to complete. The first part of the installation will be the ground work. Ground work consists of basically anything that gets installed to the ground. This would include Skirting, treads, risers, cap, and all molding. They are also installed in approximately that order.
Next, the posts and rail are installed in either a post to post, or over the post fashion depending on the style that was discussed in the initial consultation. At the completion of the posts and rail installation the staircase will be nearly complete and what may have before looked bare and undeveloped now is robust and has nearly grown to maturity.
The final two steps that need to be completed are the installation of the balusters, and then the staining and finishing the staircase. If the balusters are stain grade then they will be installed before the finishing. If the balusters are either paint grade or iron balusters then they will usually (but not always) be installed after the finishing. The stain can be matched in color to other furniture, flooring, or cabinets, or a completely different color can be used if so desired. Samples will be made for you to choose the color beforehand. Once these last steps are completed the only thing left to be done is for you to enjoy your new staircase.
RESOURCES
Terminology
Here you can find a brief list of commonly used stair terms with a picture and description of each.
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FAQ
Got questions? Lets see what we can do about that. This is a good place to quickly find answers to many common questions.
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Staircase Design Tool
This is a great stair tool made by House of Forgings, one of the companies that I purchase iron from. It is very helpful in visualizing iron baluster patterns. Check it out.
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