Staircase Materials Used

European Oak
This is the number one, most popular material and is available in several differnt grades. The standard grade is relatively straight grained and pale creamy brown in colour. The texture of the grain is coarse with visible growth rings. There are other types of Oak available.

 

American White Oak
American White oak is similar in colour and appearance to European oak. The sapwood of American white oak is light coloured and the heartwood is light to dark brown. American White oak is mostly straight grained with a medium to coarse texture, with longer rays than red oak. White oak therefore has more figure.

Ash
This is a timber lighter than the Oak and with quite visible growth rings. It takes a stain readily and finishes well. Both European and American Ash are available, the European sometimes has streaks of darker heart wood running all the way through it.

 

Beech
Beech is recognised by the unmistakeable flecks in its grain. It is pale cream to pinkish brown in colour and has a smooth even texture. It is quite a heavy dense timber which finishes and stains well, available in white or steamed condition. Steamed Beech is a pinker more even colour.

 

Elm
The colour is usually a dull brown, with the occasional red tinge and swirls of grain around the knots. At the knots other colours may also be present, such as a green tint. The texture is very coarse and the growth rings are pronounced. This is one of the most beautiful timbers.

 

Mahogany
We use timber from managed plantation forests to reduce the load on endangered rainforest's. The timber varies in colour from salmon pink through to a dark red/brown and has beautiful figure due to it's interlocked grain. The texture is medium and uniform.

 

Maple
Maple, along with it's European cousin Sycamore, is one of the palest timbers available, being a pale cream colour. It has visible growth rings, a dense hard structure and a fine almost invisible grain. This makes it a very smooth timber which stains and polishes to a high finish.

 

MDF
This is a manufactured board of low relative cost and is used as a carcase material or for painted furniture. It is a stable material but doesn't match the strength of a timber. It's produced from felted wood fibres bonded under high pressure and displays no grain.