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Hardwood & shopfront joinery
Hardwood Staircases
Oak, ash and walnut stairs, cut string or closed, with matching handrail.
- Free measured survey
- Fixed written quote
- Workshop-made, site-fitted
- 10-year workmanship guarantee
- Fully insured
Walls in your home are rarely square and floors are rarely level. A hardwood staircase that is built in a workshop to a nominal size will show every millimetre of that. We survey first, scribe on site, and finish so the joint line disappears.
How we build it
Carcass work is birch ply or MR MDF depending on span and load. Face frames and doors are solid hardwood. Everything is machined on the same setting so stiles, rails and reveals line through, and shadow gaps stay parallel from one end of the run to the other.
Finish and materials
You can have it primed for your own decorator, sprayed in any RAL or heritage colour, or left in oiled timber. Oiled finishes can be refreshed at home; sprayed finishes are harder wearing and are what we recommend for kitchens and anything at knee height.
| Typical guide price | from £3,200 per linear metre, fitted |
|---|---|
| Typical lead time | 8-12 weeks from signed drawings |
| Typical construction | European oak, hardwax oiled |
| Guarantee | 10 years on workmanship |
Guide prices are indicative. Real cost depends on the run length, ceiling height, finish and what goes inside. The indicative price tool gives you a range in about a minute, and a free survey turns it into a fixed written quote.
Where we fit hardwood staircases
We survey and fit across 76 counties. Pick your area for local detail:
Often specified alongside
Hardwood Shopfronts
Traditional timber shopfronts built to the elevation, not to a standard module.
See detailShopfront Pilasters
The framing columns either side of the window, with plinth, shaft and capital.
See detailFascias & Signboards
Signboard, cornice and blocking, sized to carry the signwriting properly.
See detailStallrisers
The panelled base below the display glass, where the knocks actually land.
See detailStraight answers
Hardwood Staircases — common questions
Which hardwood is best for stairs?
Oak for most jobs — hard enough to wear well and it takes an oil finish beautifully. Ash where you want something lighter and it steam-bends well for curved handrails. Walnut for a darker, more expensive feel, usually on treads with a painted string.
Do hardwood stairs creak?
Not if they are wedged and glued properly and the treads are housed into the strings rather than sitting on them. Creaking is almost always a construction shortcut rather than a timber characteristic.
Can I have hardwood treads with painted risers?
Yes, and it is the most requested combination. It gives the warmth of the timber on the wear surface and keeps the stair looking lighter than an all-hardwood flight.
Do stairs have to meet building regulations?
Yes. Part K sets rise, going, headroom, handrail height and the 100mm sphere rule for gaps. We set out to those figures at drawing stage, because a stair that misses on headroom cannot be fixed afterwards.
How is a hardwood stair finished?
Hardwax oil on treads and handrail — it wears into the timber rather than sitting on top, so it can be patched locally instead of stripped and redone. Lacquer looks good initially but chips visibly at the nosing.
Can you replace treads on an existing staircase?
Often yes — cladding an existing carcass in hardwood is a common and much cheaper option than a new flight, provided the underlying stair is sound and meets the regs.
Can you make a curved or cut-string stair?
Yes. Cut string with mitred risers is the traditional detail and shows the tread profile from the side. Curved strings are laminated to a former taken off the site survey.
How long does a hardwood staircase take?
Eight to twelve weeks. The survey has to happen after the floor structure is final, because the finished floor level sets every riser in the flight.
Start with a measurement
Tell us the space — we’ll tell you what it costs
Every quote starts with a free measured survey, so the price you get is the price you pay. No deposit is taken until you have drawings you are happy with.