Earlier in the day, Walt and I scoped out the job one more time to see what kind of stairway we really wanted. Jacques the contractor had talked about getting a staircase with two quarter turns. I kept thinking I'd prefer stairs with a single quarter turn better. Here's a picture of the stairway with two quarter turns.
After measuring the space and imagining what it would look like and how it would fit, W. and I decided the single-quarter-turn staircase was a viable option. Jacques ended up taking our word for it, after he looked at the rough drawings Walt had done.
A staircase in tauari wood with one quarter turnThat decision not only gave us the stairs we (or I) really wanted, but it saved us about 500 €. Another change suggested by the salesman at the store saved us some more. He said we should go with "exotic wood" — bois exotique — rather than oak. It's just a sturdy and durable, and it costs less. Tant pis for the Amazon rain forest, I guess.
The staircase we bought is advertised as costing 1,247 €. But by the time the sales guy added up all the extras — mounting hardware, bannisters to go around the stairwell upstairs, and other doodads — the price came to 1,900 €. And that was with a hefty discount, because the staircases are en promotion right now.
The stairway will be delivered unfinished. We chose that option for price reasons but also because we weren't yet ready to commit to a particular finish. Light, medium, or dark? Will we stain and varnish the underside as well as the steps and stair rails, or will we paint it the same color we paint the walls?
We'll have to look at the underside of the thing a lot, as we walk up from the ground floor to our main living area on the second floor (U.S. terminology — premier étage in French).
How exciting !! There are so many finishes you could put on, it can be very confusing, but great fun choosing.
ReplyDeleteWe are very pleased with our new bedroom floor. It has been stained then topcoated with a non-slip varnish, which gives it a lovely soft sheen but safe surface. It was also easy to apply and went on smoothly without streaks or odour.
Awesome! Cannot wait to see all of it progress.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds fabulous!
ReplyDeleteJulian Paul is my son's name. It is me Nadege. My tower is at the "clinic".
ReplyDeleteKen. A salve to your conscience: bois exotique will be African wood, most likely a plantation grown tree. Our staircase is Niangon, a non-floating hardwood from Gabon/Cameroon which comes from the same family as the plant responsible for chocolate and cocoa.
ReplyDeleteSimon, the little bit I've read says that tauari wood comes from Brazil.
ReplyDeleteJean, did you buy the topcoat here in France or in the U.K.?
ReplyDeleteSimon, what kind of varnish or other topcoat did you use on your stairs? Did you stain the wood before varnishing it?
Looks great. You were right taking the one quarter turn as the steps are a lot larger that way ... and a lot safer. Looking forward to the progress and of course ... the result :)
ReplyDeleteThe stairs look beautiful. Will the rails actually be on the other side? The first turn takes you to your main floor, non? We are going to enjoy your renovations also.
ReplyDeleteKen, we bought the topcoat in the UK, so we could be sure of what we were buying, as our French does not always seem adequate to understand what it says on the tin. You can have a look at the finish and the tin next time we see you but I dare say you can get something very similar in Leroy Merlin.
ReplyDeleteThat's going to look so nice! May your remodeling go smoothly.
ReplyDeleteI like both of them and would have been hard pressed to choose one over the other. Of course, price might have been a big factor.
ReplyDeleteChrissoup and Ladybird, thanks.
ReplyDeleteStarman, I'd be less than honest if I said price didn't matter. But at this point, it wasn't the main factor. The single-turn staircase will crowd our space less, and I like the configuration of the landing upstairs where it will "spit us out." It's complicated to explain, but we'll all see the result over the next few months.