I have recently become enamored with HGTV and all of their various shows. From following first-time home buyers to people in desperate need for a kitchen makeover or general room makeover, it is a channel rife with creative and handy people. However when I am watching these shows, I often find myself wishing I was there with the homeowners to help them avoid the pitfalls/give them other options for the products that the various designers want to use - particularly when it comes to kitchens. I also believe that the designers ignore one of the biggest pieces of furniture in the home - the staircase - as a means to improving a home's appeal. But I believe that is because they don't have the stair knowledge of my company as well as our innovative stair recrafting product.
There was particularly one show that kitchen designer Lauren Lake did this past weekend that I was just yelling at the TV! She made these homeowners choose between a kitchen of cherry cabinets (!) with a dark stain versus a retro kitchen with cream-colored painted cabinets. I believe the homeowners should have been given an option to go with maple cabinets instead of cherry, because of the cost savings associated with maple v. cherry - choosing a cherry cabinet means you are choosing one of the most expensive cabinet wood options out there. Plus, Ms. Lake designed the kitchen with an optional wine cooler - why? I know a wine cooler appliance is "cool", but I really don't think that it would add that much more value to the home (maybe HGTV should get the "My House is Worth What?" people to assess!).
And in terms of the stairs - I believe that most of these designers just don't even want to touch stairs because of the fear of how costly it is to renovate stairs - which is a valid fear. A complete tear-out and renovation of a staircase would be very costly. But using our Stair ReCrafting products cuts out a third of this cost and adds a lot of value to a home, for only a few thousand dollars. Maybe HGTV needs a show that is all about stairs?
What about you? Are you addicted to HGTV? What's your favorite home improvement show?
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Some Helpful Stair Terms
In the stair and rail world, there are some common terms that we identify stairs by. You may think a stair is a stair or a railing is a railing, but there are specific terms for each of these parts. I will update with some more terms later, but to get started, here are a few basics.
BALUSTER - a vertical member which helps support the handrail. Usually referred to in colloquial terms as a "picket", "spindle", or plainly "railings". This is the most visible part of a railing system.
HANDRAIL - the horizontal or "rake" member of a balustrade (read, railing) system. It sits on top of the balusters and is supported by newel posts. It basically is the part of the railing system that you hold on to when climbing a set of stairs. In some Open Stair or Curve Stair ReCrafting jobs, homeowners are fine with their handrail and want us to save it, which we can do.
NEWEL POST - the major support for a balustrade (railing) system. Newels are larger than balusters and are located at the bottom and top of a stairway or at a turn in the handrail. In some cases, for a balcony rail, there are intermediate newels, depending on the length of the handrail. Newels can come in all shapes and forms, from a sturdy Box Newel to a delicate Pintop Model. If you replace your rails, you can choose from a variety of newel systems to enhance the look of your home.
TREAD - the horizontal component of a step upon which one walks. Prefinished, solid, hardwood oak treads are the hallmark product of Signature WoodCrafters Stair ReCrafting process. Unfinished treads can be bought at a Home Depot or Lowes, but the nosing for the tread does not come included and you will have to buy additional wood materials to making that nosing. Our treads come with the nosing already attached, for a simple slide in fit on top of your current stair's substructure.
RISER - the vertical component of a step which, along with the stringers, supports the treads. Commonly comes in a white finish or stained to match your prefinished oak treads. Most people think that they can get away with painting the wood substructure when they take the carpet off and put on a tread from Home Depot. What they fail to realize is not only are they two different types of wood with different grains, but you also change the height of the stairs when you fail to include a riser with your tread. Prefinished treads and risers solve that problem.
Again, just a couple of terms from the stair world. More to come soon!
BALUSTER - a vertical member which helps support the handrail. Usually referred to in colloquial terms as a "picket", "spindle", or plainly "railings". This is the most visible part of a railing system.
HANDRAIL - the horizontal or "rake" member of a balustrade (read, railing) system. It sits on top of the balusters and is supported by newel posts. It basically is the part of the railing system that you hold on to when climbing a set of stairs. In some Open Stair or Curve Stair ReCrafting jobs, homeowners are fine with their handrail and want us to save it, which we can do.
NEWEL POST - the major support for a balustrade (railing) system. Newels are larger than balusters and are located at the bottom and top of a stairway or at a turn in the handrail. In some cases, for a balcony rail, there are intermediate newels, depending on the length of the handrail. Newels can come in all shapes and forms, from a sturdy Box Newel to a delicate Pintop Model. If you replace your rails, you can choose from a variety of newel systems to enhance the look of your home.
TREAD - the horizontal component of a step upon which one walks. Prefinished, solid, hardwood oak treads are the hallmark product of Signature WoodCrafters Stair ReCrafting process. Unfinished treads can be bought at a Home Depot or Lowes, but the nosing for the tread does not come included and you will have to buy additional wood materials to making that nosing. Our treads come with the nosing already attached, for a simple slide in fit on top of your current stair's substructure.
RISER - the vertical component of a step which, along with the stringers, supports the treads. Commonly comes in a white finish or stained to match your prefinished oak treads. Most people think that they can get away with painting the wood substructure when they take the carpet off and put on a tread from Home Depot. What they fail to realize is not only are they two different types of wood with different grains, but you also change the height of the stairs when you fail to include a riser with your tread. Prefinished treads and risers solve that problem.
Again, just a couple of terms from the stair world. More to come soon!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
Curved Stair ReCraft
Some Kitchen Remodeling Tips
Are you thinking of remodeling your kitchen? Take a look at this article about a few tips before you start your remodeling project, and then visit www.signaturewoodcrafters.com to learn all about ReCrafting your kitchen!
by Leroy Calstard
Does your kitchen need a change? Are you ready to update the room where family and friends tend to spend the most time? Then go ahead and do it! A kitchen renovation is a great way to give your home an entirely new look and even...
Tips for Planning Your Kitchen Remodeling Project - http://wallys-workshop.com
Friday, November 7, 2008
Where Has the Time Gone?
Before you know it, it is almost time for the holidays and Thanksgiving is right around the corner! It has been a while since I update this blog, for which I apologize to everyone. But there have been many exciting things going on at Signature WoodCrafters, it has been hard to remember to stay in touch!
We participated in three home shows this past fall. One located in Germantown, MD, another at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, VA, and our final show was at Upper Marlboro, MD. We met many interested homeowners who seemed to be very interested in our products and took a lot of our literature, so hopefully that bodes well!
We also have completed a wide range of installs over the past months of kitchens, stairs, and rails and the results are frankly stunning. It is amazing to see some of these kitchens go from such eyesores to genuinely beautiful places. The stairs are even more amazing - you have no idea how such a transformation can completely change the appearance of your home! I will be publishing a few of these slideshows shortly so that people can see our beautiful products.
We have also made many updates on our website, www.signaturewoodcrafters.com, including our Sample Projects page. This page has turned into our best sales tool because of the fact that we list pricing estimates directly on the page. There are more enhancements that we need to do, as the kiss of death of a website is for it to remain static, but we are off to a fantastic start!
Stay tuned for some truly stunning before and after pictures!
We participated in three home shows this past fall. One located in Germantown, MD, another at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, VA, and our final show was at Upper Marlboro, MD. We met many interested homeowners who seemed to be very interested in our products and took a lot of our literature, so hopefully that bodes well!
We also have completed a wide range of installs over the past months of kitchens, stairs, and rails and the results are frankly stunning. It is amazing to see some of these kitchens go from such eyesores to genuinely beautiful places. The stairs are even more amazing - you have no idea how such a transformation can completely change the appearance of your home! I will be publishing a few of these slideshows shortly so that people can see our beautiful products.
We have also made many updates on our website, www.signaturewoodcrafters.com, including our Sample Projects page. This page has turned into our best sales tool because of the fact that we list pricing estimates directly on the page. There are more enhancements that we need to do, as the kiss of death of a website is for it to remain static, but we are off to a fantastic start!
Stay tuned for some truly stunning before and after pictures!
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