Stair ReCrafting: What is it?

There are only a few more weeks until school is officially out for the summer. For some stay at home parents, this means that your vacation is coming to an end and the real work is about to begin. Keeping up with rambunctious children is definitely a full time job, and maintaining a clean home in the process seems impossible. As your children run down the stairs and out the door, then in the door and up the stairs this summer, you will begin to notice that your stairs are taking on twice the work that they are used to! Stairs with carpet will appear worn and stained and beyond the point of repair. Time to call a remodeling contractor.

The remodeling contractors at Signature WoodCrafters specialize in stair recrafting. For those unfamiliar with the term, stair recrafting is simply replacing the visible components of your existing stair case. That means you don’t have worry about completely rebuilding the frame of your staircase. Remodeling contractors take exact measurements of your stairs, while you begin selecting the type of wood, stain, and risers. Each stair is custom-made in our manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania and as soon as they arrive to your home, they are ready for installation.

Since each stair and component simply slides over top of your staircase, there is no mess, no disruption, and a lasting value by some of the finest remodeling contractors in the country. Stop by our showroom to see how recrafting can transform your staircase!

Stair Remodeling: Woodbridge, VA

Before Stairs, originally uploaded by lauren_taggart1.

One of the areas that most people don't think about the impact of for their homes are their stairs. When a person walks into a foyer or entrance of their house, the stairs are kind of an afterthought, just a method of getting up and down between two floors of a house. However, the impact becomes quite more noticeable when a boring old staircase becomes transformed into a stately piece of furniture....

The difference is amazing! The railing system has been cut back to allow for the installation of a bullnose with a volute. The railing system was changed from a basic post-to-post pre-assembled rail to an over-the-post railing system with a volute and continuous handrail that goes around the bend in the wall and continues up the stairway. The end result is a beautiful, polished look for the entrance foyer.

New Beginnings

Signature WoodCrafters recently took on a new intern for the summer, Alicia Beck. Check out Alicia's thoughts about the working world versus college and all that she's learned so far!

Transitions and New Beginnings:

Happy Friday everyone! My name is Alicia and I began interning with Signature WoodCrafters last month after graduating from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in May. Go Hokies! I just wanted to share a little of my experiences so far while working here. We all have been there. The day approaches when we say to ourselves, “What’s the next step in our lives?” It’s a scary thought after all those years of school, and now it’s time to take that step and join the ranks of the working class and the long joyous rush hour traffic that northern Virginia likes to bring us (anyone else become a fan of books on CD?). I majored in Apparel, Housing, and Resource Management: Housing Option where I was part of an accredited program of the National Kitchen and Bath Association. There I learned many things, from hours and hours dedicated to drafting homes and different kitchen layouts to the new technology that different appliances now have. When I left college, I knew that I wanted to be involved with remodeling and luckily, the wonderful company of Signature Woodcrafters decided they wanted me to join their team. So began my new journey in the world of remodeling.

Knowing different terms is vital within the remodeling business. As you probably know, Signature’s major remodeling areas are kitchens, baths, built-ins and stairs and a vast array of terms comes with those areas. Bullnose, Over-the-Post, Post-to-Post, Loose Parts, and Pre- Assembled are just a few terms that I learned and that’s just stairs! No worries here though. The employees here are extremely helpful and I soon found myself saying “I can do this!” I have even found myself looking in my own home at the stair configuration and kitchen layout and saying to myself what they would be classified as. I learned a lot about the ReCrafting process here and in my opinion it’s a great thing they’re doing. Taking ¼” solid wood instead of just a thin veneer gets the homeowner that great quality that they may be looking for. Also the designers are fantastic. Talking about knowing your stuff, these people are on the top of their game. The best part is seeing the before and after pictures. Amazing! Well that’s just a few of my observations that I wanted to share with everyone. Have a fantastic weekend

So, It's Been a While...

Wow - How does time fly so fast?? I can't believe that the last time I posted anything here was back in March - and it is now firmly the middle of June. Incredible.

But maybe that is what happens when you become really busy! Which is a good thing!

We've had a lot of great successes recently at Signature WoodCrafters - lots of kitchen recrafting, stair recrafting, and railing replacements going on. The staff have been busy with lots of new customers and consumers, which is a welcome respite from the past couple of months.

But all that being said, we'll be getting back to regular posts about our products and services shortly, as well as sharing some of the before and after pictures of our successes! I'm looking forward to communicating with everyone again and hope to provide some useful information to all who have questions about our products and services.

If you have any questions that you would like answers to, please leave a comment!

~Lauren

(Be sure to follow us on Twitter, @sigwood_lauren)

Going Green

Signature WoodCrafters parent company, Signature Companies is a stair and rail manufacturer (as well as cabinet provider) for home builders in the Mid-Atlantic region. We supply stairs and rails for all kinds builders, from the big guys like K. Hovnanian Enterprises, Centex, D.R. Horton, and Winchester Homes to smaller custom home builders.

Signature Companies was recently mentioned in an article post by Sarah Yaussi of Hanley Wood's Big Builder Online publication. Sarah had gone to Hovnanian's Landover Group home that they are building in conjunction with the Department of Energy. This house is a test home for new energy-conscious building products. I can personally attest to Khov's Landover Group's dedication to going green and participating in both the regional and national dialogue in regards to what "Going Green" means in the building industry.

The stair system that Sarah mentions in her article is called the Ultimate Tread, and is actually very similar to our Stair ReCrafting product. You can check out Signature Companies website and click on the Downloads portion of the site to view more about the benefits of using the Ultimate Tread in new construction projects.

In the meanwhile, check out the Big Builder article!! Thanks again to Sarah for mentioning us!

First Impressions Are Everything

Everyone knows the saying that first impressions are everything. This is why we take pains to groom ourselves with extra care for first dates, interviews, meeting the significant other's family for the first time. This is also why, when it comes to our home, we make every effort to clean it when expecting company (or apologize when it isn't!).

A first impression that not many people think of though is the first impression a person gets when walking into your home for the first time. Half of HGTV's shows these days are all about this though. "Designed To Sell" and "Get It Sold" both are about the art of how a simple transformation can drastically improve the impression of real estate buyers.

The main staircase often gets overlooked as a potential makeover piece because people don't realize how dramatic the effect can be when it is completely redone. The stair treads, risers, and railing system of a gorgeous house can often look dinky in comparison to the rest of the beauty that is around you. If just the initial newel and fitting are changed, it is incredible the amount of impact you get for your buck. Take a look at these Before and After pictures to see what I am talking about.

This is the starting newel in my parents' house before they had their railing replaced and steps recrafted. They had a standard oak post-to-post starting newel, with a pre-assembled rake rail. The oak had faded over the years due to the exposure from the sun that comes directly into the main foyer.

In this picture you can see how the railing has been changed. The system has been changed to an over-the-post railing system, but keeping the rake pre-assembled railing system design. Looks completely different, eh? Stay tuned for some more pictures later on of how changing your stair and railings can change the look of your home.

Congratulations to our Stair Division

American Stairs & Cabinetry is the stair division of Signature WoodCrafters. Please see the press release below recognizing it's recent award.

Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

American Stairs & Cabinetry Receives 2008 Best of West Jefferson Award

U.S. Local Business Association’s Award Plaque Honors the Achievement
WASHINGTON D.C., December 12, 2008 -- American Stairs & Cabinetry has been selected for the 2008 Best of West Jefferson Award in the Stair Builders category by the U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA).

The USLBA "Best of Local Business" Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USLBA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2008 USLBA Award Program focused on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the USLBA and data provided by third parties.

About U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA)

U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA) is a Washington D.C. based organization funded by local businesses operating in towns, large and small, across America. The purpose of USLBA is to promote local business through public relations, marketing and advertising.

The USLBA was established to recognize the best of local businesses in their community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations, chambers of commerce and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to be an advocate for small and medium size businesses and business entrepreneurs across America.

SOURCE: U.S. Local Business AssociationCONTACT:U.S. Local Business AssociationEmail: PublicRelations@USLBA.netURL: http://www.USLBA.net

I Love HGTV

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?

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!

Curved Stair ReCraft

Check out this Curved Stair ReCraft and Rail Replacement project that we completed in Woodbridge, VA. The original handrail was kept for the project...

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!

Stair ReCrafting - Converting a Carpeted Foyer Staircase with a Post to Post Railing System to New Hardwood Foyer Staircase and Over the Post Railing