{"id":1990,"date":"2023-01-12T17:06:45","date_gmt":"2023-01-12T22:06:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/studio.parscal.com\/?p=1990"},"modified":"2023-04-22T00:02:13","modified_gmt":"2023-04-22T04:02:13","slug":"stairs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/studio.parscal.com\/stairs\/","title":{"rendered":"Stairs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Over the last few weeks I’ve been working to get the staircase in. I first needed to deal with the unfinished loft edge. I started by placing a trim board over the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I used a laser and special trim screws that do away with shims to ensure the board was perfectly straight and plumb.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I then filled the screw holes and directed my attention at the drywall that abutts it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You can also see the plaster rings around the vents and the lighting installed upstairs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I plastered in a special type of drywall corner-bead to make a clean and durable edge that sits flush with the trim. I also added a piece of trim atop the curved transition between the lower and upper floors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Feathering out the mud wasn’t very hard, but keeping the dust under control when sanding was.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After some final painting of the newly installed trim boards, I was able to move the scaffolding out of the way and Ryan came by to help me get started assembling the staircase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We determined how many spacers to use between each tread as we went by measuring the distance between the top of each tread and the floor and compared it with a computer model.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Once we got all 11 treads and the landing assembled, we attached the landing to the loft edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The steps at this point aren’t particularly stable as they aren’t locked in or connected to each other.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The next day I secured the base of the staircase with concrete anchors and then Adam came by and helped me attach the main balusters and set each step in their exact location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We started at the top and locked in each tread so that the baluster that connected it to the previous one was perfectly plumb.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We decided the lower baluster, which requires trimming, should make contact with the slab, and the hardwood will go in around it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The escutcheon will have to be slid up when the floor goes in and then secured down to the hardwood. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For added strength, I placed an anchor bolt with a stainless fender washer beneath the baluster, ensuring it doesn’t dig into the softer floor-leveler or corrode due to direct contact with the slab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I ended up adding some epoxy to this assembly to keep it from wiggling, but most of the pressure is just downward.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The next day I managed to form and install the handrail by myself without incident, despite the instructions saying it was at least a two-man job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The handrail is fairly slim, only 1-1\/2 in. in diameter with 1\/8 in. wall, so it formed easily but just as easily would bend incorrectly.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Now that I knew exactly where the landing was, I framed the curb that the balcony railings will sit atop. This ensures that both balconies begin at the same height and can thus use matching railings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I had to cut the trim down to be flush with where the finished floor will be so the baseboards can simply wrap around the curb.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I was also finally able to order custom railings from the same company that made the staircase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The wider trim around the balcony conceals a space where garage door tracks will be installed, allowing the wall to be solid or open at the push of a button.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Next, it was time to install the middle balusters, of which there are two-per-step. My first idea was to go buy a cutoff machine, which I was planning to buy soon anyway for another project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I had to hang material on the wall behind this thing to catch sparks, and even so, they were still flying everywhere.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

However, the results of cutting balusters with this machine were dissapointing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Even with a reamer tool, the cut ends from this technique were too uneven and ugly.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I consulted with my brother, who is an extraordinary metal worker, and he suggested I use a pipe cutter designed to cut copper pipe. Though I did need to go slower, the tool easily made perfectly square and shockingly clean cuts without the dangerous sparks and horrible smells of a cutoff machine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
The different results between the two techniques is dramatic. I found that greasing the pipe cutter also made it glide through the material more smoothly.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We also discussed some tools that needed to be made. The first tool is designed to measure the length of each middle baluster. I cut a spare baluster short and fit a PVC pipe over it. A few notches in the PVC pipe and a host clamp made it easy to lock it in place once I’d found the right length. The other tool we came up with was a spacer to ensure balusters were in the right place when measuring them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
In a few cases where the main balusters varied in distance a bit, the tool could space everything narrower and maintain proportions by simply tilting it.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I realized that once I cut the balusters, the raw steel would be exposed and ultimately rust, so I needed to find a paint that matched the sheen of the powder coating. I tested both a semi-gloss and a satin on a spare piece of handrail, and found the satin was a much closer match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
The hard edges are the tape lines, but I found when painting a spot and letting it feather out the difference in sheen was much less noticeable. I think matte finish would actually be perfect, but I wasn’t able to find any locally.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I then measured each middle baluster using the length and spacer tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
This telescoping measurement tool made very quick work of what would otherwise be rather difficult.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As I cut each one, I checked the fit, numbered them and set them aside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Middle balusters have to be measured and cut individually due to slight imperfections in the shape of the aluminum handrail<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I then painted the ends with satin black paint, to ensure no raw steel was exposed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
As expected, once these dried, you couldn’t tell the difference between the powder coating and the paint.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Each baluster is attached to the tread using a special nut that grips the inside of the tube, and attaches to the handrail with a self-drilling metal screw, just like the main balusters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
To get the pipe nuts inserted I had to apply a very fast and strong downward force to pop them in. I can’t imagine they will ever come loose.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After attaching every baluster and tightening everything up, the stairs felt solid under foot and look great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The curved ledge next to the stairs finally makes sense.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I’ll attach the railings for the landing after I’ve completed the trim work on the curb.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Over the last few weeks I’ve been working to get the staircase in. I first needed to deal with the unfinished loft edge. I started by placing a trim board over the end. I then filled the screw holes and directed my attention at the drywall that abutts it. I plastered in a special type […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1999,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[8,9],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/studio.parscal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1990"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/studio.parscal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/studio.parscal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/studio.parscal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/studio.parscal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1990"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/studio.parscal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1990\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2032,"href":"https:\/\/studio.parscal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1990\/revisions\/2032"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/studio.parscal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/studio.parscal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1990"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/studio.parscal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1990"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/studio.parscal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1990"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}