Stair Carpentry - A Simple Design to Please Your Inner Architect

The last time we mentioned our staircase, we were reveling in the fact that we could travel between floors without either having to climb a ladder or negotiate a rather steep makeshift ramp.

My how time flies. After watching the stairwell go from a drab gray concrete tunnel to a more spritely white-washed shaft of light, we have now witnessed its final transformation into the wood-clad beauty we designed.

Using tzalam hardwood we purchased ages ago, our carpenter cut, joined and assembled units consisting of one riser and one tread, screwed together from behind where it would not be visible once laid.

On the underside of each panel, grooves were cut to help prevent the wood from warping. All this work happened in the workshop where precision was better, quicker and cheaper. Delivered to site, the idea was to nail them together to form the stairs.

In advance of their arrival, the concrete base of each stair was leveled and a little bit of the concrete picked out on each side so each stair could be embedded in 1/8 inch.

This embedding is easier than cutting the stairs to the exact dimension and relying on the walls being exactly straight (in Mérida renovation projects, they seldom are). Embedding the stairs a little makes this a moot problem as an albañil simply has to return after the stairs are in and patch the gaps with new cement. 

To blend the paint, we have asked the painters to taper down to a single coat as they near the edge of the stairs. Some would say this is obsessive - but hey it’s our house and we’ll notice if it’s not right.

Anyway, back to the stairs. Once delivered on site, installation began at the bottom, moving up one step at a time. To adjust for small variations in the height of each step, a little wood was planed from each step to make a snug fit. 

Surprising for us, the stairs weren’t actually fixed to the concrete, but instead secured to each other with “invisible” carpentry nails to form a solid run, whose overall weight would prevent any movement.

A day of installation and everything was in. Another day to putty the seams, and yet another to polyurethane them and the stairs are complete-ish.

Although we still need to rustle up an albañil to patch the concrete, such details don’t stop us from smiling. Every architect loves a good staircase, and Stan is no exception.

Up the Narrow Stairs

Architects often obsess over the need to create beautiful stairs. Stan is no exception.

When we started the project, he was awash with visions of a gorgeous exposed staircase ascending from the living room. A little thing called a budget intervened and we eventually went for a cheaper L-shaped staircase tucked behind a wall.

With good design possible on any budget, Stan still managed to engage his architecture training to create the most elegant staircase our money could make.

Kept intentionally narrow, the resulting stairs are meant to feel a tad constricted. This works to accentuate the drama of the open spaces at the top and bottom landings. So as not to feel stuffy, we gave it a double height space with lots of light flooding in from above.

This week, the stairs have been formed and we ascended them for the first time. The first photo is taken from the bottom landing.

As you reach the first landing and turn to the right, the walls extend up nearly 20 feet and frame the light flooding down from above. It feels narrow without being tight, just as intended.

Once the walls are plastered, the stairs will be finished with tzalam wood that has been burnt and coated in polyurethane. The result will end up like the 3D rendering below.