Cladding balcony stairs with wood | Experiences & costs

Hi, yes the treads and the handrail are painted (light gray). We were advised to do so since we wanted a light color and a pure oil finish on surfaces exposed to heavy wear quickly looks shabby. We never really discussed gluing or grades in detail. To be honest, I always assumed they were solid pieces of wood, but now I know that's unrealistic. I can’t spot typical finger jointing, so I suspect block gluing, but I probably can’t assess that. And I assume that if it's not defined more precisely, the treads might not always be made from grade A wood. But you really can't see that and we are very satisfied with both the price and the workmanship. The manufacturer might be overstating it, it’s probably just a sales office: Weko Treppen from Berlin.

What is the installation situation of the staircase? We simply have our precast concrete staircase clad by the parquet installer. I don't understand the effort with solid treads and risers since the load is carried by the concrete staircase.

We didn't think much about the staircase beforehand, which now seems quite :cool: We simply liked the look at our neighbor's place and the price we were quoted was also reasonable.

How have you solved the edges between the riser and tread in your case?

We didn’t think much about the stairs beforehand, which turned out to be quite :cool: We simply liked the look at our neighbor’s place and the price they quoted us was also reasonable.

How have you solved the edges between the riser and the tread on your stairs?

We will also clad our concrete steps with wood. From the beginning, we already thought about how it should look. It will be an oak platform staircase with recessed LED lighting (like in the lower picture). My husband definitely wanted a glass railing. But since we have 2 children and I find the glass a bit "uncozy," we will simply build up the wall of the storage room (under one flight of stairs) and lay an oak wood board on the railing. The whole thing will be carried out by a Polish master carpenter. Total costs (17 steps in brushed and lacquered natural oak, 4cm thick, risers mitered with the treads, LED strip recessed into the step, handrail, travel + work (we will organize accommodation for 2 people)) - about €7000

Sounds good. With the stair step lighting and landing, of course a bit more expensive than our "standard staircase." For that, we need a total of 28 or 30 steps. €7,000 also sounds fair at first. How did you find the stair builder from Poland? Or is that a nationwide company that arranges it?

How did you find the stair builder from Poland? Or is it a supraregional company that mediates?

I come from Poland. It is a very good carpenter from my hometown, where my parents still currently live ;). ...and speaking of the Poland-stairs-windows-craftsmen-dilemma. The Polish craftsmen are really good. Nowadays not as cheap as 10 years ago anymore. Often they don't want to drive to DE because they have enough well-paid work in PL. Houses are partly being built there that we here in DE can only dream of. Mostly through individual contracts and custom-made by the interior designer/carpenter/stonemason/tiler. Why? Because a Polish academic family can often afford "more house" than the well-earning Germans. The building plots there are partly ridiculously cheap – even by Polish standards. Let's see how the situation develops in the coming months...