Here you see up the prefab staircase. The balcony of this prefab staircase runs into the second floor wall on the left. On the right there is a short section of prefab balcony that goes back about four feet at the top of the staircase. There is a total of three prefab balcony sections that need to be assembled in this area.
This is one section of the staircase balcony that will be installed. Here is a must with any balcony so read closely. When your balcony railing ends at a wall, you use what is called a rosette at the end of your rail to finish it off and have a way to attach your attractive oak railing to the wall. You need to have screws fastening the rosette into the framing of the wall, and most of the time there is nothing there. This is what you do. Cut out the sheetrock on the other side of the wall and install one two x ten to hold the screws.
Pictured here is the short prefab staircase balcony section. This section with go to the top left of the prefab staircase and be attached to the prefab oak railing pictured above.
You can just make out the small section of prefab balcony railing on the right. All of the prefab staircase balcony sections have been installed and partially finished.
Looking down from the very top of the staircase you can see the angle of the landing on the outside wall, and how the skirt board ends abruptly on the end of the wall. Another thing you need to know. A prefab staircase does not mean everything is done. It means you receive prefab sections of oak railing pre made to what ever length you may need. It’s up to you to fill in all those little places that make a staircase something special to look at. Not something that was slapped together. Of course don't leave out installing those sections of oak railing.
This is the unfinished outside of the prefab staircase. You can see on the bottom left I'm a firm believer of using liquid nails. Looking at the start of the staircase you can see how the inside wall has an angle right next to the skirt board.
This is a picture of the first piece of prefab rake railing for the prefab staircase. Notice how the left end does not have that small section you see visible in ITEM A5 on the right. That small section I had to make infield to custom fit the oak wall cap and oak hand railing around.
With this picture you will see how I drew on the bare sheetrock walls to help me invision how I wanted to finish off the custom staircase landing. Keep looking down this column of thumbnail pictures to see how it turned out. There will always be areas that your prefab stairs can not be installed on. The top, bottom, and landings of the stairs are the most common places where your prefab stairs do not work out.
Now you can really get a look at how a compound landing can slow you up with a prefab staircase installation. The old “idiot rail” now does not look so idiot proof does it? With anything in life, the more you do it, the better you're at it. I have had many a staircase make me scratch my bald head, and I know I’m not done yet, as long as the blue printers have not run out of ink.
One of those compound landing corners finished. No landing tread or “nosing” is run until the skirt boards are finished. Then after the nosing you can install the oak flooring, or something different all together. Personal, if I have oak staircase treads I will have an oak landing to match it. You can say that the landing is really a cut in stair. No prefab stair is able to finish one off! Not only do you need a talented staircase man to install the prefab stuff. You need a talented trim man too!
Kidding, no I did not use this one.
I cut it down before installing. The Landing tread, “nosing” is about five and a half inches wide, and I wanted the block to be a termination point.
Now at the bottom of the staircase, you can see where I drew on the raw sheetrock walls to better give me an idea of what I envisioned finishing off this section.
A close up view of the same section of wall on the right. Is there anyone who does not know what I'm going to do after seeing my sketch on the sheetrock?
Here is a semi finished view after I installed the skirt board transition and wall base cap moulding. All painting will be touched up after everyone has finished in the home. These pictures are to show you how my company, Artisan Specialties installs interior trim. At one time in my life a Trim Man did everything. Now it seams the Trim Man does the trim in the home. Then you have a different person who builds the cabinets, and another who installs the staircases. Go figure huh? Well there is one good thing. My company still does every bit of all of the above! Give me a call today, or simply drop me an email to get started.
Remember that small section of railing on the outside of the landing? Well here it is with my sketching on the wall. Do you see how the top of the two x four plate is higher that the prefab skirt board of this staircase? What would you do? Cover it up and don't worry about it? Take your time and chisel the extra wood down flush to the skirt board? I hope you know which option I elected for.
A close up of the same section. You can see here that the person who did the takeoff on this prefab staircase did not order a tread for this part. It was too much of a variable to chance destroying an oak tread.
First step to finishing off this difficult area. Extend the main part of the staircase skirt board out flush with the end of the wall.
Second step, extend the top part of the skirt board out level, and flush with the outside corner of the wall.
Last step. Install the front part of the staircase skirt board transition flush to the outside of the last part I installed. Run base cap moulding on the top of the skirt board. Do you see how I stepped down the front of the skirt board and terminated the base cap with a return?
The outside of the picture above. You can see the base cap moulding under the oak rail cap of the staircase. You can also see how the last part of oak rail cap is running uphill. This was because the framer cut the wall to long at rough in. Could it have been fixed? Yes. Why did I not fix it? The contractor did not want to spend the money. Believe me, I thought twice before I posted this picture, but I also thought you needed to be aware of the consequences from none actions. That way you will make sure your framing is right!
This is what could happen when you have a compound angle on a staircase landing. There way no room to install an oak rosette to finish of the oak railing next to the sheetrock wall. You can see how I was forced to cut the rail back in this picture.
The finished view of the oak railing and nosing looking up this beautiful prefab staircase. You can see on the top inside wall how the skirt board steps up with the rake of the stairs.
Just about forgot the bottom left of the first step. Here you can see the five eights plywood that was installed to attach the prefab staircase to. This also gives it the room needed to slide half inch sheetrock down into.
This is the long rake section of prefab railing gong on the outside wall of the prefab staircase. Look and you will see the holes that have been drilled to install four inch wood screws into the top plate of the wall. I cover the screws with either oak mushroom caps or oak plugs, depending on my clients.
Finally the semi finished oak rail cap with a glimpse of one of the mushroom caps on the top left. The contractor needed a wider base for the downstairs of this home. Pictured here is an MDF speed base moulding with base cap mitered into the top to allow it to flow together. This is not your typical prefab staircase. Most of the time if contractors are building a spec home they will have a much easier design to save on the installation cost. This was a spec home, but it was a higher end spec home.
