Today I was installing the treads on a staircase in a modern-style house. I.E. next to no trim, dead flush flat cabinets and huge slabs of white marble. The floors are rift-sawn white oak as is the staircase. The staircase being the only woodwork in the house I wanted the grain pattern to flow, similar to the stone work.
So I resawed and bookmatched the skirts, risers and treads. Then vacuum veneered them onto a popular core. Edgebanded everything from the same board from the resaw to maintain consistant grain patterns.
As I was fitting the treads the flooring guy stops by with the stain color for approval, about 2 shades darker than Starbucks espresso. I could have just glued up the material in any order that came off the truck and it would look just the same after they stain it all BLACK.
Replies
M,
I can relate.
Once spent 4 months building a life size mock-up of a turbine generator for Siemens. Call came in...job cancelled, through it in the trash, just bill us for the time.
WSJ
4 months, ouch! sometimes its hard to accept that your work is only measured in dollars.
not nearly as much of an investment in time like yours but I too can relate.
I was doing some custom trim in a bathroom I was building. The trim was clear pine.
I gave my customer samples. On one I put conditioner before the Red Mahogany stain just to show them how it keeps the wood from becoming blotchy but I didn't tell them the reason...I just wanted them to see the differences before I mentioned why I use conditioner.
I gave him both samples. One with and one without conditioner....he liked the sample w/o the conditioner saying how much more interesting it looked...oy.
http://www.cliffordrenovations.com
http://www.ramdass.org
The sample may have been interesting, but a whole bathroom of blotchy trim, not so interesting...
the sample wasn't interesting...trust me...lol
It's all in the eyes of the beholder I reckon.
After I told him the reason for the conditioner it stopped looking interesting to him...weird huh?
The power of suggestion!!!
http://www.cliffordrenovations.com
http://www.ramdass.org
Andy,
Greetings Bro,
What are you doing on BT at this hour? when there are so many other things to do in NY on a Friday nite.
Jon B.
It's Friday night?
I'm in NY?
Oh geeezzz...I spose' I get caught up in my own lil' world...lol.
Late? Not for me dude..I'm a night owl...unfortunatly. I hate the morning...who'd a thought? I need to change that one day.
Whats going on with you? Comin' by this summer Jon, or you done w/NY
http://www.cliffordrenovations.com
http://www.ramdass.org
did that once with a built in and it's casing.
the casing was to be flat ... but he insisted on maple.
so ... I went and got the nicest maple I could find ...
since it was a simple flat stock, I decided I wanted to dress it up and got sticks long enough for a full grain wrap up, over and down ... across the miters.
nailed it all off ... looked fantastic.
then my painter showed up with the stain.
ebony.
home owner wasn't home ... so I took off the maple and put up some poplar.
used the maple to build a case for my planer!
it's a nice case, btw ...
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Jeff,
Thats a great story when you can beat them to the punch, Kinda the old, "Screw You" We need pics of the planer box of course
My next door neighbor is a cabinet maker & supplied clear cherry beams & millwork for a large room , you guessed it, PAINT!!
Builder just said "Thats what they want" You can't even responde to that.
No one should regard themselve as "God's gift to man." But rather a mere man whos gifts are from God.
it was a 9 month long constantly evolving/changing basement remodel ... I was just trying to cut another of the little losses and make myself feel better for that minute.
I remember the customer saying how nice the dark stained maple looked ... I told him that's cause the trim was poplar and how we decided to not insult the maple!
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Sometimes that making yourself feel better is really worth it.
As far as telling him that it was poplar, I think I would of kept to myself for the satisfaction of it but then the your line about insulting the maple, thats priceless!
Paul No one should regard themselve as "God's gift to man." But rather a mere man whos gifts are from God.
he was a great customer and we ended up understanding each other very well.
situations like that happened at least once a week on that job.
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Its nice when you can say that about a customer after a job, I've had some customers too were you were sorry to see the end being that they were a pleasure to work with. No one should regard themselve as "God's gift to man." But rather a mere man whos gifts are from God.
I'm lucky at the moment. Been working for great customers. Already told them if they wanted to bump up the proposed front porch work I'd give the best numbers I could to keep the work flowing at their place.
They have to wait till next Spring or Summer for round two ... and they'll still get the best rates I can come up with. Just nice people ... great to work for.
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Glad to hear you can stay busy with these people, makes life good.
Nothing worse than when times are hard & you are forced to take jobs wouldn't normally & work for people that are difficult No one should regard themselve as "God's gift to man." But rather a mere man whos gifts are from God.
$300/sq. ft. room addition on million dollar home. Ostensibly for wheelchair-bound son. Nitpicked to death ("I think there's a small smudge of stain on the window grid - can you come get it off?). Went by to install a medicine cabinet (I said I'd do it no charge - meaning when I was there working. So naturally they call me a month later!) At any rate - they're using the room to keep their puppies in!!!! Thousand dollar carpet reeks of puppy ####! Yecchhh! Yeah, sometimes I wonder why we bother!
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"...craftsmanship is first & foremost an expression of the human spirit." - P. Korn
CaliforniaRemodelingContractor.com
Yeah.One of these that sticks in my mind was where a client bought a fixer upper and had us renovate it stem to stern at cost plus.There was a magnificent Rhododendron 9' tall and 6-7 feet across next to the front entry that we protected at his request while rebuilding the porch, digging new perimeter drains, and lots of materials deliveries.It was just starting full bloom when we packed up[ to leave the job. I went back by there a week later to get photos of it and the job.
He's decided to have his caretaker cut it down, AFTER we probably spent two grand on protecting the specimen!I'd have dug it out and given it a good home had I only known.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I did something like that once. Worked on putting that fish scale siding up the gable of a front porch. All around the porch were big bushes that I had to work around. I used ladder jacks and walk boards, slid step ladders between the bushes - All kinds of gyrations to get the siding up there without damaging the bushes. About a month later I drove by and all the bushes had been ripped out.
Tell the truth. There's less to remember.
On one job, sparkies had to add wiring in an existing wall. One guy in the attic another on the ground - walkie-talkies and fishline, all day. Next day h.o. discovered the wall wasn't insulated - remove all the plaster, insulate, and sheetrock. Sparkies about had an anurism. After the sheerockers finished texturing the new rock, interior decorator discovered walls weren't thick enough for her shades to fit in the window wells - build a new wall over the old wall, to make it twice as thick. Now it was rockers turn for an anurism. All extras paid for. Oh well."...craftsmanship is first & foremost an expression of the human spirit." - P. Korn
bakersfieldremodel.com
now that is one ugly house
now that is one ugly house
Lotsa split-pea green, inside and out. No one deserves it more than that owner! Expensive puppy pen room addition, and all. And the level of craftsmanship on the original home is pretty cr&ppy, too. Roof leaks, sloppy workmanship on the finish end, sagging, overspanned and out-of-level beams, etc. "...craftsmanship is first & foremost an expression of the human spirit." - P. Korn
CaliforniaRemodelingContractor.com
I KNOW!
I was lucky this week, I spent the days with 3 gallons of alcohol, rags, steel wool, scotchbrite, and tooth brushes. I completly stripped the old black alligatored shellac off an 1830's Greek revival semicucular stair case.
I lost track of how many ballusters.
It looks brand new, well..clean and Old..LOL
I discovered the medallion on the walnut starting newel was not walnut, it was Lignum Vitae..pretty cool. Almost posted a pic to you wondring if you ever saw this type of ribbon detail that acted as a field trim on the recessed areas of the newel..kinda squiggly and in 3 layers or planes. I had phone pics and they didn't come out well, Mon. I will take the camera and try to get you a picture. I've never seen this type of trim/moulding detail, and have just a vague idea how to remake it ( hand carve).
It's a Greek revival style home, in central Ky. like I said, 1830-40's era. The rail is a wide flat oval shape of Maple I believe, ballusters are white oak, walnut newel, and skirts are poplar with SYP treads..quite the hodge podge visually.
The shellac came off easily, and was hiding the real beauty.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
"If Brains was lard, you couldn't grease much of a pan"
Jed Clampitt
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I happy to hear that you got to spend some time working on something of quality. Looking forward to seeing the pics.Along a similar line, about 3 months ago I stopped by a new construction in one of the better old neighborhoods which had a site-framed curved stair. The house was still being framed and the stair was a real hatchet job. A few straight run treads, then some on a radius and then some more straight. At the bottom they didn't know what to do so a large landing was put in to finish the turn. This butted up right on the inside door swing, so you would have to close the front door completely to access the stair. It really needed a elliptical stair.I had a guy do a 3d cad drawing to show what they had and what they could have. Tried for 3 weeks to get ahold of the contractor and but the carpenter onsite said they weren't ready to talk about the stairs yet. finialy get ahold of the contractor and he says he loves the design but it is too late in the project to change. go figure.2 weeks later they are tearing off the siding to put up brick....
Not as compicated as your resawn, veneered glue-up, but I once did a nice solid red oak set with 180° glued-up winders, waterfall skirt, and starting wrap around step and landing. They carpeted it, skirt to skirt.Last week we went back to lockout one in which I had done a 180° white oak set with a rosewood landing. Skirts and risers were stained black coffee, which ever so subtly (not) soaked into the end grain of the bright finished oak treads... painters said at least the floor finishers didn't sand through the stain on the skirts and risers... sheesh.http://www.tvwsolar.com
Now I wish I could give Brother Bill his great thrill
I would set him in chains at the top of the hill
Then send out for some pillars and Cecil B. DeMille
He could die happily ever after"
Boy do I know how you feel. It makes you wonder why they paid to for something nice in the first place, but then they paid for it so I guess its better just to let it go.The project itself was fun and a real eye opener as to the possibilities. I got the idea from Armin, aka Riverman, in his posting using birdseye maple treads. I now have a much broader idea of what can be done. Now I just need to find someone who appreciates it.
Hey, I get a good story out of it, and paid too... sides, all that dark stain and carpet hides the gaps bettern my buddy puddy<G>http://www.tvwsolar.com
Now I wish I could give Brother Bill his great thrill
I would set him in chains at the top of the hill
Then send out for some pillars and Cecil B. DeMille
He could die happily ever after"
This one is modest compared to some of the old colonial era ones I had the pleasure of working on in Philly. They were true masterpieces.
This one also had some fairly bad repairs made approx. 25 yrs ago, when a painter had set up a ladder in the curved stair well, and it went down with him riding it...broke the rail and his wrist in the melee. I can camoflage the repairs a bit better than whoever tried before.
Prior to this ( with that in mind) I refurbished a double hung window in the stair well, to avoid a repeat show, I built wood scaffold and made myself "fool proof" and comfortable up there.
I'll try to get some decent pics. Mon. I'd like your take on this moulding. Some is missing and while I am so into it, I'd like to make it right. Just as a courtesy, these folks are kind, and not a bottomless pit of money, but keep me under roof and fed.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
"If Brains was lard, you couldn't grease much of a pan"Jed Clampitt
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I can feel your pain. If it's any comfort Michelangelo had the similar problems with all those darned ole the Kings and Popes
Yeah, I've had the equivalent in programming. In one case spent maybe two weeks designing an elegant system for specifying parameters to a program -- had a table of parameter names and properties so that everything would be neatly parsed and to add a new parameter you just had to update the table.
Turned the code over to another group and they didn't want to spend 15 minutes figuring out this scheme so they just kludged some code on the front of my code to strip off the new parameters they added. Probably took them four times as long as it would take to do it right, plus it didn't work as well.
There are a number of other cases I could rattle off, but it gets too depressing.
Worked for a non-profit center for 4 years. They switch locations every few years to relocate into a different needy neighborhood. They moved once while i was there, so i designed and built all the free-standing counters and shelving to be taken apart and reused again. The exec who ran the place had no background for it, and we had a couple screaming matches during installation.
Fast forward a couple years and the exec's lack of background catches up to him, forcing him to resign. Everybody else's gone or in the process of leaving by that point. New exec moves the organization again. i drive by and check out the old place and all my work (that should've gone with the center) is still there, waiting to become firewood when the space get's rented again.
walnut bar....
it got painted...
maple top//
it got laminate...
oak trim, railings, crown, staircase...
all got painted
beech cabinates...
painted...
burl maple everything kitchen..
painted...
huge cherry gun cab....
painted...
oh well......
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
shoot Martha Stewart. it's her fault
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
good point...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
"Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints"
This past winter, a client had me build a fireplace mantle, complete with the legs and tons of trim. And they made it clear to me that they wanted it all to be stain-grade hardwood.
And they had me tear out the painted pine staircase, and re-do it all in stain-grade oak.
The mantle was subsequently painted brown, and the staircase stained to match the cherry floors.
I've told this before, but on a kitchen remodel the guy I worked for spent lots of time finding wood to match what was already there--maybe chestnut, which isn't available around here--and he finally came up with some nice cherry and milled it and put it up, stained it to match what was there and the client decided the grain was too wild and asked us to paint it! So I convinced Marc to try toning it with more stain to hide the grain a bit and that worked and everyone was happy.
On a job where I drew up my first set of house plans for some people, they waited until the cathedral ceiling was up and drywalled, fished and painted, and then they put 2X6 T & G cedar on the ceiling. I told them if I'd have known they wanted a wooden ceiling, I could have made that structural material part of the actual structure instead of afterthough decoration! That was the job where the lady put up Indian cloth wallpaper and then noticed there were feathers in it and removed them and threw them away. Then she found out that what made Indian cloth "Indian" was the feathers, so she bought feathers and stuck them back in!