The question of choosing the wood species comes up regularly among Woodup customers. We believe there are 2 essential factors to take into consideration when choosing the right wood for your staircase.

Use and traffic

This is the first question you should ask yourself before choosing the wood for your staircase. Depending on the intended use and the installation location, you will need to choose a harder or softer species. 

But what is wood hardness?

Wood hardness is a measurement used to test its resistance to penetration. The Monnin hardness is expressed on a scale ranging from 0 (very soft wood) to>9 (very hard wood). In other words, will my staircase be prone to marks over time?

For infrequent use (access to a loft) or without shoes (a children's bedroom for example) you can choose a wood classified as soft (between 1.5 and 3 on the Monnin scale). Fir falls into this category.

For intensive use (entrance hall, public reception area), it is advisable to choose at minimum a semi-hard wood (>3 on the Monnin scale). Beech or oak naturally come to mind.

And for outdoor use?

Can a wooden staircase be used outdoors? This question comes up regularly. Of course, there are finishing and treatment solutions to protect your staircase. That said, some species are better suited to outdoor use. To help you, it is important to know the natural durability and treatability of the wood. The use class allows you to compare species with one another. There are 5 use classes: class 1 covers dry wood for indoor use; class 5 covers species that can be in permanent contact with salt water.

Our workshop manager then recommends giving preference to douglas fir staircases, which is a class 3 wood that can be frequently in contact with moisture.

Aesthetics

There is no accounting for taste! But we can help you with your choice. If you wish to preserve and highlight a natural tone and the wood grain, then an oak staircase will look magnificent. As our staircases are made from glued laminated timber, your staircase will also have a more contemporary appearance.

Fir and beech are 2 light-coloured woods with a slightly pink hue for beech. These 2 species are therefore customisable according to your preferences. Personally, we do not recommend applying a white liming effect on fir... the result can tend towards a yellowish tone... But there is no accounting for taste.

To summarise

We offer you this concise summary table: