During the Covid-19 pandemic, many homeowners found themselves at home staring at long-overdue projects. Among the most common requests we received was to tackle worn-out staircases. While refinishing old stairs isn’t too daunting, we shivered (just a little) when we received a call for a full living room remodel that involved tearing out the existing stairs and building a brand-new, curved staircase leading to the second floor.
Staircases can become a focal point of any home, especially when they incorporate complex design elements like a curved banister.
When undergoing a staircase repair or remodel, it’s essential to understand the key components of a staircase. These include:
Building a staircase, especially one with a curved railing, is as much about precision as it is about craftsmanship. Get one measurement wrong, and the entire project can quickly become a disaster. For this curved staircase, the mathematical precision required was critical to success, where every measurement had to be exact.
Curved banisters aren’t something you buy pre-bent. Instead, you start with a pre-made, long railing that’s sliced many times along its length to create flexibility. From there, the process of bending and shaping the banister becomes a delicate process.
To start, we built custom U-shaped wooden brackets that were screwed into the stair treads every few feet. During the bending process, we carefully spread the sliced banister open and applied wood glue between each section. After binding the pieces back together with cellophane, the real challenge began: bending the railing into its final shape while attaching it to the U-shaped guides. Strong hands and careful teamwork was essential here, as a slight mistake could cost the entire project.
Once the railing was bent and tightly clamped into place, all that was left was to clean up any excess glue and head home—hoping the banister would hold its new shape overnight.
By the next morning, we were relieved to unwrap the clamps and discover that the banister had taken shape perfectly. The result was a stunning, custom curved staircase that became the centerpiece of the client’s living room. This project was ultimately one of the most rewarding transformations we’ve completed.
