All of the “oak” items listed on our site are Red Oak. The heartwood of this species is a pinkish reddish brown, the sapwood is a white to light brown. We try to use the heartwood for all products, but you may receive an occasional piece with minimal amounts of sapwood. Red Oak is very versatile and accepts stains well. This is the most popular species of stair parts commercially available.

All of the “maple” items listed on our site are Hard Maple. The heartwood of this species is light to dark reddish brown, the sapwood is a creamy white with a slight reddish brown tinge. The white sapwood is prized for stairpart manufacturing. We try to use sapwood exclusively for all of our maple products. This ensures color consistency, but you may receive an occasional piece with minimal amounts of heartwood. Hard maple also may include very small tight pin knots and pith flecks (Pith-like irregular discolored streaks of tissue in wood, due to insect attack on the growing tree). Due to the density of Maple it is hard to stain consistently, but if prepared correctly there is no problem staining this product.

The heartwood of this species varies from pale yellowish brown to olive green, the sapwood is a creamy white and may be streaked. Most of the parts we receive in poplar are made from sapwood. Although we allow unlimited amounts of heartwood to be included in the product, therefore our poplar products must be considered a paint grade material. Poplar is a soft hardwood which will allow it to dent easier than most of the other species that we offer. It can be stained or painted, dark stains will generally cover most color variations. We can not guarantee that we will send you a stain grade poplar material!

All of the “cherry” items listed on our site are Domestic Cherry. The heartwood of this species varies from rich red to reddish brown and will darken with age and exposure to light, the sapwood is a creamy white. Cherry parts may also contain brown pith flecks and small gum pockets. Due to the nature of cherry and the availability, all cherry parts may include up to 25% sapwood. Our suppliers work hard to minimize sapwood in their products but no guarantees can be made. Cherry finishes very well and a competent finisher can blend in the sapwood for a consistent finish.

All of our primed items have a white lacquer finish. This primer coat is ready to be finished in the field. A light sanding of the primer is Necessary for proper paint adhesion.

All of the “mahogany” items listed on our site are Genuine Mahogany. This wood varies from reddish brown to a deep rich red. Although we offer mahogany turnings the handrail profiles and other accessories are limited to special orders. Please inquire with your needs and we would be happy to price these items for you. Due to the density of Mahogany it is hard to stain consistently, but if prepared correctly this product can be stained or clear coated.

All of the “beech” items listed on our site are Domestic Beech. The heartwood of this species is light to dark reddish brown, the sapwood is a white with a red tinge. We try to use sapwood exclusively for all of our beech products, but there will be heartwood mixed in. Due to the color variations this presents we consider this product a paint grade material. It can be stained or painted easily, and dark stains will generally cover most color variations. We can not guarantee that we will send you a stain grade beech material!

This wood is a light brown with a yellow or reddish tinge. Although we offer alder turnings the handrail profiles and other accessories are limited to special orders. Please inquire with your needs and we would be happy to price these items for you. Alder takes stain well for a consistent finish.