Stairs & Railings
Stair Refinishing in Riverfront, Philadelphia
Stairs take more wear per square foot than any floor in the house, and they are sanded almost entirely by hand. In Riverfront, Philadelphia the median home dates to 1994 and 15.6% of the housing predates 1940, which changes what we expect to find before the work starts.
- Neighborhood of
- Philadelphia, PA
- Population
- 2,346
- Housing units
- 1,359
- Median year built
- 1994
- Built before 1940
- 15.6%
- Built before 1978
- approximately 29.6%
- Owner occupied
- 45.7%
What is usually under the floor here
Two and a quarter inch red oak nailed over a wood subfloor, which is the case that refinishes best.
Postwar housing in this region was built with a plywood or board subfloor and solid red oak strip on top, most commonly two and a quarter inches wide. It is the standard floor of the American postwar house and it is the easiest thing we work on: predictable thickness, predictable fastening, predictable result.
The question in this stock is more often the subfloor than the wood on top of it. Squeaks, deflection and movement come from below, and sanding a floor that moves gives you a smooth floor that still moves.
Worth knowing here
Red oak has a pink undertone that shows through most stain colors. If you are aiming for the cooler tones that are fashionable now, that gets tested on a sample board before anything is committed.
Most of the housing here postdates the federal lead rule
Approximately 29.6% of the homes here were built before 1978, so most addresses fall outside it.
The EPA rule covers paid work disturbing painted surfaces in pre-1978 housing. In newer stock most addresses sit outside it, which simplifies how the work is staged.
It does not change how we sand. Vacuum extraction at the machine is how our equipment runs regardless, because the difference in the room is obvious whether or not a regulation is involved.
How stair refinishing runs
Stairs take more wear per square foot than any floor in the house, and they are sanded almost entirely by hand.
The full method, the equipment and what we will and will not promise are on the service page: Stair Refinishing.
Also in Riverfront
Hardwood Floor RefinishingSand the old finish off, repair what needs repairing, and put a new finish down
Dustless Floor SandingVacuum-extraction sanding
Solid Hardwood Floor InstallationSolid wood, nailed down over a wood subfloor
Engineered Hardwood InstallationReal wood over a stable core
Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) InstallationWaterproof, quiet, and it does not care about a wet basement
Custom Stair InstallationTreads, risers, stringers and skirt board, built to a drawing instead of a catalog page
Hardwood Floor RepairBoard replacement, weaving in new wood, squeaks, gaps and cupping
Questions
Can you tell me what my floor needs over the phone?
We can tell you what is likely, and this page is most of that answer. What we cannot do is quote a floor we have not seen, because remaining thickness and what is under the covering both decide the job and neither is visible in a description.
Do you bring the material?
Yes. We buy direct from the distributor and the material lands in the same number as the labor. Samples and larger offcuts come to the house so you choose in your own light.
My floor squeaks. Will refinishing fix it?
No. Squeaks come from movement between the floor and the subfloor, and sanding the surface does not change what is happening underneath. Those get addressed before the floor is finished, not after.
Nearby neighborhoods
Send a photo and we will tell you what you are looking at
Stair Refinishing in Riverfront starts with someone reading the house. We quote every job ourselves, with no salesperson in between, and a photo of the floor gets you a straight answer faster than a form does.
