Stairs

Hi

I am looking to have my stairs modernised, new spindles, newel, hand rail etc.

I had someone out to have a look and they said the existing newel cant be removed and it would need to be cut about the first step (see red line in photo). This new would then be joined on to the old.

The trouble is I dont want it white and I want to varnish it for an oak look. (see photo of what I am looking for)

If the new newel is joined to the old white I would have to take the old back to the bare wood to try match it after varnishing and most likely there will be a visible join?

Is there no way to fully remove that existing newel, cut at just above floorboard level?

The Newel at the top of the stair turn again can this be remove and cut further down?

The look I am after

You need to find a better carpenter.

So its possible to remove the full existing white newel to floor board level?

Yes, but it isn't the easiest of tasks. Make sure you find someone competent

^woody^ said:

You need to find a better carpenter.

Click to expand...

I've spoken to couple other joiners and all say the say, it would need cut, not removed. When you say find a better carpenter what I am I missing?

Any video I've watched on this on Youtube (because I intend to do a similar job in the near future) have all cut the newel post and joined the new one on top. I'd like to know if there's a better way too.

For the knowledgeable chippies here, what makes it so difficult to remove the post completely?

The info I was told by different joiners is that it supports the main structure of the stairs and would need cut.

I guess with supports and more work it would be possible but not straight forward by any means. Maybe its difference for difference staircase types but for my one this is what Ive been told.

The newel post is structural - the bottom of the stringer (the side part of the stairs) is tenoned and the bottom of the newel mortised to accept the tenons. On upper floors the newel post can be joined to a trimmer or joist in a variety of ways including halved and screwed (or pegged) or have a round tenon at the bottom end of the post which sits into a hole, etc in addition two or three faces of the newel often need to be housed to accommodore the tread(s) and nosing of the 1st step together with the riser.

Getting the old newel out involves removing the underdrawings (not always, but often), fully supporting the stairs, removing the hand rail, cutting away and removing the newel without damaging the tenons then cleaning up the woodwork

The new post needs to be cut it to length, then you make matching mortises, identical housings for the tread(s) and riser, and often make a new receiver recess for the handrail. On uppervstairs youbneef to reproduce the floor joint. Then you have to fit it - at which point any minor errors you have made along the way will become glaringly obvious. It can be a right palaver

Once fitted you need to fix it down remove the temporary supports and teinstate the underdrawings.

And if there is a carpet or any kind of flooring the job gets a tad more involved

The plain fact is that most customers simply aren't prepared to pay for the job to be done right, and doing it right also involves the joiner in a degree if financial risk - no point in taking on a job where you get paid a day's money, but may lose more than that if the job goes wrong and you have to replace the darned thing and start again- it's feasiercto pass on such jobs

So the answer is (finally!) that cutting the newel and pegging a new top onto it is faster, simpler, less prone to error and much cheaper. And now you know why

I've seen existing newels cut down to near the step, then the stump reduced in width on all and two sides, and a dowel formed on the top, and the new post hollowed out to fit over the top.

Also similarly, as above for the stump, and then pieces fitted to the sides of the stump with precise mitres. Then when the new post was fitted on top, with a large dowel, at the joint, a small beveled rebate was routed to disguise the joint line. Another bevel routed further up to match and form a feature.

Done by an old school bar fitter, not a run of the mill carpenter.