Our Woodlexicon

Beech – Classic Hardwood for Modern Staircase Construction

Beech is one of the most important native hardwoods from Germany and is widely used in staircase construction. This hardwood impresses with its high hardness, strength, and durability, making it ideal for heavily used stair treads, landings, and balustrades.

Its natural color ranges from light to creamy white. Through a process known as steaming (short thermal treatment), the wood develops a warm, slightly reddish tone that creates a modern and harmonious appearance. Beech is easy to machine, sand, and finish, making it an excellent choice for interior applications.

In our shop, beech is available in steamed quality, either lacquered, unfinished, or oiled – perfect for custom-made wooden staircases.

Oak – Timeless and Durable Wood for Long-Lasting Stairs

Oak is a long-fibered, large-pored hardwood with a particularly distinctive grain pattern. Thanks to its exceptional hardness and abrasion resistance, oak is one of the most popular wood species in staircase construction, especially for stair treads, handrails, and balustrades.

Its natural color ranges from light to golden brown and darkens over time when exposed to light, giving the staircase an elegant patina. Due to its high durability, oak is suitable for high-traffic residential areas, prestigious staircase designs, and even outdoor applications.

In our shop, bright oak is available lacquered, unfinished, or oiled.

Red Oak – Distinctive Hardwood for Modern Staircases

Red oak is a North American hardwood valued in staircase construction for its strength, durability, and expressive grain. Its open-pored structure and straight grain give staircases a modern and striking appearance.

The color ranges from light pinkish-brown to warm reddish tones and darkens slightly over time. Red oak is easy to machine, sand, stain, or lacquer, making it ideal for stair treads, handrails, and balustrades.

Due to its moderate weather resistance, red oak is best suited for indoor staircases.

Ash – Elastic Hardwood with a Vibrant Grain

Ash is a ring-porous hardwood known for its decorative, lively grain with striped or flamed patterns. It is a heavy and very hard wood, yet at the same time highly elastic.

This combination makes ash ideal for staircase construction, particularly for stair treads, handrails, and balustrade elements that must be both durable and dimensionally stable. Ash is also especially suitable for ballet barres, as the wood absorbs hand moisture without becoming slippery. The surface can be easily machined, oiled, or lacquered.

Since ash has only limited weather resistance, it is best suited for indoor staircases. In our shop, ash is available lacquered, unfinished, or oiled.

Pine – Versatile Wood for Indoor and Outdoor Stairs

Pine is a straight-grained, native softwood and one of the most important wood species in construction. It is moderately hard, highly elastic, and easy to work with.

Its characteristic reddish-brown heartwood darkens when exposed to light, giving staircases a warm and natural appearance. Thanks to its good weather resistance, pine is suitable not only for interior stairs, but also for outdoor staircases and covered entrance areas.

In our shop, pine is available lacquered, unfinished, or oiled.

Maple – Bright and Elegant Wood for Modern Staircases

Maple is a high-quality fine hardwood valued for its light, uniform surface. Its color ranges from creamy white to slightly reddish white, making it ideal for modern, light-filled stairwells.

The wood is medium-weight, dimensionally stable, and durable, especially in dry indoor environments. Maple is easy to machine and finely sand, resulting in exceptionally smooth and elegant stair treads and handrails.

Maple is available from us unfinished, lacquered, or oiled for high-quality indoor staircases.

Larch – Robust Softwood for Outdoor Staircases

Larch is a decorative softwood with narrow sapwood and a reddish-brown to dark reddish-brown heartwood. It is considered the hardest native softwood and features high density and excellent strength properties.

Thanks to its outstanding weather resistance, larch is ideal for outdoor staircases, balcony stairs, and entrance areas. It is also well suited for lacquering, matt finishing, or waxing.

An ideal wood for durable and visually appealing outdoor staircases.

Larch is not available for direct purchase in our shop; however, it can be supplied upon request via email.

Mahogany – Exclusive Tropical Wood for Sophisticated Staircases

Mahogany is a luxurious tropical hardwood, known for its even texture and elegant color variations. Its tones range from light brown to deep reddish brown, giving staircases a distinctly refined appearance.

The wood is hard, highly dimensionally stable, and weather-resistant, making it suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. When properly processed, mahogany shows minimal warping and offers excellent long-term durability.

Ideal for high-end staircase solutions with an exclusive character.

In our shop, you can order beech handrails stained to a mahogany finish. Mahogany as a solid wood option is available upon request.

Walnut – Character-Rich Wood for Elegant Staircases

Walnut is primarily of North American origin and is considered one of the most valuable hardwood species. It is weather-resistant and naturally resistant to fungi and insects.

Its dark, elegant coloring can be further enhanced through staining, lacquering, or fuming. Walnut is easy to work with and is ideal for stair treads, handrails, and design elements in high-end interior construction.

In our shop, beech handrails stained to a walnut finish are available. American walnut is also available upon request.

Cherry – Warm Fine Hardwood for Elegant Indoor Staircases

Cherry is a high-quality fine hardwood with a subtle, refined grain. Its warm, reddish-brown color gives staircases a particularly elegant and inviting atmosphere.

The wood is hard, tough, and highly elastic, making it well suited for indoor staircase construction. It is easy to work with and allows for precise, high-quality finishes.

An excellent choice for stylish and long-lasting wooden staircases. Stained cherry in our shop.