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Best wood choices for painted stair risers?

44K views 15 replies 8 participants last post by  woodworkbykirk 
#1 ·
What are the best woods for 3/4" risers that will be painted white? Using them with stained oak treads. I am thinking... poplar. Price not important. Looks and durability from dents and dings from normal usage is important.

Thanks for opinions.
 
#6 ·
A another related question...

If I go with poplar as the wood, any good reason to buy pre-fabricated risers from a stair parts store online (typically constructed from multiple edge glued staves) rather than just buying 7 1/4" wide poplar boards from a local lumber yard (typically cut from a single piece of poplar)? The risers need to be only about 7" wide (space between the top of one tread and the bottom of the tread above) so I would not expect I would benefit much from using edge glued boards to avoid cupping and warping, unlike the benefit they provide with wider stair treads.

Thought I would ask before installing risers made from poplar boards from a local lumber yard and later finding that I made a big mistake.
 
#14 · (Edited)
why not mdf for paint grade? Is already compressed and should not ding, is easy to work with and will paint nicely.
I don't have any experience installing mdf myself, but I have seen MDF trim sitting on the shelf at home depot and such that is chipped and damaged from rough handling.

The risers will be installed on a stairway that is open on one end and the risers will be mitered to a stair bracket at this end. I am most concerned about the mitered corners holding up to abuse. I only have 9 steps so the difference in cost between MDF and poplar is marginal to me, especially when compared to the cost of the whole project. I am looking for the best choice of wood/material, not the best value or cheapest.
 
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