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.
how will mdf warp on stairs if its for an interior stair. mdf and poplar will both work find. poplar is commonly used for high end homes with paint grade trim. its cheaper than maple or birch but holds up better than mdf
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.
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.
a little advice on mdf.. dont buy it from bigbox stores.. teh stuff they sell has more resin in it than glue. this makes it lighter weight but also less durable.. buy sheets of mdf from a lumber yard and mdf molding from a trim supplier
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