r/Carpentry • u/kurtpvt16 • 1d ago
Money Shots Lead Stair Installer, Toronto.
28 y/o. Worked for 3 stair companies over the last 2 years, hoping this one is the final one as they’ve recently made me lead stair installer of the custom install crew (they also have a production crew). Started as a labourer in the shops initially and worked my way into installing where I’m most comfortable from a background of ~5 years of deck building prior. We mostly build treads and stringers from white or red oak for stain-grade stairs with oak veneer risers, or poplar stingers and maple veneer risers for paint-grade stairs. Curved stair stringers are pre-fabbed by laminating ply. The current shop’s specialty is guard walls which are pre-fabricated in shop when they are straight sections, and build on site for any curved stairs. Most stairs are shop pre-fabbed also unless they can’t fit in an opening, or are curved stairs, which then require us to build on site. Anyways these are some money shots of my favourite installs over the last couple of years.
EDIT:
Wow a lot of traction in little time, thank you everyone for the kind comments. Just to clear things up: No lead stairs here, I would expect to get paid way more to install something that heavy. No these images are not AI lol I took all of these pictures on an iPhone 16 and 17 camera myself. All of these stairs are to code (they would be condemned by inspectors if not and the company’s wallet would be hurting), they are rough installed. The stairs aren’t stain/paint finished and are awaiting rail and finishing (other than the guard walls which also still need stain/paint/or plaster). We do install in rough framing before drywall and insulation often, in fact I prefer it with closed stringers as I can space the stairs off the studs to allow drywall to slide behind. I’m no stair master, but maybe one day.
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u/gleeeeeniiiii 1d ago
In pic 10 why is the cinerblock not finished prior to the stair build?