Oak stairs

A premium hardwood native to the northern hemisphere, oak is prized for its beauty and strength. American white oak, the type used in Richard Burbidge stair parts, is a particularly attractive and long-lasting variety, taking up to 120 years to reach its full height. Being highly resistant to rot, white oak is also a sought-after material for making heavy-duty items such as boats, beams, doors, railway sleepers, flooring and furniture. 

Advantages of oak stair parts

Strong

Because oak is a slow growing timber it is extremely tough, heavy and durable, with dense growth rings producing a fine grain that is almost water-tight.

This makes it an excellent material for use in staircase parts such as handrails, spindles, newel posts and baserails. After all, stairs are an important central feature of most homes, and need to be able to withstand a lot of wear and tear.

Attractive

American white oak has a beautifully straight, knot-free grain with a subtle natural lustre - perfect for creating an eye-catching stair balustrade to transform your entrance hall. Shades range from light yellowy brown to a pale biscuit colour.

This timber accepts wood treatments very well, so your staircase banisters can be waxed, stained and polished to produce a stunning finish. 

Versatile

Many home owners choose white oak not only for its beautiful appearance, but also because they can combine it with similar high quality flooring, doors, skirting and even wall panelling to match the rest of their decor.

If you find that the stair parts are a slightly different colour to your existing oak floor or skirting boards, you can alter the shade to a certain extent by coating the staircase components in wax oil, coloured varnish or wood stain. (You may decide to re-treat all your oak fittings if you want to make sure they have an identical finish.)

Luxurious

Oak, and white oak in particular, is synonymous with quality and luxury. The trees have to be carefully nurtured in large forests and take many years to mature, making them a big investment.

Only the biggest and best specimens with straight trunks free from kinks and holes are good enough to be made into boards for furniture and staircase parts.

Spindly, lower quality trees are cut down much earlier and used to make cheaper products such as wood pulp, matches, chipboard and paper. 

Oak stair ranges

Oak staircase components are available in the following Richard Burbidge ranges:

• Heritage

• Classic

• Fusion

• Trademark

• Immix

• Elements 

Heritage

Offering supreme elegance, the main attraction of the Heritage white oak range is in the attention to detail. Every stair part has been lovingly designed for maximum durability, quality and safety.

Although traditional in style, the beautifully crafted oak newels, handrails, spindles and other staircase parts from the Heritage collection will look wonderful in any setting. In addition, the range is available in two sizes: standard and extra large.

Classic

The Classic range provides timeless appeal, blending traditional design with a touch of contemporary sophistication. It is available in post-to-post or over-the-post configurations.

The mellow, warm shades of high quality white oak will look great in any style of home, making this collection perfect for modern and period properties alike.

If the colour of the balustrade doesn't match your existing decor, you will be able to paint or stain the stair parts to suit your individual requirements.   

Fusion

Also available in pine, the Fusion collection consists of white oak staircase handrails, baserails and newels, combined with ultra-modern metal balusters (also known as spindles) or glass panels. 

This range is considered the easiest to assemble, with fixings that connect the pre-finished stairs parts quickly and easily. 

Choose between two types of metal spindle in either a chrome or brushed nickel finish to give your banister rail a cutting-edge look. We also supply a commercial version suitable for offices, pubs, clubs, restaurants and similar establishments.

Trademark

The Trademark range is extremely versatile, with something to satisfy every taste and budget. Luxurious white oak is at the top of the price scale, with pine, hemlock and white primed options providing more economical alternatives.

The collection allows you to mix and match a wide variety of components to create your ideal staircase. You can even use metal balusters instead of wooden ones if you prefer.

Immix

Cool and chic, Richard Burbidge's Immix collection demonstrates the broad appeal of oak stair parts. Thanks to its distinctive light colouring and straight grain, white oak is just as well suited to contemporary stairs banisters as it is to traditional balustrades. Flattened gun-metal connectors and newel caps add to the modern minimalist feel.

The Immix range is available in both post-to-post and over-the-post handrail configurations, and with a choice of oak spindles or glass infill panels.

Elements

The stylish Elements collection offers a modern twist on classic staircase design. For the infill, choose between Elements glass panels and a wide range of decorative metal spindles.

These are combined with white oak handrails and baserails which have been pre-drilled so that the staircase spindles can be fitted quickly and easily.

As for the oak newels and newel caps, you can make your selection from either the Trademark or Classic range. Both will match up with Elements stairparts perfectly.

Caring for your oak staircase

Unless you have selected the Immix or Fusion ranges, which both come pre-finished, your new Richard Burbidge oak stair parts will need to be finished after fitting to protect the surface, seal the pores and present an attractive appearance. 

As with all natural timber, oak will eventually start to age, so looking after it properly will not only lengthen the life of your stair balustrade but keep it looking good too. 

There are various ways of finishing the surface, including using varnish, wax oil, wood stain, paint or lime.  

You should also regularly polish the balustrade, and wipe the staircase handrail down with soap and water to remove dirt and grease. Apply a protective layer of wax oil afterwards to keep the banister rail and stairs baserail well-nourished.

Please note that oak is acidic and may cause corrosion in any metals containing iron. This could lead to the surrounding wood becoming discoloured with a blue or grey tinge. As a result, we recommend attaching the stairparts using wooden dowels and non-ferrous fixings such as stainless steel or galvanised (zinc-coated) brackets and screws.