Staircraft
Anatomy of a Staircase
Newels
A Newel post is any post that supports and lends
strength to an interior railing or full balustrade. Typically, it's just called
a "post" on the exterior of a home. In a "post to post" railing system,
the newels extend vertically above the railing and interrupt the continuous flow
of the rail that is present in the "over the post" system. A post that extends
to support an overhead structure is typically called a Column, though it may
serve as a newel for the railing.
A Box Newel- is a newel that is built in the
form of a box construction (similar to a 4 faced cabinet) and capped/detailed in a
multitude of ways. Box newels are only utilized in post to post designs,
and offer one of the strongest railing supports due to the broad girth and
fastening capabilities. Matching architectural details can be used to
create a column wrap that mirrors a particular newel design in cases where a
column is a part of, or near the staircase, or anywhere a unifying theme is
desired. Staircraft is often employed for this type of unified
architectural millwork fabrication such as mantels and column installations.
This particular box newel is a paint grade MDF (medium density fiberboard)
layered 6" box with a recessed panel and applied mouldings. This newel
boasts a Red Oak pyramid shaped cap to match the balustrade. Box Newels by
their nature are typically custom made for each job to fit the space and
customer's style preferences. By their nature they are a more expensive
alternative to other types of newels, but the strength and beauty they add to a
home are well worth the investment. Let Staircraft design a newel that fits your
budget and architectural specifications.
The price range is anywhere from $300.00- $600.00 for a paint grade newel
like this to roughly $400.00- $700.00 for it's stain grade counterpart, but
depending on the species of wood and the degree of craftsmanship involved, they
can approach $1100.00 or more per newel. Employing inlays, ornate
caps or finials, panels of metal, or even polished stone such as granite and
marble are interesting ways of tying other architectural details in the home.
Working in conjunction with a licensed electrician, lighting features can be
incorporated into box newel designs.
Turned Newels are offered "ready-made" or custom
made for a multitude of applications or styles and can be utilized in both "post
to post" and "over the post" systems. Wood turning is a process in which
a piece of wood is tooled (or turned) uniformly round on a machine called a lathe.
In an "over the post" system the use of a rail cap fitting in the railing is
used to maintain a continuous rail over the newel. This type of turned
newel is designed with a round "pin top" dowel that inserts into the fitting at
the rail. In a "post to post" system a turned newel usually has an ornate cap
turning such as a "Ball Top" or a variety of finials to cap the newel.
A common style of "over the post" turned newels.
This photo displays an example of Ball Top turned "post to post" newels.
"Ready made" turned newels start at just under $50.00, and depending on
species and style of turning can reach $1000.00 per piece for custom designs.
The 2 custom 6" American Cherry "ball top" newel turnings in the photo above
cost just under $600.00 ea. installed (including the CAD design required to
manufacture them to exact specs). They complimented several standard ready-made
cherry newels used on the balance of the staircase and even 2 half newels used
in the island of kitchen cabinetry of this home. The "wrap around" style
paint grade Mantel in the background of this photo was also built and installed
by Staircraft.
To view a variety of both box newels and turned newels please visit the
links to manufacturers
Anatomy of a Staircase
Staircraft