From what I hear, Maple doesnt like dark stain. Why wouldnt you just go with Walnut if you like the look? We just put in solid walnut in ours, and they are gorgeous. I have a good source if you need one. I think we paid a little under $50/tread.

I agree, I wouldn't do hickory or oak. We have lyptus, with a mahogany stain, but it was quite brittle to work with and the different pieces took the stain differently. I would recommend walnut or mahogany. Staining maple is tricky. Apparently there are conditioners that can be used to make it take a stain better, but it seems to be hit or miss. If he has expressed a concern with staining maple then I wouldn't use it, he's warning you and if it doesn't turn out as you expect he will say he warned you. And frankly, if you can afford a free floating circular staircase, you can afford a walnut handrail.

what kind of floors do you have? our floors are american black walnut throughout (except bathrooms, mud and playroom). we have walnut treads and railings. i would never use anything else.

I would love walnut, but the stair guy told us it would be $15,000 MORE for walnut treads and railings (over maple or hickory). Can that be true?

btw, Kate and Sue, I'd love to see pictures of your stairs...thanks!

I do not see how that can be true. A post above said $50 a tread....not knowing but assuming you need anywhere from 13-18 treads, thats roughly 900 right there....labor should be the exact same no matter what. Request a break down quote for him to itemize everything. Or better yet, find a different installer...

btw, maple stains just as good as anything else. the majority of wood products on the market are maple. From cabinets to floors, most are maple based due to its staining abilities and smooth grains. I build custom drum sets and use maple 99% of the time, sometimes birch. I stain all kinds of different mixed colors and tones. I have never conditioned the wood, and have never had any issue with staining the wood. Most customers even order a ebony stain.
However....walnut grains and natural tones can not be beat by anything IMO. It is a beautiful wood. If that is what you want, go for it. Get various bids, etc. If you love something, do it right from the begining. Everytime you look at your staiway and see a maple wood with a walnut stain, it will look great, but you will always regret not real walnut!

I agree, if you like walnut, use walnut. My sister in law wanted a dark wood and stained a white oak. She really regrets is as every scratch, scuff, etc reveals the lighter wood beneath the stain. If you want the final wood to be dark, go with a dark wood to begin with. Maple is light and also so very hard that it doesn't always stain well. I would avoid this since stair treads get lots of wear. We just put in walnut treads and they are totally covered except for the edges, but the grain is just so pretty. Sorry you can't see more here in this pic, but you can see a little at the edges.... Also, we are building a more casual "farmhouse" so we did not pick "select" walnut, but one level down which has more color variation --- like the lighter spots you see in the pic. I like it, but with a more formal house, you'd likely need a higher grade.

What will the floors be? I did white oak floors and treats and did the lyptus only on the handrail. You could do walnut on the handrail and then match the treads to the floors.

I would avoid staining oak if at all possible.