Iron vs Wood Spindles on stairwell?

12 years ago

Need an opinion or two from you all....I am needing to decide on the style of spindles or ballesters (sp?)as we are building a house and the trim guy starts Monday! This is a stairwell leading down to our basement which will be livable space, so it is not visable from the foyer or greatroom, etc. I still want it to look nice...

The style of the home is transitional and informal. Where I live, iron is put in almost ALL of the new homes. Any opinions? AND, if you have the iron ones, do they get super dusty and have to be dusted regularly. If I got wooden ones, I would paint them...

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Comments (6)

mclarke
12 years ago
That's always my first reaction to iron balusters -- what color will them be?

Cuz black does show the dust dreadfully.
User
12 years ago
I love the way the iron looks but tend to wonder if it will eventually become a thing of the past. You know, like the metal stair rails used during the 60's and 70's. On the other hand, wood is timeless.
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Glad to see this post. I was not going to mention it on your other post because you didn't ask an opinion about the stair spindles or banister. Irks me when unsolicited advice is given! So, the trim on your fireplace wall doesn't bother me as much as the wood spindles on your staircase. I'd paint the spindles a cream to match your bookcases/mantle. Since we can't see your floors, I am not sure how much darker they are than your railing and newel post. You can always dry rubbing a darker stain on those. Maybe a gel stain? For the wall...As others mentioned over on the other thread, I think all you need is accessories on your mantle. You may not even need to lower the artwork.
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awm03
12 years ago
The metal stair rails used in the 60s & 70s weren't as pretty as the metal balusters used today. If it's beautiful, it's timeless.

I think iron balusters are striking. Can't go wrong with either wood or the iron.

I've had iron railings before & didn't have a dust problem, or at least one that was noticeable.
mjsee
12 years ago
The metal stair rails of the 60's are coming back into style...FWIW!
pps7
12 years ago
I think it depends on the style of the home. Both can be very nice.
avesmor
12 years ago
I have iron. I really dislike wooden spindles. The only ones that don't make me cringe just a little bit are painted ones, and then what's the point of them being wood anyway? Even for outdoor applications like railings and decks I prefer the iron to wood - especially for outdoor, becaise I've had to hand stain over 400 wooden spindles before... yikes!

In my area metal spindles are the standard for higher end homes, and oak are the standard for mid-grade. With metal ones, it's popular to mix spindle styles - e.g. have a few plain, then one with a scroll design, then plain...

I hate that too.

I went with all plan. Actually I'm not sure they're iron, but they're metal, and have a bit of finish.

They aren't dusting nightmares at all. On the dust front, they're probably one of the more forgiving things in the house. DH just gets them with a swiffer or dusting attachment when he vacuums the stair treads.

Our last house had wooden ones. That's how I know I hate them. :) Over time they got a bit shabby, which I don't think the metal ones will (lot easier to gouge wood than dent metal).

This is such a completely subjective preference, though!

Here are mine, though you can't see much of them. (Drywall dust forgiven, this was during construction still):

This is NOT my house, but it's an example of the mixed spindles I was referring to. Notice the plain, then the one with the little knuckle thing, then 2 more plain, then scrolly... like someone couldn't make up their mind):

Iron vs Wood Spindles on stairwell?

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mclarke

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