Strength of wooden lace: advantages of carved balusters

Wooden stairs give special charm to the interior and exterior of the house. Besides a very noble look, wooden structures are able to create an amazing atmosphere of comfort and naturalness. Elegant balusters will give balance and harmony to such stairs, while the carved structures for the staircase, creating its drawing, will add a unique identity.

Interior styles and carved railings

It is considered that columns carved from wood represent only the elements of ethnic style, when in fact such decorative details are welcome not only in village homes. Staircases and magnificent balusters with elegant lace-like balusters and pretentiously decorated entry columns will definitely emphasize the greatness of palace style, eternal beauty of classic interior and even elegance of premises in the modern style.

The most important thing for the decoration of staircases with such elements is a careful selection of materials, precise adherence to the manufacturing technologies and uniformity of style.

Balusters are used not only for the decoration of staircases: they are quite common elements in the furniture design and are used for the decorative railings of the shelves, wardrobes, kitchen sets and even armrests of the soft furniture. Main feature of furniture balusters is their lightness, small size, convenience of installation and possibility of quick replacement.

Types of balusters

There are different types of balusters depending on the chosen staircase design.

According to the method of manufacture and appearance, balusters are divided into the following types:

• Fine-molded. They are manufactured on lathes, leading to their simple and elegant appearance. Such elements are considered least complex for performance, but that doesn’t mean they can have only cylindrical shape: judging by the photo, you can find spherical and teardrop columns in the design of stair railings, and square balusters that are also original but very simple to install.
• Such columns are decorated with milling machines. Therefore, their design is characterized by screw thread, different grooves and geometric longitudinal ornaments. The photo on the right shows the carved balusters, manufactured by machine.
• Handwork makes this element quite expensive. Experienced masters can create the most elegant floral patterns and even the entire plots on a wooden bar. Entry balusters, carved in the forms of statues or animals represent special glamour. Such balusters look very expensive.
• The main feature of these elements is that cutting flat blanks in a certain way, you can create an original pattern or motive, coming throughout the baluster. Such structures are very compact and attractive.

When choosing one or another type of elements, you should take into account that the price of carved balusters can differ significantly. Thus, handmade columns (especially those made of expensive wood sorts) will cost much more than the modest fine-molded decorative racks. You can get a perfect price/appearance ratio, if you choose milled or flat elements.

Materials for the elements

Different types of wood are used depending on the planned deployment and type of balusters for the stairs. Each of them has their own softness indicators, resistance to environmental exposure and unique shade, especially for the fans of wood.

When choosing the material for the carved balusters, you should be familiar with the properties of one or another sort of wood: distinctive qualities of the most popular wood species are described in the table below.

Note! It is important that baluster and staircase be made of the same material: it will provide the unity of shade and solidity of staircase.

When developing the design of baluster, you should consider not only the shape of carved balusters: shaped railings, decorative overlays, entry columns, head and other components for the stairs – everything must be performed in one style. The quality of application, repeated on all elements of railing, carving makes the whole staircase look irresistible