Ash is a light-colored wood that's nearly white, but not
quite. Some Ash actually has a light brown, yellow or gray color to it.
I've seen a wide variety of inconsistent colors with this wood, so you
should be advised and hand select every piece you're going to use, for
your stair treads, if you're planning on making them yourself.
Even if you're planning on purchasing Ash stair treads
and you do end up receiving some that have different shades in color,
you can usually start with the darkest ones at the top and work your way
down, to the lighter ones. Otherwise you will need to return the ones
that are unacceptable.
Gluing = Excellent, this is an excellent wood to work with, as long as
you use a high quality adhesive, you shouldn't have any problems.
Sanding = Great, Ash is a hardwood, but relatively easy to sand, but be
careful, because over sanding can raise the grain and create problems
for the finished stair treads.
Staining = Excellent, Ash can be stained in a wide variety of different
colors and usually holds its own, as far as consistency, throughout the
entire stair tread.
Nailing = Difficult, almost every hardwood is going to be difficult to
hand nail. However, pneumatic nail guns, work great, but can sometimes
follow the grains in the wood.
For example, if the grain of the wood curves to the right, the nails
could also. This could lead to problems with the rest of your stairway,
especially if you have nails sticking out at the side.
Wear And Tear = Excellent, I can't think of one hardwood that doesn't
work great, for stair treads.
