The most
popular stair treads I can think of are made out of Oak. The second
would be Poplar or any other paint grade wood or lumber. It's not
uncommon to find a wide variety of different lumbers used for stair
treads, but it's amazing how many times I run across a set of stairs
that used a paint grade material for their risers and Oak for their
stair treads.
Here's a list that I've created of the most popular
treads, based on the years I've spent working in construction and the
hundreds of hours I've spent working on this website. This list was
created from websites I've visited and my personal experience. In other
words, I don't have the money to do my own survey, so this list might
need to be modified in the future.
The Most Popular Stair Treads
1. Red Oak is by far the most popular stair tread that I've ever seen
and has been used for decades by professional Stair Builders, Architects
and Home Designers. It's relatively inexpensive, durable and easy to
work with.
2. Brazilian Cherry seems to be pulling up second place. Currently,
almost every stair tread website that I visit, has it listed, right next
to Red Oak. However, it would be third on our list, if I was going to
create a list, based on the history of stair treads, instead of current
trends.
3. Paint grade stair treads are both economical and durable. Stair
building professionals have been using this product for centuries and
probably will continue to use it, in the future.
Try to avoid getting caught up in the most popular stair tread list and
try to find a stair tread that you like or fits your needs. Who knows,
you could even start a trend and eventually your stair tread selection
could be at the top of the list.
