Walnut
Walnut also called American Walnut or Black walnut is the premium wood for building a naturally rich, dark stairway. Walnut is rarely stained because of the beautiful brown tone that comes through with a natural finish. Walnut has a tight flowing grain that is easy to machine and sand. It polishes to an exceptionally smooth finish. Walnut is soft, yet hard enough to hold up for years.
*President’s note: Our neighbors live in a home built in the late 1800’s with walnut stair treads and balusters that are in beautiful condition after over a hundred years of use. Walnut trees are difficult to find in long lengths therefore long handrails are often difficult to build, nonetheless, Stairsupplies has several sources for high quality long walnut.