An Expert Guide: How to Master a Staircase Installation
Expert Guide: How to Master a Staircase Wallpaper Installation
Staircases are not easy. If we find them challenging, you can guarantee that other people will find them a headache. We have the team and the experience to get the job done and it’s really rewarding when it’s done well. This is a challenging task because of its physical attributes with the heights, the awkwardness, the width of the stairs – all those things which we get into with this article.
Time. Every step of the install, from the quantifying to rigging to installing, needs more time than a regular install. For example, you might need to set up a rig every flight of stairs you go down. This must be taken int consideration.
Quantifying a staircase is tricky and most of the time no two staircases are the same, especially if you have a repeating pattern. It’s very hard to quantify and specify square meterage rates on staircases. We state this in our pricing guide. Square meterage rates no longer apply on vast areas like staircases (the same goes for very small spaces , like WC’s) and that’s simply because you cannot do the job as quickly. Read our pricing guide here.
To give yourself the best chance of a successful installation, the number one thing is you need to have your own access to the staircase. What that means is not sharing it with the rest of the work site. This needs to scheduled in at the right time and, to be honest, the way that we do this now is we are very upfront and won’t move on that. We must have a clear run, meaning we don’t have other trades involved, otherwise we won’t do it. That would be the number one problem, the amount of traffic on the staircase before you start.
Then it’s about getting the rig right. Number one is safety, whether that’s a stair tower, steps, ladders, scaffold. If it is scaffold, advice needs to be given about where you want the heights of the deck and the gap away from the walls, so access needs to be taken into big consideration before starting. Usually with staircase you normally have to guys on their, at least, installing. Depending on the height, sometimes more. That needs to be considered. Safety on rigging is important and needs careful planning and preparation.
While you’re installing, you work top down. Gravity is your friend, don’t try and fight it. especially if you’re rigging each flight of stairs, thoroughly check over the wallcovering. More than you normally would as it would be a hassle to re-rig to go up and get a small air bubble or another snag.
Nothing beats experience and it’s a case of we work in teams most of the time. One person on that team is very experienced to guide the other people. Or there will be two experienced people on there if needed. Teamwork is where we come into play because we’ve got a big team who are all used to working with each other. There are nuances in the way they work but the Wells way is at the foundation and all installers know how we work.
Another thing to consider is the sequence. You want to be doing this at the end of the job when there is no/very little traffic. You could think about doing it when the furniture is in place. There’s no point doing it before the furniture installation because the walls might get damaged as big objects get taken up and down the stairs. Do the install when all the furniture is in place to avoid damage.
Need help with a tricky staircase? Get in touch and we will help you enquiries@wells-interiors.com.
