“I used to hang out there as a kid,” says Sandover, who now runs Maple Ridge, B.C.-based Sandover Floors. “It was pretty cool.”
Although memories the house brought back were old, the hardwood flooring designs Sandover had planned for it were unmistakably modern, including a light-up multispecies 3D compass.
But it was the white oak staircase, complete with a wenge feature strip and embedded LED lights of its own, that posed one of the biggest challenges during the 1,700-square-foot project.
“Making the nosings that had the inlays, it was crazy,” Sandover says.
He used a table saw and chop saw to create every piece of the staircase and milled the wenge from a solid plank on site. Sandover recessed a ½-inch aluminum channel on the undersides of the nosings where the LED strip lights would be placed.
For the installation, lasers played a big part in ensuring the feature strip lined up perfectly from top to bottom. Sandover began by installing the caps and risers on the sides with the wenge feature strips, then filled in the central tread and riser pieces. He sanded the staircase before applying a coat of sealer and two coats of matte water-based finish. An electrician came later to install the LED lighting system, which is flush beneath the nosings and capped with diffuser lenses. All told, the project took three months to complete.
Sandover, a third-generation wood floor pro, had been given complete artistic freedom for the unique staircase and the rest of the floor, as well. Seeing the final product literally light up the house was a satisfying experience.
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“It’s sentimental stuff,” says Sandover. “The owner’s dad built the house originally.”
It goes to show that you never know where craft is going to take you. But one thing Sandover does know is that whatever direction it takes him, it’s going to be a creative one.
“I’m just an artist,” he says. “I just like doing cool stuff.”
Abrasive: Sia | Adhesive, Sealer: Bona US | Buffer, Edger: American Sanders | Filler: Woodwise | Finish: Glitsa | Nailer: Bostitch | Saws: DeWalt
