S&L Spindles Blog

Spindles and Balusters - What's the Difference?

Submitted by admin on Thu, 12/05/2019 - 11:07am

unfinished wood spindles

An architect, carpenter, or contractor may refer to “balusters” while designing and building a staircase or outdoor patio deck. You might ask, “What’s a baluster?” Americans interchange the words “baluster” and “spindle”, although the industry-specific term for the decorative supports within a staircase is technically called a “baluster”.

The average homeowner may not know the difference between a baluster, spindle , upright, or picket. Essentially, all of these terms refer to the thin vertical posts within a...Read more

Category: 
General Information

Wood Porch Columns Transform a Home's Exterior

Submitted by admin on Wed, 06/06/2018 - 9:42am

home exterior with porch columns

Wood porch columns deteriorate over time. Rain on a west facing porch, leaky gutters, and strong storms allow water to seep through the wood causing a wet rot. You may notice that your paint is peeling, or your existing columns are cracking. Since you need to replace the columns anyway it’s time to pick the right type of wood and the right style to transform your home’s exterior.Read more

Category: 
Inspiring Ideas

The Value of Finials

Submitted by admin on Mon, 04/16/2018 - 3:39pm

acorn top finial

Wood fence post finials serve an important function that is often overlooked: protecting the top of a post. Most of us don’t realize how important it is to do so because we assume that if wood is treated, it will last a long time.

The problem is, with a round post, the wood is treated when it is green and freshly sawn, but it’s hard to treat green wood. The treatment protects the outside of the post, but the inside is still susceptible to rotting, especially if water gets into the ends of the post. This can cause the...Read more

Category: 
General Information

Cedar or Pressure Treated

Submitted by Elam Stoltzfus on Tue, 11/03/2015 - 3:07pm

Cedar Deck Post Cap
Below is a case study of both the cedar and pressure treated products that we use for our products.
"Side by side comparison of cedar and pressure treated" Misconceptions and Myths about Western Red Cedar

Many of us don't like cutting down trees, but recently western red cedar, inland cedar, and other cedar forests have been managed smartly and responsibly, and they have reduced the...Read more

Category: 
Tree Regrowth

Why Deck Railing Paint Fails

Submitted by Elam Stoltzfus on Sat, 08/29/2015 - 4:31pm

Painting wood deck spindles

Deck railing paint can fail prematurely - the following identifies some reasons and remedies.

1. Wood was wet when it was painted. (If only the surface of the wood is wet, then only one sunny day is usually needed for drying prior to painting. If the wood is saturated, several sunny or windy days are necessary).

2. Unfinished railings where exposed to several weeks of sunlight before painting.

Sunlight degrades the unfinished wood surface, thus it will never hold paint as well as fresh wood. If the unfinished wood was ex-posed more than a few days, lightly sand or...Read more

Category: 
Staining and Painting