Staircase Refinishing — Tower Grove
Staircase refinishing in Tower Grove.
Tower Grove staircases reflect the neighborhood's dual character. Victorian homes on the east side have ornate turned spindles and carved newel posts. Bungalows closer to the park have simpler straight-run stairs in fir with box newel posts. Both are original old-growth. Both respond well to refinishing. The finish has usually not been addressed in decades.
Two staircase traditions — one neighborhood
Tower Grove's architectural character splits roughly at Grand Avenue. To the east — Tower Grove East — Victorian cottages and larger late-Victorian homes from the 1880s and 1890s. To the west, toward Tower Grove Park, Craftsman bungalows from the 1910s and 1920s. The staircases in both reflect their respective eras.
Victorian staircases in Tower Grove East are more elaborate: turned spindles with multiple profile variations, carved newel posts, sometimes with decorative bracket details at the base of each spindle. The scale is more formal, the woodwork more detailed. These are the staircases that make a house feel like a house — they are the first thing you see when you walk through the front door.
Bungalow staircases are simpler by design — straight-run fir with box newel posts, simpler spindle profiles, no carved detail. The simplicity is the aesthetic. When these staircases are refinished correctly, the clean grain of old-growth fir becomes the feature — the wood itself rather than ornamental detail.
Both types share the same challenge: finish that has not been professionally addressed in decades. Treads worn through to raw wood. Spindles that may have been painted. Varnish that has yellowed and lost its clarity. The structural condition of the wood in both types is almost always sound — Tower Grove has a strong preservation culture, and the homes have been reasonably well maintained even when the finish has not.
Staircase work we do most in Tower Grove
Victorian turned-spindle staircases
Tower Grove East's Victorian staircases have multiple spindle profiles per flight — base spindles, mid-flight spindles, sometimes a top-rail spindle that differs from the rest. Each spindle is hand-stripped individually. The carved newel posts require careful work with small tools around the carved detail. Done correctly, the result restores the staircase to something close to its original appearance.
Carved newel post restoration
Carved newel posts are a particular specialty. The chemical approach to stripping — and especially dipping — destroys the crisp edges of carved profiles. Hand-stripping with appropriate tools and chemical application in layers allows us to remove accumulated finish without damaging the profile. The carved detail is preserved through the process.
Bungalow straight-run staircases
The bungalow staircases near Tower Grove Park are simpler but built from excellent old-growth fir. Tread wear is the most common issue — foot traffic wears through the finish in the center of the tread over decades. A full refinishing restores tread, riser, spindle, and rail finish to a unified appearance and puts protective finish back where it is needed most.
Painted-spindle restoration
It is common in both Victorian and bungalow homes to find staircases where the treads and rails are stained wood but the spindles have been painted — usually a mid-century simplification. Restoring the spindles to stained wood to match the rest of the staircase is hand work, spindle by spindle. The before-and-after difference in those staircases is dramatic.
Lead paint in Tower Grove staircases — handled correctly
Tower Grove's Victorian and bungalow housing was built and painted before lead was banned from residential paint in 1978. Staircase spindles, railings, and treads in homes of this era should be assumed to contain lead until tested — particularly in the lower paint layers where older finishes survive. This is the standard baseline for pre-1978 construction in St. Louis.
Sue Wheeler is an EPA Certified Lead Removal contractor. All staircase refinishing in pre-1978 Tower Grove homes follows full EPA RRP protocol: containment of the staircase area, HEPA filtration, wet methods during stripping, and documented cleanup verification. The staircase is the primary circulation space in the home, so the containment and cleanup protocols are particularly thorough.
"Sue refinished the staircase in our 1892 Victorian on Juniata — carved newel post, turned spindles, the whole thing. The carved detail in the newel post is crisp and clean. She didn't rush it and she didn't damage anything. It looks original because it is."
— Homeowner, Juniata Pl., Tower Grove East
Common questions
Do you refinish staircases in Tower Grove?
Yes. Tower Grove staircases — Victorian ornate or bungalow simple — are excellent refinishing candidates. The old-growth fir in these homes responds beautifully to hand-strip work. Call (314) 367-6054 for a free in-person estimate.
My Tower Grove Victorian has a carved newel post — can those details be preserved during stripping?
Yes. Hand-stripping is exactly the method that preserves carved detail. Chemical dipping would destroy those crisp edges. Working by hand with appropriate tools and carefully applied chemical stripper, the carved profile comes through intact. Sue has been handling work like this for 36 years.
Can you refinish just the treads on my Tower Grove staircase without touching the spindles?
We can. Whether that makes sense depends on the condition of the spindle finish and how closely the tread finish will match it after refinishing. Sue will assess the specific staircase and give you an honest answer about whether a tread-focused scope will produce a result that reads well — or whether a full treatment is worth the difference.
Let's talk about your Tower Grove staircase.
Free estimate. No obligation. Sue answers every call personally — (314) 367-6054.