What Happens Next & Frequently Asked Questions

The Survey:

After you’ve contacted us, our designer has been out to visit you and you’ve decided to place an order with us, the next step is a visit from our surveyor. Our surveyor or a member of our office team will call you to arrange this. The purpose of this visit is to double check all the necessary measurements to ensure that the installation runs as smoothly as possible. Our surveyor will also be able to answer any questions you may have. Your surveyor will also be able to liaise with the office to discuss and arrange installation dates with you for the final installation.

New Flights and bespoke colours:

If you have ordered a new flight, the second payment will also be due at survey which can be paid to the surveyor or by card or BACs. The measurements taken by the surveyor will then be passed to our design team to produce a CAD drawing which may need to be approved by you prior to manufacture and installation. There is more important information on New Flights here.

If you have ordered a custom stained/painted finish you will need to approve a sample which will be sent to you prior to the prefinishing process.

Confirming Visits:

You will given an installation week for your staircase installation at survey or by phone which will be confirmed by email. We will then contact you the week prior to our final visit to confirm the exact day(s) of your installation. If you require specific days for your installation it is important that you discuss this with the office team as early as possible and we will endeavour to try and hold these dates where possible.

Completion:

Our fitting teams of 2 men will visit you on the prearranged dates to complete your installation. There is usually no need for subsequent visits. On completion payment can be made to the fitting team or by card or BACs as detailed on the reverse of your sales agreement. On receiving payment we will send you an email to confirm the payment has been received and your certificate of guarantee.

Carpets, Flooring & Furniture

If you are replacing your carpet our fitters can remove the carpets for you but will be unable to take them away.

If you are keeping your carpet you will need to arrange for a third party to take up and relay your carpet to avoid damage.  Abbott-Wade Ltd will not take any responsibility for damage incurred taking up any existing carpet or to carpet or floor/stair coverings left in situ during an installation.

Any carpets, floor coverings or other flooring and furniture in and around the working area should be covered by the customer to avoid damage. While we take every care when working in your home, accidents can happen and Abbott-Wade Ltd will not be held responsible for any damage to exposed carpets, flooring or floor/stair coverings or furniture.

What do I need to do to be ready for the fitters?

Parking should be made available as close to the property as possible and an outdoor area kept clear for sawing.

Carpets should be also be lifted ready for the installations team and any other flooring in the working area should be covered to avoid accidental damage. Our team will also bring dust sheets to cover the floor, however we would recommend covering other items of furniture in the vicinity which may gather dust caused by sawing and drilling. Abbott-Wade will not be held responsible for any damage to exposed carpets or flooring or furniture including damage from but not exclusive to adhesives, sealants, dents, scratches or chips.

Any wires fixed to any part of the stairway should be unfastened prior to the installation team arriving as Abbott-Wade cannot be held responsible for any damage to cables or wiring left on the stairway.

A freshly boiled kettle is not essesntial but always a welcome bonus for a thirsty carpenter.

Wires, Cables & Pipes

We’re staircase fitters – not electricians! Any wires fixed to any part of the stairway such as electrical, telephone or alarm wires should be unfastened prior to the installation team arriving. Abbott-Wade Ltd cannot be held responsible for any damage to cables or wiring left on the stairway.

Inform the team about any pipes, wires or underfloor heating which may be hidden from view or behind walls as we can’t he held responsible to any damage to these.

Have a quick tidy up

Customers must remove any internal or external tripping hazards, furniture, ornaments, wall fixtures or cables that will obstruct the route to and within working areas or that could get damaged. We cannot be held responsible for any accidents or damage to or caused by these items if they are not removed.

The Great Outdoors

Our fitting team will arrive in a long Mercedes Sprinter van and will need to park as close to the property as possible. Please ensure parking is available and obtain any parking permits which may be needed.

Set aside an outdoor working area close to the front door or main access where the team can work. We try do as much cutting and sawing outdoors as possible to minimise dust indoors. Our team will often erect a 3mx3m awning especially in sunny or wet weather to work under.

It might also be worth having a chat with you neighbours to let them know when we’ll be doing the work.

Safety is paramount

By all means it’s important to communicate with the fitting team so feel free to ask them questions but for your safety and theirs – please leave them alone while they’re working. Our team use powerful and sharp tools as well an manoeuvring heavy stair parts which can cause injury.

Please do not ask our fitters to remove their shoes. For reasons of health and safety, our fitters must not remove their shoes while they are working.

Animals, children and others must be kept away from the working area. The tools we use can be dangerous and the stair components we use are heavy and can result in injury.

We’re only human

Our fitters are great guys – but they’re only human. Please ensure there are toilet facilities available on site.

Fitting staircases is thirsty work. Like any workforce, we’re always happiest and grateful when a nice cup of tea is offered.

Please ensure working electrical sockets are available in and around the working area to power the tools we need. Many of our power tools are battery operated but not all!

Be realistic

Unlike fitted kitchens or bedrooms, our staircase parts need to be cut onsite to ensure accurate angles and lengths are achieved. This inevitably means there will be saw dust both inside and out. While we  do our best to hoover inside and sweep up outdoors, sawdust can be blown by the wind onto your driveway, garden and cars – and maybe those of your neighbours!

Power tools, sawing and drilling can be noisy so it may not be a good idea not to schedule any important business calls while we’re completing the work!

Don’t be a critic until we’ve finished! By all means feel free to ask questions but remember that you won’t see the finished product until…well…it’s finished. We’re working with prefinished materials which may be scuffed during the installation but are sanded and re-polished to a high standard on completion.

What glass is used in your staircases?

We use 10mm toughened Pilkington glass in all our standard installations and 15mm toughened glass in our frameless glass balustrades which ensures strength and safety. We offer a range of glass options and work to the glass standards set out on Pages 4-5 of the ‘Quality of Vision’ document from the Glass & Glazing Federation which details acceptable flaws and inspection criteria. Remember: Glass is for looking through – not looking at! It is the perfect way of providing the illusion of extra space and allows light to flow right through your home.

What is so special about Abbott-Wade oak newel posts?

We offer 2 different constructions of solid oak newel depending on the size of newel needed. While we can offer the laminated two piece posts used by many of our competitors, our prefered newel construction is an engineered, precision mitred with 8mm solid oak encasing an oak core. The advantages of this newel are that there are no visible joins in the oak and all 4 sides of the post appear perfect. They are also more environmentally friendly as less favourable oak tones and grains which which may otherwise be rejected can form the core of the newel reducing waste. Newels laminated with 2 or more pieces of oak will often result in a visible join on 2 of the posts faces. All our oak newels are of a solid oak construction. These newels are currently only available for our 90mm x 90mm posts. Posts of different sizes will be laminated with multiple pieces of oak which will show visible laminations.

Will I see any end-grain or joins?

Our staircase renovations are installed so there is no visible end-grain in your installation and mitre all rails and cladding to ensure this. Due to the lengths of cladding available and that we are able to carry, it may be necessary to fit a join in longer lengths of cladding over 2700mm. While we do our best to fit this as neatly and discretely as possible, due to the grain in the oak this may still be viable.

What are Medullary Rays?

Medullary rays are markings found in many woods. They are a natural phenomenon and it is therefore possible that there may be visible medullary rays in your installation. They are not a defect or flaw and you can find out more about them in this news article.

Can you fix my creaky treads?

If you having a renovation rather than a new flight you will be keeping your existing treads. If there is a creak in these treads we can try to fix the problem however we do not and cannot provide any guarantee on parts which have not been installed by Abbott-Wade Joinery Ltd.