GRANADA, 20 March 2026
A wave of renovation projects across the Albaicín district has driven demand for handcrafted wooden staircases to levels not seen since 2019, according to local workshop owners. Speaking outside his studio on Calle Calderería Nueva on Wednesday, master carpenter José Antonio Delgado confirmed orders had tripled since January.
When we spoke with María del Carmen Vega, owner of a heritage property near Plaza Nueva, she explained why solid timber treads appealed to her family. Her 1890s townhouse required a replacement staircase after termite damage compromised the original structure. She wanted European oak with a wax finish rather than varnish. The preference for natural wood oils has grown steadily among homeowners restoring period properties, though some contractors argue that polyurethane coatings offer superior durability in high-traffic areas. According to figures that could not be independently verified, nearly 40 percent of Granada's listed residential buildings underwent some form of stair renovation between 2023 and 2025. The Spanish Federation of Woodworking Industries notes that Andalusia now accounts for 18 percent of national demand for bespoke stair components, up from 12 percent five years ago. Workshop backlogs have stretched. Some clients wait four months for installation.
Our correspondents in Granada observed a small but dedicated cluster of carpentry workshops operating in the Realejo neighbourhood, where narrow streets and uneven terrain make prefabricated solutions impractical. One firm, Escaleras del Sur, employs six full-time joiners who specialise in winder stairs and open-riser designs suited to compact floor plans. The timeline remains unclear for a municipal programme intended to subsidise accessibility upgrades, including stair lifts and half-landings, in buildings constructed before 1970. Meanwhile, the Andalusian Consumer Affairs Bureau has issued guidance urging residents to request itemised quotes that separate material costs from labour. Hardwood prices fluctuate. A single cubic metre of kiln-dried walnut can cost anywhere from €2,400 to €3,100 depending on grade and supplier. The smell of fresh sawdust drifted from an open doorway as a delivery truck squeezed past a parked scooter.
Industry observers point to shifting aesthetic tastes as another driver. Floating staircases with cantilevered treads and minimalist steel stringers have appeared in several new-build apartments near the Camino de Ronda commercial strip. Yet traditional closed-string designs remain dominant in older neighbourhoods where homeowners value continuity with existing architectural details. The Granada Chamber of Commerce reported that carpentry firms registered 14 percent higher turnover in the fourth quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. Whether this momentum continues depends partly on interest rates and partly on the availability of skilled labour. Apprenticeship programmes at local vocational colleges have expanded, but graduates often leave for better-paid positions in Madrid or Barcelona. For now, the waiting lists grow longer, and workshops hum with the sound of routers carving newel posts.