Cinder Whit and Company – When You’re at Your Wit’s End About Replacement Wood Turnings for Porches and Stairs

What to do…what to do…when you need to replace only a few porch spindles, but can’t locate ones that match? Or, maybe you live in an older home; you love the finials, but they have deteriorated beyond salvation and no way, will you find the same design at a home store.  Cinder Whit & Company might be just the answer. They produce both stock and custom wood turnings for porches and stairs.  

Unless otherwise specified, cedar is the number one choice for all turnings intended for exterior applications because of its resistance to deterioration and decay. The customer also has the option of specifying a wood species of his or her choice, in either paint or stain grade. I’ll take a wild guess here though, and assume if someone insists on a wood not typically suited to outdoor use, the responsibility for breakdown, rot, etc. is on them. Just a guess, but I have to imagine that would affect any manufacturer warranties.

Cinder Whit’s historically accurate and architecturally correct turnings include porch posts and newel posts, finials, balusters, spindles, hand rail, shoe rail and frieze rail available in over 60 different styles. They’re perfect for restoration projects, but the classic detailing also looks great when incorporated into new buildings as well. If you can’t find just the right item in stock, they’ll custom turn existing or original designs too. You can send either a detailed drawing or sample piece for them to replicate, or come up with your own custom design – they’ll manufacture it to your specifications.

Whether the project is residential or commercial, restoration or new construction, Cinder Whit probably has what you need. And, for those of you who are remotely interested, it’s high time I give them a call, as several of the broken spindles on my front porch have been taped back together or just removed altogether. When a six year old child, (my nephew), tells me my porch looks “kinda’ turdy”, I know it’s time to get real.