Not everything goes according to plan.
In one of the other historic houses we looked at buying, there was an acorn-shaped finial at the base of the stairs. I liked the way it looked and wanted something similar. I found a vendor on Etsy who had quite a few options. I decided on a classic shape and needed to figure out the sizing.
There doesn’t appear to be a clear rule of thumb or guide on choosing the correct sized finial. Using the measurements from the item listing, I tried to make a decision by using a photo-editing application. I settled on one six-inches tall and waited about a month for it to arrive.
It is too small.
It is still unclear to me whether the finial needs to be 8 inches or 10 inches tall (the next two larger sizes the seller offers). Also of concern is that the original price I paid doubles for the 8-inch one and triples for the 10-inch.
Ultimately, this project is on hold. I’m going to return the one I have and consider other options (antique malls, salvage yards, etc.).