Stair Balustrade Design Guide

Your staircase is an important visual element in your home. A major feature in your hallway, often the first thing seen when the front door is opened, a well designed stair balustrade can add style and impact. Where you are looking to sell your house then the first impression for potential buyers is often a major factor. Estate agents talk about kerb appeal, your new stair balustrade creates hallway appeal!

There are a range of choices when deciding which stair balustrade to install in your home. Most people choose balustrade to match the period of their home and systems range from sleek modern designs to classical ranges to suit older homes.

The first place to start when deciding on your balustrade is whether you want to create a modern or a period look.

Modern systems such as Axxys mix metal and timber to achieve a bang up to date feel. Connectors are available in either contemporary chrome or subtle brushed nickel. Different timbers are available ranging from oak to hemlock to help your balustrade blend in or stand out! If you want to learn more about the timbers on offer, you can download our timber guide here. Style Tip - Why not match the connectors to the door handle finish in your hallway and landing.

If Axxys doesnt work for your design scheme how about the clean lines of the double reeded system? Hugely popular, this system combines the warmth of timber with clean straight lines to achieve an uncluttered modern feel. Style Tip - The system works particularly well in white painted form which highlights the subtle reeding detail.

Where your home would work better with a more classically styled stair balustrade then you have even more choice available to you. The first place to start is to decide what handrail style you would like. The popular post to post style system is easy to fit and creates a strong impression with its feature newels an newel caps.

For the ultimate in classical styling then an over the post or continuous handrail system is a further option. This system uses a series of shaped handrail parts to form a continuous run of handrail from one end of the stair to the other. Reminiscent of grand houses, this is the ultimate sliding down the banisters installation! It does however take longer to install and would generally require a professional joiner to ensure accurate installation of the complex angles on the handrail joints. At the start of the staircase, an opening cap is usually used to provide a stylish end to the handrail. A further option is the curvaceous volute, this creates the ultimate first impression using a ring of spindles to support a curved handrail. This design can only be installed on a staircase fitted with a specially shaped first tread to support the spindles. This is called a curtail step and should be specified on a new flight if you want to use the volute option.

Style Tip this handrail style lends itself to a polished dark hardwood or oak rail. Often the newels and spindles are painted white to accentuate the rail. An added benefit is that these can be made from a cheaper timber as they are being painted over.

The spindles provide a further option to tailor the look of the staircase. Numerous designs exist and this element really is down to personal taste and choice. Upgrading from a 32 to a 41mm spindle is a cost effective way of improving the look of your staircase. Some creative options are available; why not alternate a design with its fluted and non fluted versions. This adds some interesting detail whilst avoiding over cluttering the design.

A choice of handrail designs allows you to mix and match. It is worth considering the spindle dimension when choosing your design. Larger 41mm spindles can look ungainly under a slender handrail option and vice versa for the 32mm spindles.

For the ultimate in balustrade why not consider our Warwick range? 115mm square newels and 55mm square spindles will make a statement as dramatic as your home.

Staircase Design

In certain circumstances a new staircase design is a possibility, for example an extension or a new build home. The following section is aimed at giving an overview of the options available to you and the choices to make. Certain elements of staircases are also covered by building regulations, such as the tread dimensions and the maximum pitch of the flight. You should always discuss your options with your architect or staircase manufacturer as they will be able to advise on how the regulations affect your chosen design. As with any product staircases have their own terminology. If you would like to understand these better you can download a glossary here.

Your staircase and balustrade perform some specific functions in your home. It provides a means of access from one floor to the next, protects occupants from falling both from the staircase itself and the landing area. Finally it provides a design feature for your home. Often these priorities can conflict, usually in terms of space but also in design terms.

Any staircase has a footprint, the ground floor area it takes up. In addition it will have a well opening. This is the area in the upper floor that is opened to allow the passage of people up the flight. The well opening is usually smaller than the footprint but must allow for a minimum of 2m headroom at any point on the staircase.

Space is often restricted for the staircase and various design tricks are used to reduce the staircase footprint. The most commonly seen method is to use a staircase that turns at the bottom or the top, sometimes both. The most efficient use of space is a winder flight, which climbs usually 3 or 4 rises around the newel post and allows a staircase to terminate in a corner. Quarter turn flights also achieve this reduction in footprint although are less efficient as they only climb 2 rises around the newel. For more information on staircase configurations you can download configuration diagrams here

In addition to this the depth of the tread can be reduced and the rise increased to make the staircase rise more sharply, although there are limits placed on this by building regulations. You will also notice that the staircase is a little less pleasant in use so allowing more space should be done where this is practical.

In design terms there are further choices that can be made. The most visually striking one is whether to use a cut string or a closed string. The drawing on the left shows a cut string staircase. On these types of flights, the treads run through the string and are visible from the side. The balustrade runs right down to the tread and the whole flight looks much more classically appealing. In cost terms this option tends to be much more expensive. This is due to two factors. Firstly there is a lot more work involved in machining the strings and the treads. Secondly as the treads are on show they tend to be made from a hardwood.

A closed string flight is perhaps more flexible in cost terms. Where the flight is being carpeted, MDF treads and plywood risers are generally used, reducing the cost. Alternatively if you would prefer to see the treads and risers these can also be manufactured in the timber of your choice. It is worth remembering though that varnished treads can be slippery.

The strings can either be softwood for a varnished or painted finish or a hardwood where a richer timber finish is desired, perhaps to co-ordinate with existing doors or flooring. Softwood strings tend to be spruce (whitewood). These match reasonably well with pine(redwood) although if a perfect match is desired then these can usually be specified as redwood. The most popular hardwood in the UK currently is oak. Whilst still considerably more expensive than softwood, oak stairs have come down in price in recent years as Chinese supplied engineered oak strings and treads have become more widely available. Other balustrade timbers include darker hardwoods such as Sapele and a recent favourite, Ash.

Joinerystore works with staircase manufacturers across the country and would be happy to provide details of these if you are looking for a new flight. Our customer services team can be contacted on 0845 271 0242