Staircase design options

Whether the staircase is of solid wood and classically elegant or spiral-shaped, its location within the house and the beauty of the carpeting that covers it can result in a kind of beauty that will not fail to attract the eye of residents and visitors alike.

At the same time, staircases must be safe. Steps and risers must be built in such a way as to avoid overly steep ascents or descents. Children, adults and the elderly should all be able to use your staircase with relative ease.
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Types of staircases
The spiral-shaped
Characteristics of a staircase
The location and the dimensions
Headroom and closed stringers
The handrail
For a staircase between two walls
The railing

Types of staircases

A number of interior styles are available, starting with the simple straight staircase, the one just about any do-it-yourselfer can manage. Then, there are styles that require the talents of specialists. Among them: the L-shaped - long or wide - the U-shaped - narrow or wide and the spiral-shaped.

The spiral-shaped

The spiral-shaped staircase is nothing short of spectacular. But it presents problems. Its very shape, attractive as it may be, makes it most difficult to move large objects and furniture from one floor to another. Please remember that the elderly often find spiral staircases very difficult to use.
There are usually two types of staircases in two-story houses: the main staircase that links the ground floor to the upper floor and the basement staircase.

The main staircase must blend architectural and practical qualities, including ease of climbing. The basement staircase - especially when the basement is unfinished - is often narrower, steeper and made of lesser quality materials.

Characteristics of a staircase

Risers and runs
Because it is directly linked to safety, the relationship between risers - the vertical spaces between steps - and runs - the horizontal spaces or treads, less the nosing - is critical. The depth of runs is usually twice the space between risers.

Most main staircases feature rises that vary between 7 and 7½ in. (180 and 190 mm) and runs varying between 9¾ and 10½ in. (250 and 265 mm). These measurements seem to be ideal for easy, natural ascending and descending. However the space in which a staircase is built may force you to opt for other measurements. In such cases, you should know that there are maximum and minimum measurements that must absolutely be respected. Risers must be between 5 and 7 7/8 in. (125 and 200 mm), while runs can vary between 8¼ and 14 in. (210 and 355 mm).

The location and the dimensions

When choosing the location of an interior staircase, be sure the space between walls is at least 34 in. wide (860 mm) if the staircase is to be functional.

In order to determine the number and height of risers, you must divide the exact distance between two finished floors by 7¼ in. (184 mm), for normal height stairs. The number thus obtained, rounded out upwards, represents the number of risers required.

Practically speaking, this means, for example, that for a staircase that is 108 in. high (2,743 mm) with 7¼ in. (184 mm) risers, you will need 15 risers, because 108 divided by 7¼ equals 14.8, which you then round out to 15. Each of the 15 steps will be 7 3/16 in. high (108 ÷ 15).

The depth of runs is determined by dividing the total length of the staircase by the number of steps.
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