When you’re getting ready to design a new staircase for your home or redesign an old one, you’ve got a lot of different options available. From changing the height and depth of the existing stairs to creating beautiful railings to bringing in beautiful but safe lighting design, there are a world of possibilities to consider. Here’s a quick look at a few options to help you get started.
Safety First!
Codes usually require that stair risers be no higher than 7-3/4″ tall from the previous stair and that the treads be no shorter than 10″ long, and that the first and final stair be of the same height as the rest of the run. Growing up in a house that was built prior to code with 8″ high risers, 8″ deep treads and carpeted to boot, there’s a great reason for this! But another common set of measurements used call for 7″ risers and 11″ treads to further reduce the risk of falling. There are also requirements for railings and lighting to help keep your life’s ups and downs safe.
Interior Railings
Today’s staircase allows you to implement wrought iron, glass, metal grids, modern metal, cable, rope, wood, pipe and any number of other available possibilities. If you’d like to lighten up your home’s appearance and make it appear larger, you may want to go with glass or lightweight cable, with the posts and railing painted to match the wall behind the stairway, giving the optical illusion of a larger space. Want to implement an industrial appearance to go with your sliding barn doors and steampunk motif? Heavy oak posts and banisters with an iron pipe railing gives a wonderful appearance, but don’t forget to spray the pipes with a layer of clear paint to prevent rust.
Stair Options
As far as the stairs themselves, you can use a floating staircase to highlight your home’s modern lines, paint them to match the wall behind to open the room’s appearance, wrap around with a circular staircase or countless other options. You can add tiles, photographs or words to the risers to add a dash of color or personal message. For the treads themselves, you can use hardwood, metal, tile or any number of other options, while being able to set up storage in drawers beneath the treads, bookshelves or, for the young-at-heart, incorporate a slide alongside.
Lighting Design
Keeping your stairs highly visible will help prevent accidents, but that doesn’t mean they need to be blindingly bright. You can add rope lights underneath the railing or beneath the edge of the treads to light the treads, small down-lights at each tread or add a twinkling sky of fairy lights on the ceiling for a bit of whimsy. If your staircase is open to the next level, it’s a great opportunity to light up the stairs and add your own personal flair with beautiful pendants at the same time.
By keeping these options in mind while designing your new staircase, you’ll be able to bring your own unique style into the project. But what if you’re not sure if your design will work in the real world? That’s what the professionals at Poulin Lumber are here for. Please feel free to contact our experienced associates today for more details, with any questions or to place an order for your new staircase components.
