Stairs & Staircases

External Stairs & Balustrading

There are different types of external stairs, from car park staircases to fire escape stairs. External staircases are quite common on multi-level apartment buildings, shopping malls, schools and universities. They can be decorative or just functional as an additional exit or entry point. Fire escape stairs, of course, are built to special specifications and serve as an exit in case of fire. Whatever the purpose, the materials used to build the staircase must be durable and capable of lasting through harsh weather conditions.

External balustrades serve both an important safety function and a key aesthetic purpose. External balustrades are used in pool fencing, external stairs, playground fencing, balconies/porches/verandas, ramps for the disabled and so on.

Stradbroke External Balustrades

Slattery & Acquroff, Australia’s oldest stair builder, can supply all types of timber staircases in a range of styles, as well as a large variety of balustrading and hand rails. Their signature design for external balustradesis the Stradbroke External balustrade. This balustrade design features timber and stainless steel, and is built to be sturdy and withstand outdoor weather conditions. This classy style makes a statement in your outdoor living space, whether on stairs or a balcony.

Stradbroke balustrading has a modern look with warm touches of timber that will suit any home, while the fine lines of the stainless steel balusters will complement your view and enhance your entertainment area or decking. The handrail is made of uniquely shaped timber with rounded edges- a perfect resting place for your favourite drink.

The Stradbroke system comprises of 16mm diameter stainless steel vertical rods, as well as 38mm diameter stainless steel staunchions in lieu of timber posts if a more contemporary style is wanted. So it can be installed with or without timber newel posts. This balustrade system is available in both supply only and supply & install pricing options.

Steel Balustrades

There are many materials to choose from when deciding what to make your staircase balusters from. They can be manufactured from glass, timber, stainless steel, wire and so on. Steel is a great material for balustrading since not only is it very durable but also looks beautiful.

Steel balusters can be rounded, sqaure, decorative, or horizontal. Stairking’s Horizon balustrades consists of solid steel horizontal and vertical bars that allows for spans that keep their openness. This can be accompanied by a square timber handrail, such as the warm Australian hardwood Victorial Ash, with concealed cut strings for a modern staircase. Another example of the way in which steel can be used is in tapered steel balusters that alternate between plain and decorative, along with a wreathing scroll timber handrail. Or the balustrading could be designed as a continuously wreathing and twisting feature supporting a curved timber handrail. Horizontal steel balustrades are also a possibility, great for curved and spiral staircases.

Properties of Steel

Steel is an alloy consisting mostly of iron, with a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% that acts as a hardening agent. The more carbon added, the stronger and harded the iron becomes, but also the less ductile and more difficult to weld. Different elements are added to the iron to change the properties of the steel alloy. So nickel and manganese can be added to increase tensile strength, chromium increases the melting temperature, while chromium is added to prevent corrosion. The strength and durability of steel makes it a great material for staircase balustrading.

Modern steelmaking began in 1858 with the discovery of the Bessemer process, enabling large amounts of steel to be produced cheaply. This was rendered obsolete in the 1950s with basic oxygen steelmaking, as oxygen pumped into the furnace limited impurities. Carbon steel (also known as mild steel), composed only of iron and carbon, makes up 90% of contemporary steel production, although many alloys exist.

Timber

Timber is wood that has been felled. Timber is used for all sorts of purposes, from wood pulp for paper production to furniture, structural materials, tools, toys, artworks, weapons and so on. The two main types of timber are softwoods and hardwoods, although many materials are actually engineered wood products today.

Hardwood is sourced from angiosperm trees,  which are usually produce flowers, are broad-leaved, mostly deciduous in temperate latitudes or evergreen in the tropics.

Softwoods come from conifer trees, which tend to be evergreen. There are about a hundred times as many hardwoods as softwoods, and yet softwoods are used in about 80% of the world’s timber production. The traditional centres of softwood production are in the Baltic region and North America.  The reason softwoods are used so extensively is that it is easy to work with. There are fewer cells in softwood trees and yet they grow longer than hardwoods, making them usually soft. Hardwoods on the other hand have a more complex structure with vessels that vary in size, shape of perforation plates and structure of cell wall. Common hardwoods include the oaks, beech, ash, maple and cherry.

Timber Balustrading

There are many balustrade styles in which timber can be used. These include horizontal timber slats, outlook balustrades, turned timber balustrades, square timber balustrades, and combination balustrades. Stairking’s horizontal timber balustrades use stainless steel handrail fixed over stainless steel uprights, and tightly spaced horizontal timber slats. The Outlook balustrade is configured with two vertical stainless steel balusters at each end of a section, with horizontal timber rails as balustrades and a timber handrail.

The turned timber balustrades can use a traditional or modern style, accompanied by different types of scrolls, newel posts, carved or plain handrails, closed or open cut strings. The combination balustrade combines a rectangular timber balustrade with a feature balustrade, such as a double twist and basket steel baluster.