Stairs & Staircases

Staircase Design

There are numerous types of staircase designs, from all the spiral shapes to variations on straight staircases. For example, straight staircases  can be dog-legged, L-shaped or horseshoe shaped. A dog-leg staircase is one that has a half-landing mid-way between two flights of stairs. So a flight ascends to the half-landing, turns 180 degress, then continues upwards. The advantage is that it occupies a shorter, though wider floor area that a straight flight. As a result, the staircase is more compact. Another benefit is that the upper floor is not directly visible from the bottom of the stairs, giving more privacy.

An L-shaped staircase is a configuration with two straight staircases mounted perpendicular to one another. The landing is one of the stair treads if it was a simple straight staircase. The landing is usually halfway between the upper and lower floors, though the flights do not always have to be equal. Often the staircase is flanked by the adjoining walls. Again, this type of staircase is more compact than a normal straight staircase, though it is also often considered more aesthetically pleasing as well.

A horseshoe staircase has two flights of stairs, both ascending parallel to each other from the ground floor to meet on the upper floor. The flights curve inwards slightly as they rise, forming a U-shape staircase. This type of staircase is often used as a feature staircase as it is very auspicious and often used for grand entrances. 

Staircase Builders

Slattery & Acquroff are Australian stair builders that can design and construct a large range of staircases. From traditional and classical staircases to modern and contemporary designs, this company has a wealth of experience behind them as Australia’s oldest staircase builder. Established in 1920 by Ted Slattery (born in Melbourne, Australia) and Alec Acquroff (born in Edinburgh, Scotland), the company now has over eighty-five employees. 

Slattery & Acquroff can build spiral stairs, straight stairs, curved stairs and more. In addition, they design a large variety of balustrades using wire, glass, stainless steel, timber, concrete and wrought iron balusters. Their expertise also extends to a variety of handrails, including continuous handrails, wall rails, and feature ends.

Building Stairs

Although staircases do provide a means of getting from one floor to the next, and are therefore essential, there is more reason than simply practicality to install one. From classic to contemporary staircases, the challenge inherent to the architect and the resulting manifestation of ingenuity, skill and imagination creates a feature that will enhance your home. There is a plethora of styles of staircases, made possible also because of the range of materials that can be used, from glass, to wood, stone, reinforced concrete, steel and other metals such as wrought iron.

Some basic components of staircases include:

• treads- what you step on
• risers- the vertical face of the stair
• stringers- the structure holding the treads and risers up
• handrails – a safety and support feature for those climbing the stairs
• balusters- the pillars supporting the handrail
• newel post- the pillar at the beginning and end of the handrail

Staircases can be custom made or pre-built, and whichever is chosen it is imperative that all pieces are fastened together securely with construction adhesive and square-drive finish screws. This will prevent squeaky stairs later on as the materials may shrink and swell with changes in humidity.

Australian Stair Builders

Australia’s oldest stair builder, Slattery & Acquroff, was established in 1920. Originally a family business, today it employees over 85 employees and is Australia’s leading staircase specialist. The reason that they continue to flourish today is that they know how to deliver staircases that exceed customer expectations by paying attention to what is wanted.

With almost 90 years of experience, Slattery & Acquroff provide expertise, customer service and superior staircases. They offer a wide range of styles and materials to choose from. From feature stairs, classic staircases to modern or contemporary staircases, they are able to design and build the staircase you are after. The company also has a wide range of materials to choose from for balustrades and handrails, including timber, glass, stainless steel, wire and wrought iron.

Commercial Staircases

Commercial staircases refer to staircases in businesses where usually the public has access. This means that there are special factors to take into consideration when building the staircase. This could include the amount of traffic and resulting wear and tear that the stairs will be subjected to, safety standards, suitability for children, the elderly, and the disabled (such as the vision impaired), acoustics and noise levels, as well as the aesthetics of the staircase. This impacts on decisions about the materials used to build the staircase (whether timber, steel, etc), balustrading (materials and style), step height, length, width and steepness of staircase, number of landings and flights, whether the steps are open or closed, the use of non-slip treads, type of handrail, the type of floor covering (whether it will be carpeted or not), and so on.

Commercial staircases could include staircases in the hospitality industry (such as restaurants, hotels and cafes), hospitals and schools, businesses and shopping centres, libraries and government buildings, warehouses, etc.

Considerations for Commercial Staircases

While even domestic staircases must comply with building codes to ensure that they are both safe and ergonomic (e.g. that a person’s foot can fit on the tread), commercial staircases must be built to superior standards in order to ensure the public’s safety and endure heavy usage. Also some commercial staircases must be built to special specifications depending on its use, such as a nursing home staircase being built to allow a stairlift to be installed (attaching a rail on the treads or the handrail so wheelchairs can be moved up or down). Fire safety regulations must also be observed, as many times a stairwell may be designated as a fire escape route because it must be fire-resistant and have a fresh air supply.

Other requirements include standards for stair tread widths, stair riser heights, the radius of curvature of the staircase, uniform heights, number and width of landings, and headroom (minimum distance from ceiling is 80 inches).