Stairs & Staircases

Whilst handrails are primarily installed for the safety of people moving up or down a stair, they also form an integral part of the decorative style of the balustrade.

They are traditional made from wood; however modern staircase handrails designs are now also made from stainless steel and other such materials.

There are two main types of staircase handrails; continuous rails (that consist of a single rail that starts that the bottom of the stair case and continues in a smooth curve all the way to the top) and rails that stop and restart as stairs change direction.

Features

Staircase handrails can also have a number of specialised features with either an aesthetic or functional purpose. Some of these include:

• Landing Wreath (A landing wreath makes the change from flight to level and usually turns 90°. It can also be used to return into a wall.)
• Quarter Turn (A quarter turn is used to change directions on a level section of balustrade)
• Ramp (Allows transition from flight to level or flight to flight because of a change of pitch between them.)
• Return End
• Swan Neck (These are used to climb from a flight pitch to vertical to make up the required head difference between flight and landing. Once the height is reached they mitre to level across a landing or first floor.)
• Starting Wreath (Usually begins by turning 90° out of a post or off a wall then continues up a flight)
• Paired Wreaths (Two wreaths at a specified radius joined together that will connect one flight to the next and will turn through 180°.)
• Wreathed Rail (This is any section of the flight rail that needs to curve around and twist to suit a curved staircase.)

Ends

Decorate ends can be added to staircase handrails to add an elegant feature to the rail. Beautifully crafted from solid timber these are often used in Classical styles to add a touch of grandure to the staircase entry.

Headroom and Stair Width

Headroom is frequently a problem is staircase design, mostly as a result of a lack of understanding of staircase design. It is important to know that the minimum headroom is 2000mm, which is not listed under staircase regulations but under the section that deals with ceiling heights. Common problems include not calculating the number and height of risers properly or forgetting to allow for the depth of ceiling. Obviously it is essential to get your calculations right before starting any building or you will encounter major problems and probably extra costs to fix it.

Calculating stair widths accurately are important because every square metre of space in a house is valuable, and designers want to allow as much room as possible for living areas. This does not mean that the stair width should be as narrow as possible. With winder stairs, all stairs seem steeper as the stair gets narrower. They also become unusable the wider the stair gets because the walking line becomes uncomfortably large. Stair width should be a function of comfort, capacity and reach or handrail availability. Also, when calculating the width space for elements such as newel posts, handrails and cappings should be taken into consideration.

Balustrades and Handrails

Balustrades are moulded poles that support the handrail of a staircase. There are many different types from outlook balustrades, horizon balustrades, stradbroke balustrades and so on. And they can be crafted out of a variety of materials from steel to glass and timber. Balustrades are not only used with staircases of course, but are employed in fences, gates and so on.

Handrails both complement the design of the staircase, but provide an important safety function, just as balustrades do. Minimum balustrade and handrail standards are set in the Building Code of Australia. When calculating the height it is important to remember to take the carpet into account.