What are the flat parts of stairs called?
The tread is the flat part of the stair where you step. The riser is the vertical portion of the stair that connects two treads. As well as these two main components there are stringers, which are the sides of the stair that connects the tread and the riser of each stair together.
What are the vertical parts of stairs called?
Riser – A stair riser is the vertical space between one step and another. It may be closed or open, depending on the style of the stairs. Tread – A stair tread is the horizontal part of the step that a person will stand on, and along with the riser, is an integral part of a staircase.
What are the things on the side of stairs called?
Spindle. The spindles are the vertical posts that run along the side of the staircase, between the handrail and baseball. These could be made of wood, metal or glass, depending on the style of staircase you have.
What are the three main sections of stairs?
There are three main components to design when building a staircase – the treads, risers, and stringers.
What is the trim on the side of stairs called?
A banister is usually the combination of handrail, newels, stair treads, balusters and assorted trim pieces. A banister is installed by stair professionals, trim carpenters or skilled do it yourselfers.
What are the vertical pieces of a railing called?
A baluster is a vertical piece between a railing and other wood or the floor that adds support and safety; a short and decorative post or pillar that supports a top rail.
What are stringers on stairs?
The stair stringer is a structural member installed on either side or in the center of a flight of stairs into which the treads and risers are attached. The primary function of the stringer is to provide a framework and load-bearing support for the treads and risers.
What is spiral staircase?
Spiral staircase. While steps are used almost everyday, most people give little thought to the fact that they are actually made up of several parts. While not every set of stairs has every part, the parts work together to provide stability and strength.
What is a baluster on stairs?
Image Credit: Robin Krauss/iStock/Getty Images. Balusters, also known as spindles, are the thin poles that go from the tread to the handrail.
What is a swell step?
The swell step is many times larger. Image Credit: Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images. The swell step is the first step on the stairs. It can also be called the starter step. It is often larger than the rest of steps. Advertisement.
What is the back part of a step?
The back part of the step is the riser. Risers are the vertical pieces at the back of each step that keeps your toe from going any further. Some stairs do not have risers. When they are used, they determine the height of the step.
Where do balusters run?
Balusters run from the stairs to the handrail.
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Erin Ringwald. Erin Ringwald began writing in 1998. She runs her own party planning business and helps with her husband's photography business. She's working on her Master of Education with a focus on elementary education and child development.
What is the difference between a step and a staircase?
Step: It is comprised of a tread and a riser, while stairs composed of a set of steps.
What is waist in structural?
Waist: The thickness of structural slab in case of plan R.C.C. stair known as a waist.
What is the arrangement of steps that allows the person to move from lower to higher floor?
A stairs are arrangement of steps that allows the person to move from lower to higher floor or higher to lower floor.
What is the projecting edge of a tread called?
Nosing: The projecting edge of the tread is normally termed as nosing.
What is a riser in a step?
Riser: It is the vertical portion of a step offering support to the thread.
What are the parts of a staircase?
A staircase made of various parts has essentials for a safe and durability, various parts of stairs include treads, risers, etc.
What is headroom in construction?
Headroom: It is the minimum clear vertical distance between the thread and overhead construction, i.e. ceiling.
What is riser in stairs?
It is the vertical surface that connects to each thread, between each step. Put simply, risers form the face of the step. Staircases could have open or closed risers, depending on the particular design. Open riser staircases have grown in popularity in recent years and offer a more modern take on the traditional staircase design.
What are the different types of treads?
The following are two common types of tread designs: 1 Straight Tread: Straight treads are categorized by their straight nosing and the lack of increased front edge curve. 2 Convex Tread: Convex treads, on the other hand, has a curved front edge between the stringers on either side.
What is the purpose of stringers on stairs?
Stringer. Visibly seen as the side edge of the steps, stringers provide the structural support for the staircase. Sometimes referred to as simply the “string” or stringer board, they are sometimes notched so that the risers and treads can fit easily into them.
What are the two main components of a staircase?
The Basic Anatomy of a Staircase. When you break it down, the two main components of a staircase are the tread and the riser . The tread refers to the horizontal piece of the stair where you actually step and the riser is the vertical section that is connected to two treads. Both are integral pieces of a staircase.
How many balusters are needed for a staircase?
Each tread generally requires at least two balusters, with the second being closer to the riser and much taller than the one in front. They play a large role in the overall design of a staircase. However, some may not have a baluster and, instead, have solid sides made of glass for a more contemporary aesthetic. 7.
How tall is a stair riser?
Similar to treads, risers can also be found made of steel, timber, tiling, panels, acrylic, or even glass. The minimum height of a stair riser is four inches and the maximum is seven inches. If you are building your own staircase, always consult your local building code in regards to the appropriate stair riser sizing.
Why do stairs have no nosing?
The primary reasoning behind nosing is to increase the visibility of stair edges as a safety measure.
Why is the nose rounded?
It is the projecting part of the tread beyond the face of the riser. Nosing is usually rounded to give good aesthetic effect to the treads and make staircase convenient and easy to use.
What are the parts of a stairway?
The different parts of stairs are as follows: 1. Step: It is a combination of tread and riser which permits ascent and descent from one floor to another. 2. Tread: The upper horizontal portion of the step over which foot is placed during ascend ing or descending a stairway is known as tread. 3.
What is the undersurface of a stair called?
The undersurface of the stair is known as soffit. It is either finished with plaster or covered with a ceiling.
What is a balustrade post?
It is a vertical timber or steel post provided at the head, foot, or at point where the balustrade changes its direction. It is also used for supporting the hand rail.
What is a landing that extends for half the width of the staircase called?
It facilitates the change of direction of the flight. Landing which extends for full width of the staircase is known as half-space landing. Landing extending for only half the width of staircase is known as quarter space landing. 6.
Where is the walking line on a stair?
It is an imaginary sloping line parallel to the slope of the stair and touching the nosing of all the treads. 21. Walking Line: It is the approximate line on the stair, adopted by the people during the use of the stair. This line is located about 40 cm from the centre of the handrail.
What is a framework made from series of balusters and hand rails called?
Framework made from series of balusters and hand rail is known as balustrade. It is also known as barrister.
What are stair stringers?
Stair stringers are the structural parts of the stair on which the treads and risers are supported. Stringers are either cut to allow the treads to be open to the room with either, left, right, or double return treads, or can be routed to recess the treads and risers into the stringer.
What is a stair bullnose?
A stair bullnose is a rounded edge on the front of the treads. All square edge treads with a mission style are becoming more common.
What are box stair newel posts?
Box stair newel posts for staircases provide all the strength of the railing system . Either box or turned newel posts are the most important element in the structural rigidity of the handrail . Most of the strength from a railing system, comes from newel posts securely fastened to the floor.
What is a stair handrail?
A stair handrail is what is held onto or grabbed walking up or down the staircase. Handrail is available plowed with a channel cut in the bottom to accept square top wood balusters, or a hole is drilled in the bottom side of the rail to install pin top wood balusters, iron balusters.
How wide are balusters?
Our fine hardwood balusters can be customized in terms of height, width, and spacing between details. We specialize in historical reproduction turnings for staircases. All wood baluster profiles can be made in a large version. 2 1/4″ width is the most common upgrade, but we are capable of producing turned wood balusters and newel posts up to 5 1/2″ wide. All wood balusters and wood newel posts are available with the bottom square base block turned round.
How thick is a S4S board?
The typical number of laminates required for S4S hardwood boards, will be close to 1″ to reach the required thickness. A 3″ thick board, will be 3 plys. Our color match is the best in the industry. Most wood species will require edge gluing to meet the width of the board.
How thick is a stair tread?
Wood stair treads are offered in a standard 1-1/32″ finished thickness after surfacing and sanding. Extra thick hardwood stair treads for open rise staircases are available in any thickness. The most popular over sized wood tread sizes are 1-3/4″ and 2″ thick. We have produced treads as thick as 4″. Any stair tread thicker than 1-3/4″ will require face glue lamination (s) to meet the desired finished dimension.
What is a newel cap?
Newel cap – This is the name for the decorative top section of a newel post. They help provide an attractive finish and can be very simple, such as a square, acorn or ball, or hand carved and highly intricate.
What is the side of a staircase that sits flush against the wall?
Wall string – This is the side of the staircase which sits flush against the wall, which the treads and risers are housed into.
What is a right angle return?
Depending on the direction of travel, it may be a parallel landing return that continues back in the direction of the proceeding staircase, or a right angle return that goes off at 90 degrees. Base rail – This is the rail that sits underneath the balusters and on the string. Stair nosing - Stair nosing is used in most staircases ...
What is the purpose of a staircase?
As well as serving a functional purpose, a staircase can make a statement and cement the character of a building. Each decision over style will make a visual impact, from the choice of material, to whether it’s an open or closed string, the shape of the spindles and newel posts and the use of decorative moulding.
What is a closed string staircase?
In a closed string staircase, the edges of the steps will be hidden. In an cut or open string staircase, the side profile of the steps will be visible or even overhang the string.
What is the rail that sits underneath the balusters and on the string?
Base rail – This is the rail that sits underneath the balusters and on the string.
Where is a Newel post cut in half?
Half newel post – These are often found on landings where the staircase meets a wall and are basically a newel post cut in half. Landing/Landing return – This is the area immediately at the top of the staircase (landing), or part way up where a change of direction in the staircase occurs (landing return) which may be either a quarter ...
How far apart should stair balusters be?
OSHA requires balusters be no more than 19 inches (48 cm) apart. IBC requires stairways to have no more than a 4” – 6” gap.
How deep should stair treads be?
Stair treads can come in non-slip varieties, particularly in commercial or industrial locations. OSHA requires a tread depth of 9.5 inches (24 cm) and a minimum width of 22 inches (56 cm) between vertical barriers. IBC Requires Stair tread depths to be 11 inches (279 mm) minimum.
What is an open riser?
An open riser has no backing and is common for industrial applications with OSHA compliance, whereas a solid riser is closed and backed with a structural element and used for commercial or residential and is IBC compliant. Open risers can be partially closed (e.g. 50 or 75% open), but are still considered open.
How deep is a stair landing?
OSHA requires stair landings to be at least 20 inches (50.8 cm) in depth. No specific widths are specified.
What is prefabrication in construction?
Fabrication and Prefabrication – Fabrication is the custom creation of metal industrial stairways for a specific situation/solution. Prefabrication is the creation of metal industrial stair in predefined sizes and shapes. Either full systems or components that can be pieced together to make a total solution.
What does IBC stand for in stairs?
IBC Compliant Stairs – Stands for International Building Code and is a building code developed by the International Code Council (ICC). It has been adopted for use as a base code standard by most jurisdictions in the United States. Learn about IBC Compliant Stairs
How tall is a railing?
Railing height from tread surface at the riser face shall be 33±3 inches (83.82 cm ±7.62 cm).
What is a western stringer?
From the side view a western stringer is a consistent ribbon with the treads and risers routered into the inside face of the stringer.
What is the difference between a riser and a tread?
The riser is the vertical surface of the stair. The tread on the other hand is the horizontal surface of the stair and the part of the stair you step on.
What is a stringer fascia?
Stringer fascia is the finished surface that on a western style stringer is on the inside vertical surface of the stringer. A stringer capping is the finished surface that is on the top face of a western style stringer.
What are spindles on stair posts?
Spindles, which are vertical wood or metal structures, are interspersed between posts to provide a safety barrier along the stair system.
What is shoe moulding?
Shoe mould is moulding that covers the gap between the shoe and the drywall surface of the wall below where the shoe is installed.
What is the rail on a stair?
The rail is the part of the railing system that you touch with your hand as you go up and down a stair. The post (also called a newel) is the vertical structure that connects the stair or floor to the railing system. Spindles, which are vertical wood or metal structures, are interspersed between posts to provide a safety barrier along ...
What are the components of a staircase?
A staircase has many components from the treads, fascia, stringers and more. Understand some of the terminology related to stairs, railings, and their components.
