The residential stairs- often the first detail you notice when entering a home, known as the spine of the house because of it’s purpose to connect to different rooms and different floor levels. Often a place many of us have tripped up or down, but still a monumental design feature in our homes which can create a huge impact on first glance.
Your stairs are not only a functional element, but they also deliver and impact the flow and feel of your home. So whether you’re thinking of updating some specific features or if you’re looking for a full new design this weeks blog post will be your guide on the types, styles and designs of stairs for your residential space!
8 Types of Stairs
There are 8 main stair types for residential homes to choose from depending on your houses layout, but before we go into explaining the different types let’s go over what each part of the staircase is called:
Now let’s go over the different types of Stairs
- Straight
- L-Shaped
- Winder
- U-Shaped
- Spiral
- Curved
- Bifurcated
- Ladder
Straight stairs: Straight stairs feature a single linear flight with no change in direction.
L-Shaped: L-Shape stairs make a 90-degree turn at some point, going left or right after a landing.
Winder: Winders are steps located where a staircase turns and are narrower on the inside of the turn than they are on the outside. A staircase defined as a winder expands to fill in any gaps between the side of the stairs and nearby walls.
U-Shaped: The bend is taken even further to form a full U shape, and similar to the L-shaped staircase, a landing separates the two parallel flights.
Spiral: A compact design centered around a single pole, so that if you looked at it from above, it would form a perfect circle.
Curved: The curved style has no landings, instead, the stairs are continuous, following the bend of the banister.
Bifurcated: Bifurcated stairs include one sweeping set of steps that splits off into two smaller flights going in opposite directions.
Materials
The two main types of stair materials are wood stairs, and metal stairs. With wood stairs created from high-quality timber they can offer a warmer inviting aesthetic with a touch of nature for a classic look.
Plus, wood stairs can be stained or painted to match your interior.
While metal stairs offer a sleek, and industrial aesthetic. They’re also a great choice for those who prefer a modern, clean look due to the clean lines and shiny surface of the metal. Metal stairs are durable and easy to maintain and don’t need to be refinished or stained.
Risers
When it comes to picking a design for your stairs you can choose between closed riser stairs for a traditional feel or open riser stairs for a touch of modern chic. Or, if you want something unique, consider mono-stringer stairs. These stairs feature a single central stringer that supports the treads, giving the stairs a “floating” appearance. Open riser stairs have an open space between each tread, while closed have a solid panel between each tread. Open can be great for creating a clean minimal look, but are often not safe for small children and small pets.
A fun design trick to to paint your risers a similar colour to your railings to create a cohesive design!
Railings
Railings are not only a safety feature on our stairs but they are also a great way to add detail to your stairs final look. You can choose any type of design for your railings out of wood, metal, or modern glass materials. You can even match your wood or metal railings with the balusters made of the same material and colour or even a mix! Another great thing with railings is that you can change them depending on your style and replace them to change the overall look.
Conclusion
There are many different styles of stairs and ways to go about picking the best ones for your home! We hope this week’s blog post was helpful in learning more about stairs! See you next week.
A4 Group Construction Services INC
Author: Julia Baker
