What Are The Parts Of A Staircase?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Most people are aware of some stair parts names such as the

tread, riser, landing and handrail

. But unless you are an architect or builder, you may not be familiar with staircase terminology such as baluster, stringer, volute, bullnose or newel post.

What are the basic components of a stairway?

There are three main components to design when building a staircase –

the treads, risers, and stringers

.

What do you call the parts of a staircase?

Most people are aware of some stair parts names such as the

tread, riser, landing and handrail

. But unless you are an architect or builder, you may not be familiar with staircase terminology such as baluster, stringer, volute, bullnose or newel post.

What are the parts of a wooden staircase?

The most common stair parts include:

iron balusters, wood balusters, box newels, newel posts, stair handrails, handrail fittings

, stair treads, stair hardware, stainless steel parts, and circular and spiral stairs.

Does a staircase need support?


The straight middle section of a staircase is nearly always self supporting

, hence why you can remove the spandrel section, as it’s where the top and bottom parts of the staircase anchors is the critical part.

What are steps called?


Stairs, staircase, stairway, stairwell, and flight of stairs

are all names for a construction designed to bridge a large vertical distance by dividing it into smaller vertical distances, called steps. Stairways may be straight, round, or may consist of two or more straight pieces connected at angles.

What is a stair corner?

Stair corner

The

Inside corners are used to protect the bottom of the wall alongside the staircase

. The outside corners are used to protect the edge of the floorcovering and to hide it. These stair corners are designed to form a neat and attractive edge.

What is the wall next to a staircase called?


Kneewall

. A framed wall slightly above the noses of the stair treads with its top running parallel with the incline of the stair resulting in a closed stair – also called a pony wall or stub wall.

What holds a staircase up?


Stringer, String, Stringer Board

– These are the structural supports that run along either side of the stair case, often holding and supporting the treads and risers. The are several notable types of String (The Stinger is usually 220mm wide and 32mm thick.

How much support does a staircase need?

Regarding structural design criteria, 2018 IBC Table 1607.1 (30) requires stairs to resist a minimum live load of 300 pounds (concentrated load) or

100 pounds per square foot (psf)

, or 40 psf for one one-and two-family dwellings.

Can a staircase be load bearing?

The only way to know if a staircase wall (or any wall for that matter) is load bearing or not is to look at the joists, frames, beams, and other structural elements. That being said,

nearly all walls next to stairs can be assumed to be load bearing

because they interrupt joists from more than one direction.

Is a staircase wall load bearing?

Before removing a wall from around a stairway, determine whether it is load bearing; that is, whether it supports parts of the building above it. … Provided the walls surrounding the stairs are not load bearing and have been removed, following are instructions for enclosing them on two sides (a side and an end).

Are stairs and steps the same?

In perhaps their most basic uses,

stairs and steps share a single meaning

. Both refer to a series of steps—those “structures consisting of a riser and a tread,” as the definition of step puts it. … When they’re outside, they’re more often called ‘steps’ than they are called ‘stairs. ‘

Are stairs better than walking?

First, walking up and down

stairs burns more calories than walking on a flat surface

at a moderate pace. How many calories you burn depends on your weight, but going down stairs burns between 175 and 275 calories per hour and going up stairs burns 530 to 835 calories per hour.

Why are steps called steps?

Their name was based on a marketing premise: that

each of their music videos were to be choreographed

, and the dance steps were included in the sleeve with most of their singles.

How long do stairs need to be?

Over the years, carpenters have determined that tread width times riser height should equal somewhere between 72 to 75 inches. On a main stair, the maximum rise should be no more than 8 1/4 inches and the

minimum run should be no less than 9 inches

.

David Martineau
Author
David Martineau
David is an interior designer and home improvement expert. With a degree in architecture, David has worked on various renovation projects and has written for several home and garden publications. David's expertise in decorating, renovation, and repair will help you create your dream home.