Components of Stairs

A stair is a set of stairs that give a means of ascending and descending between floors or landings. The stairway is the aperture or space occupied by the stair, and the staircase is the place in the apartment or room of the building in which the stair is located.

Below we have discussed different components of stairs which are generally common in any type of staircase.

Basic Components of Stairs

Following are the basic components of stairs.

• Staircase
• Tread
• Rise
• Nosing
• Step
• Run or Going
• Landing
• Strings
• Hand-rail
• Newel Post
• Baluster
• Head-room
• Slope or Pitch
• Walking Line
• Storey Rod

Staircase

The enclosed area made for locating the steps in a building, the floor of which is served by the relevant stairs, is referred to as a staircase.

Tread

Tread is a horizontal element that forms the upper surface of a step on which one places one’s foot. The tread material is typically the same as that used in the construction of steps.

In the case of a timber staircase, the material is typically hard wood to withstand wear and tear. Marble, precast clay pieces, polished stones, cement tiles, and other materials can be utilised as tread finishing materials to give them a beautiful appearance.

Rise

The rise of a step is the vertical front element that connects the front of the upper tread to the back of the lower tread.

Nosing

The projecting front edge of a tread is known as nosing. It’s the gap between the tread’s front edge and the face of the riser directly beneath it. The nosing’s projection ranges from 3/8″ to 1 3/8″.

Step

A step is made up of a tread and a riser. A ‘flier’ is a step with a consistent width and a rectangle in plan.

Going/ Run of Step

The horizontal distance between the faces of two consecutive risers is known as the going or run of a step. It does not include the nosing, which adds an extra projection to each step. The total distance between the faces of the bottom and top risers measured along the travelling line is the going of the flight.

Landing

The landing is the space between two floors where a stair can be turned. It can also be used as a resting station in between two flights. In most cases, the landing’s width is equal to or greater than the stair’s width.

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Strings

These are the inclined members that will be used to support the steps. There are normally two strings for each flight, one on each side. These strings can be divided into two categories:

• Open or Notched String
• Closed or Housed String

Hand-Rail

A hand-rail is a unique type of rail that is usually rounded or moulded. It’s suspended parallel to the string at a comfortable height.

The main purpose of a handrail is to help and protect a person while ascending or descending a staircase. A handrail is usually installed between two newel posts and supported by baluster.

Newel Post

The vertical elements, squared or moulded, that are installed at the ends of the flights to connect hand rails and strings into the frame work are known as newel posts.

Balusters

Between the handrail and the string are balusters, which are short vertical pieces. The balusters are further divided into two categories.

• Open Baluster : Open baluster refers to the entire structure, which includes the baluster, handrail, newel post, and supporting string.
• Solid Baluster : Solid baluster refers to when the open space is covered by panelling rather than baluster.

Headroom

The clearance height measured vertically between the line of nosing and the soffit or landing of the flight immediately above it is known as headroom. The headroom over the step should be at least 7 feet.

Slope or Pitch

The general inclination of the line of nosing to the floor or landing is referred to as the flight’s slope or pitch.

Walking Line

When ascending or descending a step, a person usually follows a line that is 1-6 inches from the hand rail’s centre. The walking line is the name given to this path of travel.

Storey Rod

A Storey rod is a carefully prepared piece of wood used to precisely mark the number of steps between two floors. A storey rod is around 3 x 1.5 inches in size and long enough to reach from floor to floor.