Today’s Top Designs for Steel Stairs
The staircase used to be wood or stone. Now, with the easy availability of steel, steel stairs have become the norm in both residential and commercial situations. Not only are they stronger and more durable, their relative ease of construction makes steel stairs the popular option nowadays.
Three Top Types of Steel Stairs
There are many designs for steel stairs that are in use today. The following are some of the more popular ones.
Straight Staircases
These are the simplest and most common of all designs. They provide the most functionality as well as convenience for users. These steel stairs are, however, limited by height restrictions. The forward design means the stairs can only rise so much without putting the overall structural integrity of the stairs at risk.
Winder Staircases
These steel stairs turn on a vertical axis from 90 degrees to a maximum of 180 degrees. This design has no landing and utilizes wedge shaped steps that follow the direction of the turn on the axis. There is also a modification to this, the double winder, which essentially forms a helix shape. This type does not use up much space but the length of the stairs themselves are limited to avoid any untoward stress on the structure. Steps too far off the center axis cannot bear much weight.
Quarter Landing Staircases
This steel stairs design features a turn or turns similar to a winder. The difference is that instead of an axis, the stairs turn on a corner. Each corner has straight stairs until a landing, upon which the stairs change direction. This reduces the number of stairs climbed allowing for stopovers between flights.
Steel stairs are not just functional structures. They can be very aesthetically pleasing if designed with creativity. Using one of the aforementioned designs for steel stairs or a mixture of many styles can lead to a functional and visually stunning addition to any building.