Modular steel stair stringers solve problems

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/05/2005 (7718 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — Of all the challenges involved in building a home, making a good set of stairs is up near the top of the list. That’s why even some brand new houses have squeaky stairs, and why so few do-it-yourselfers ever tackle the job of building stairs themselves.

The task has two main stumbling blocks: the mechanics of putting together stair parts so they perform well; and the mental challenge of designing a staircase so it feels comfortable underfoot while meeting all necessary building codes.

An innovative Canadian product solves both these problems. It couples the power of the Internet with the advantages of mass production, creating completed stairs of lower cost, higher quality and in much less time, even for those without advanced skills.

The product is a modular steel stair stringer system made by a company called Stairframe, but I know first-hand the advantage goes beyond the hardware. It’s an information and design thing and to understand how, you need to know something of the hidden structure that’s beneath every staircase.

The parts of any stairs you walk on are called treads, but supporting these you’ll almost always find stringers. These give the staircase its shape while bearing the load of people walking.

Designing and cutting stringers is also one of the trickiest parts of the stair builders trade.

This Quebec-based company manufactures a series of metal stair stringers that replace the usual wooden ones. These are designed to carry wood treads and ornamentation so the final look of the staircase is identical to traditional designs. By offering a mix of metal stair stringers in various combinations, the Stairframe system provides over 3,700 different possible configurations.

The best way to figure things out is online at www.stairframe.com. That’s where I went to identify the Stairframe system I needed for a project I’m building.

I’ve built traditional wooden staircases before, and I probably wouldn’t have looked for another option if it weren’t for the tricky situation that faced me. With little room to work with, a landing involved, and two windows to build around, my usual design approach involving a hand-drawn sketch wasn’t accurate enough to let me proceed with confidence. Now, that I’ve used Stairframe stringers, I doubt I’ll go back to the all-wood option.

The company has created measured 3-D drawings for all the staircase configurations they offer. Simply determine the overall rise the staircase must achieve, and click through the various stringer options available in that height category. Straight-run, right-turn, left-turn, high landing, low landing; they’re all available, with all critical dimensions of each design measured in inches. Download the file, print it out, then take the plan to your stair location and see how it fits within your space. All this same information is available on the back of Stairframe packaging.

Stairframe has been making steel stair components for a while, but they’ve reconfigured their business to support the consumer and trade markets. You’ll now find the product at big-name hardware stores. Costs vary from $200 to $300 depending on the design involved. Wood is extra.

Like many other advances in the building scene, this new way of making stairs is less skill-dependent than the old ways, while offering better performance that’s within reach of everyone from serious do-it-yourselfers to professional building crews. More ideas of this sort come out of Canada than our population would warrant, and this is one reason why we’re building better houses than ever.

–CanWest News Service