Many owners of two – storey private and garden houses, country houses face with the problem of shortage of living space on the ground floor. You will have to take much space from the first floor to build a conventional G – or U-shaped stairs. Winder staircases with your own hands will help to save the situation and save extra square meters. Focusing on the photos in specialized magazines and directories of construction companies, owners embrace such structures as aesthetically very attractive, economical in size and reliable. Despite the fact that winder treads are just like normal, and the manufacturing cost may be higher, you have to make such sacrifices in order to preserve precious living space.
Technical requirements for winder stairs
Like any other design that is used, the ladder must strictly comply with the safety requirements and be manufactured in strict accordance with the technical regulations. It is reckless to begin construction, focusing just on the photo.
At the beginning of the construction you needed to make all the measurements of the room where you plan to install a ladder to take pictures of this place, to make certain calculations and create accurate drawings of the product with reference to the place of installation.
The main technical requirements:
- The widest part of the tread should not be wider than 40 cm and at its narrowest should be less than 10 cm.
- All stages must have the same width on the straights between turns.
- Step height should be between 12-22 see
- Protruding edge of the tread cannot exceed 4 cm.
- During the construction of the U-shaped stair with two turns (i.e., 180 degrees) distance from one march to the next can be less than a quarter of the width of the stage. If you do not follow this rule, the depth of the treads on turn is too small – less than 10 cm and it is a violation of technical and safety requirements.
- Distance from the march to the floors — at least 2 m.
Competent and correct calculation, design of the construction based on photos and measurements will make the winder staircase not only beautiful but also comfortable, reliable and safe. The neglect of the technical requirements will affect the quality of the design, which can at best just break after a while, and at worst can lead to tragedy.
Types of winder stairs
You can define the type of the ladder just by the photo. Properly and thoroughly calculations will help to define which type of the stairs would be optimal in each case:
- G-shaped – single 90 degree turn.
- U-shaped – two turns with a final twist of 180 degrees.
- Curved – the number of turns is arbitrary and individual.
It doesn’t matter which type is ultimately chosen, each turn must exactly match the technical regulations and the rules.
The stages of the stairs with winder steps
The process of creating stairs is done in several consecutive stages:
- Do the open strings or closed strings.
- Do winder treads.
- Collect design.
- Set the reference column.
- Install the balusters and railings.
The formation of 90-degree rotation requires 3-4 winder treads, which on one hand are fastened to the stringer, and on the other hand – to the supporting pole. Stages of the march, which are adjacent to the wall, are attached with one side to the stringer, and with the other – to the wall. Detail of the staircase, which is not adjacent to the wall, fixed to the stringers on both sides. Manufacturing and installation of balusters and railing are manufactured by the same rules as for all other types of ladders.
The materials for the manufacture of winder stairs
The manufacture of stairs with winder steps requires the following materials: wood, metal, fiberglass, concrete.
Open strings and closed strings with the same success can be made both from metal and from wooden beams. The stages are almost always made of wood. Fiberglass is used relatively infrequently. Reinforced concrete is very rare. This is because the design is always completely original, customized, therefore the production is done manually on unique drawings, taking into account the characteristics of each particular room.
The tree is much easier to use in construction than any other materials. It is easier to process, and requires no any specialized tools. This primarily relates to the manufacture of treads and stringers. The stringers can be made of metal on the marches and fixed at a right angle that no one will see them.
Railings and balusters can be made of any material – wood, metal, fiberglass, decorative materials. It all depends on the tastes of the homeowner or the designer.
The ladder can be further decorated with a variety of materials – ceramic tiles, plaster moldings, art forging, etc. During the paving on the steps you need to pay attention to the fact that it had anti-slip properties.
Winder staircases look great and can be an independent part of the interior decoration of the room. Despite the attractive appearance, not all people try to install them in their homes as a result of difficulties in manufacture, problems that often arise at the stage of planning, calculations and drawings. Of course, you can try to make it yourself, but there is too great risk to make a mistake in the calculations. Therefore, professional help is often necessary.