I would like to have some contemporary stairs in the house my husband and I are hoping to start building this year. Anyways, i fell in love with these rails. What material are they? where can we find rods like that? Are they bendable or is it something that would require a heat treatment to get that way? Is this a possible DIY project?
I have found a similar keel to the RAILS02 figure at Lowe’s and we were hoping to have wood treads.
I have attached the the section of the floorplan that shows the stairs. It goes from the main floor down to the basement. Height from floor to floor is 9.5ft.
Thanks,
LiSolo
Replies
You could use brushed aluminum. But I'd suspect that a metal fabricater with a roller would be your best option for consistant bends, or sweeps. It is a specialized gizmo that you feed the tubing through as you crank a wheel, the space between determines the radius.
Look in your nearest large city for custom metalworkers.
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This is kinda of similar to your photo except no double pole
http://www.stairwaysinc.com/stairway/steel-spiral-stairs-and-stainless-steel-spiral-stairs.htm
As to do it your self build no probably not, even I like a challenge but it requires as Sphere said a lot of specialized equipment.
The install is another matter yes that you could do, most of these stairs are sold as kits, yours would be custom. Several manufactures offer curved and true spirals as kits.
Before ordering get working drawings from the supplier and go over them with your building inspector if you have one, they tend to be a bit picky as to curved stairs and code.
Am I missing something or is the gap kind of big on the intermediate rails? I count 4 spaces on the one you posted and 5 on the op's. Does the 4" ball test not apply in this case for some reason?
k
I noticed that too, I can not remember but in the past i think horizontal rails were decide differently. I am no way connected with the company, just did a search and posted a link I found that was close in design, to show there are many sources for such a stair. Could be an old photo.But I agree, My sisters house had a spiral stair case, when they first brought it went from first floor to basement. My niece about 2 at the time was in the room, brother in law went in the bath for a minute came out found my niece hanging from her head dangling above the top stairs. The staircase had a railing at the top of the landing with vertical bars clearly not code.That is why I told the OP to review plans with their inspector before ordering. My niece was fine turned 18 in Dec, The staircase was the first thing that went in the remodel, the house had two cases to the basement.WallyoEdited 2/18/2009 12:57 am by wallyo
Edited 2/18/2009 9:18 am by wallyo
Alls well that ends well... glad to hear you niece is fine.
And my question is probably neither here nor there to the op's question of skill level and expense (unless a denser horizontal rail spacing was a deal breaker aesthetically).
I was just wondering if I don't have a full understanding of the rule. I'm a little weak on the exceptions and details a lot of the time...
k
You are not going to find that in Lowes!
Google HDI railings.
http://www.handrail-design.com/
or Julius Blum products
http://www.juliusblum.com/products.html
or P&P Artec
http://www.artec-rail.com/index.asp
All will likely require an experienced steel fabricator. I used the artec railing on a college student center. Kids would use the horizontal balusters as footrests, inevitably bending them. Other than that, it is a great looking system.
It will certainly cost more than the conventional garbage readily available, but you will enjoy it every time you walk up those stairs!
Brian
BMan gave you some good sources to look to for railings like those. They look to be a polished stainless system, and they're not going to be cheap by any stretch of the imagination. The last set of rails I priced like that ran somewhere in the $15-20k range.
I just priced out a straight run, one side, and 14' balcony at 20K... they're thinking wood now!http://www.tvwsolar.com
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HDI was what i first thought when i saw those. We specified a similar HDI model as the first option for an upscale mall in Michigan. Seem to remember the price coming in between $200-$300/lf, and that wasn't curved.
i'd agree with others . . . price will be an issue. There'll be some sticker shock. If the heart is set on that style, go with a local fabricator. Or find a suitable alternative.
edit: realized price was actually closer to twice my original guess
Edited 2/18/2009 7:35 am ET by shtrum
Just saying, as someone who builds stairs and who has suffered a fractured skull and broken ribs from stairs that were more creative than safe. People like to get clever and show off with stairs, but they need to think twice first because those things can turn you into a vegetable toot sweet