Stair Parts

If you plan to order a pre-cut and custom made stair kit, then you should definitely be abreast about the different stair parts.

This article should help you to somehow understand the carpentry terminology necessary in successful stair kit installing.

So we could start with the parts that we normally walk on. One of the most important parts is the. tread or the piece of wood or any material that we walk on. In layman’s term, these are the steps. Its thickness specifications are very much the same as regular flooring. The width is measured by the horizontal length of the tread.

Another stair part that we usually walk on is the landing. The landing is a big strip or area of flooring that serves as a “break” in the staircase. These are used in U shaped stairs and even in straight stairs to give the ascender a break – especially if there are too many steps.

Winders are narrower strips of steps which are used to change the direction of the stairs.

In the vertical category of stair parts, risers are the most important. They are the vertical pieces between each tread. Some staircases do not have risers to give an open stair effect. These staircases look merely like frames or skeleton stairs – but of course, they do not look unfinished at all.

Stringers, on the other hand, are inclined pieces of wood supporting all the treads and risers in the stairs. Some stringers are cut so that the treads and risers would fit into them and that they would not need to be notched.

In pertaining to the railings, the important and visible parts are the hand rails or banisters, balusters and newels.

Hand rails or banisters are either continuous or post to post. These are polished, either flat or round, to be held unto by the ascender.

Newels are the corner posts or poles that hold the ends of the handrails. These are usually thicker and hardier than the balusters.

Balusters are the vertical posts and poles that hold up the handrail. They are sometimes called guards or spindles.

When you buy stair kit, it would probably have an illustrated instruction guide that will also help you go through the different stair parts.