If you are building a house and need to decide what type of stairs you want to use, this article will give you your options.
There are three types of stairs:
- Wood
- Concrete
- Metal
Wooden stairs are the most common and cost effective. They may be made of framing lumber and covered with carpet, or the stair treads and risers are made of higher quality hardwood. High-quality solid wood includes oak, maple, and walnut. Stairs made of wood for framing are the most cost-effective type. If it’s a high-end home, you’ll likely have the option of hardwood stairs. These stairs can also incorporate wrought iron balusters for the handrail. The biggest drawback of wooden stairs is that they make a bit of noise due to the change in size of the wood (depending on the season and humidity).
Concrete stairs are a great option for exterior stairs or industrial-style homes and areas. Concrete is very strong, solid and silent. A multitude of textures and a variety of colors can be added to provide even more design options.
Finally, metal stairs are the safest, strongest, and most versatile from a design standpoint. There are two types of metal stairs, metal only and metal with accent materials. Metal-only stairs are what most people think of when they hear of metal stairs. Metal-only stairs are very common for outdoor applications, industrial walkways, and parking lots. Accent materials are what make metal stairs more attractive in an interior setting.
Metal accent stairs are very strong and versatile in design. In most cases, metal is the core material providing unmatched safety and strength, followed by an accent material such as wood, stone or glass. This allows for unlimited creativity in design options. In modern and contemporary designs, it is very common to use metallic structures with accentuated steps. Some examples are:
- Metal frame with wooden steps and handrail caps (steps can be butcher-style with a mix of exotic woods)
- Metal structure with steps and stone finishes (granite, marble, quartz and other commercially available stones)
- Metal structure with steps and/or glass side walls (the steps and glass side walls are very resistant and offer a unique feature for the most sophisticated palates)
Not only do you get the strength and security of metal framing, but you also benefit from the style and beauty of accent materials.