Spiral staircase – pros and cons

The undoubted plus of the spiral staircase is that it takes up a minimum of area – it can be built on a “patch” of less than 1.5 m2. As you know, the best stair slope angle is no more than 45 °. When trying to install a flight staircase in a small area, the ascent angle will be too steep.

A spiral staircase is cheaper than a march staircase, in addition, it will become an excellent decor element in any room, bringing an element of originality into it. It is also convenient that the space under the spiral staircase is practically free – its design is very lightweight outwardly. The disadvantage of a spiral staircase is that you cannot move quickly along it, you must firmly hold on to the handrails both when going down and when going up, otherwise there is a high probability of injury.

When designing a spiral staircase, it is important to accurately calculate its parameters, including those applied to users. Careful calculation will make the spiral staircase as comfortable as possible. And yet, for frequent use, for carrying objects, a spiral staircase with a width of less than 1 m will not work – it is important to understand this right away. A spiral staircase is more convenient as an alternative ascent / descent option.

Types of spiral staircases and materials used

The main difference between spiral staircases and others is the absence of inter-flight platforms. The spiral staircase is a continuous flight of stairs, the steps of which are called winders. The steps are fixed to the staircase radially, forming a staircase screw that has either a circular or polygonal shape in the horizontal plane. If the spiral staircase is located at a distance from the walls, it usually has a round shape, if in the immediate vicinity of the walls, it is polygonal. The design of spiral staircases is based on spiral bowstrings, stringers located on the sides of the staircase or in its middle, or on a support stand installed in the center of the staircase. You can make a staircase without any special supports by connecting the steps to each other and reinforcing the railing on the balusters – railing posts at the beginning and end of the stairs.

Among the best are the construction of a spiral staircase, when the support of the run-in steps is carried out both on the rack in the center and on the walls around the perimeter, or only on the walls that form the stairwell. For fastening, grooves are made in the walls, overlays are installed on them, or – the run-in steps are attached to the bolts. Fastening steps to walls is one of the most difficult, especially if the walls are rounded.

Steps for spiral staircases are made of solid wood (maple, oak and beech), sheet and profiled metal, glass, plastic. Marbles, tiles, etc. can be used, but mostly for outdoor stairs. Bowstrings and railings are made of glued hardwood, metal or metal + wood.

If the staircase structure includes a central support post, then it can be brick, wood, concrete or stone. The most convenient material for the rack is a ready-made pipe, steel or asbestos-cement; it will be easier to fix the steps on it with a welded, socket or bolted connection. Reinforced concrete can also be chosen as the main building material for a spiral staircase – the question is whether the base will withstand such a weight.

We make a spiral staircase with our own hands

You will find here how to make a spiral staircase of the simplest type – with support on a central pillar. And we will talk about a few important details that must be considered when designing spiral staircases..

The number of full turns of the winder steps of a spiral staircase will depend on its height and angle of inclination, however, it is important that the number of steps in a full turn is at least 12 (18 cm high). Otherwise, the lifter will have every chance of banging his head on his upper feet. You can calculate the exact number of steps by dividing the height of the intended staircase by the step height.

It is difficult to make a staircase with graceful spirals of bowstrings with your own hands; the process of creating a spiral bowstring is difficult even for industrial production. In the first method, timber blanks are glued, from which a part of the desired curvilinear shape is cut out on a programmable woodworking machine. The external lightness of such production is deceiving – the wood grains are located straight and multiple splits can occur when rounding, which will affect the strength of the product. This technology is associated with significant wood consumption, losses can reach 80%.

The second method has been for many hundreds of years – keeping a wooden blank to soften the fibers in boiling water, with a gradual bend. The process is simple – you need to keep the wood blank in a container with boiling water for several hours. Then the workpiece is subjected to mechanical stress, causing deflection in the required places. The impact must be maintained until the workpiece is completely dry, then remove the fixation – the wooden workpiece will retain its shape. Each type of wood has its own terms of steaming in boiling water.

The most modern and effective method today is gluing together thin (5-8 mm) wood lamellas, which can be given any bend. Based on this technique, bowstrings and handrails of almost any required curvature can be obtained..

Having completed the design and installation of a spiral staircase made of wood, you must carefully consider its final finish – painting. If a wooden staircase has a nice texture, it is best to preserve it with a clear varnish finish. It is necessary to apply varnish in several layers, having previously cleaned all the wooden elements of the stairs with an emery cloth and covered it with a stain to emphasize the structure of the wood. For painting, it is better to use parquet varnish – it is more resistant to abrasion, which the steps and railings will undergo. It is important – before starting work on painting with varnish, you need to thoroughly vacuum all staircase elements and exclude drafts – the varnish does not tolerate dust.

Wood with an unattractive structure needs to be painted with opaque finishing materials – nitro enamel or oil-based paint. This color will require the application of several layers. This is due to the fact that wood absorbs liquid paint components unevenly, which is especially known for coniferous wood..