Staircase Design Glossary | Specialized Stair & Rail Edmonton & Kelowna

Structure

1

Continuous Handrail

When posts support the handrail from underneath, allowing the handrail to flow uninterrupted throughout the staircase.

2

Birdsmouth Stringer

Birdsmouth stringers are a design choice that results in the bottom edge of the stair stringer being continued into a ceiling or stair header.

3

Support Post

A support post is a way to support a freestanding stair instead of using a big foot.

4

Big Foot

A big foot is a way of supporting a frestanding stair by vertically extending the stringer to the floor. This creates a wedge-shaped support for the staircase.

5

Self Supported Stairs & Landing

This type of landing is integrated into the stair stringers eliminating the need for support posts.

6

Stair Notch

A stair notch is a portion of a stair where the stringer jogs around the corner of a wall.

Railings

7

Mitred Goose Neck

A mitred goose neck elevates the railing to match the termination point of the ajoining railing on the post.

8

Lambs Tail

Lambs Tail is a traditional decorative approach to ending a railing.

9

Stainless Steel Wall Bracket

A stainless steel wall bracket enables stainless steel hand railing to be attached to a glass panel.

10

Modern Wall Bracket

This wall bracket enables hand railing to be mounted to the wall in a more modern design.

11

Traditional Wall Bracket

Traditional wall brackets enable hand railing to be mounted to the wall. This is considered a more traditional style.

12

Y Turn

A y-turn is a component that allows custom railing to jog around a wall making it continuous from top to bottom.

Treads

13

Bullnose Bottom Tread

A bullnose tread is a half circle added to the sides of the bottom tread for decorative purposes

14

Convex Nosings vs Straight Nosings

A curved front edge of a tread between two stringers is considered a Convex Nosing. Typically, stairs have straight nosings.

15

Tread Caps

For carpeted stairs, hardwood tread caps are used on the outside edge of a stair tread to create the illusion of a hardwood tread with a flush carpet runner.

Spindles

16

Diminishing Spindles

Diminishing spindles are used when railing terminates into the underside of a stair or ceiling creating a triangle shape (acute angle).