Five Ways to Create Your Glass Staircase
If you are thinking about creative ideas to update your home and add a bit of contemporary wow factor, you may not have considered updating your staircase. Adding glass panels to replace traditional wooden spindles, for example, is relatively simple to do and gives you a stunning modern centrepiece in the place where most visitors will see it. There are a number of ways of approaching this; in this article we look at five different ideas:
1) Glass Clamps
The clamping option is the most popular method and allows you to create a modern glass staircase with very little effort. Steel clamping brackets are used to secure full-sized panes of glass between the handrail and treads of your stairs.
2) Framed Balustrade Glass
Framed glass systems can be used when the desired result is the removal of all timber posts and handrails to replace them with another material; a fabulous, practical look can be achieved using stainless steel, and this is the most popular approach. Wooden newel posts can be cut away and capped using fabricated covering plates, which double as the base for attaching the new vertical baluster posts. This is a more complex system than the previous method and probably more suited to professional fitting than as a DIY project.
3) Glass ‘Spindle’ Panels
The addition of spindle panels is a very similar approach to the clamping method described earlier, but this incorporates a set of narrower strips of glass to give a very different aesthetic result. These panels can be sourced off-the-shelf in various sizes, and the gaps that you choose between them can be varied to fit perfectly into any landing area. This is a big advantage over large custom-made panes which can take several weeks to manufacture.
4) Frameless Balustrade Glass
In this method, all timberwork is stripped out to create a seamless look. No supporting posts are needed, as a much thicker structural glass is used to create a sleek contemporary look. However, the frameless system may require extra reinforcement to strengthen the timber base of your current staircase so that it can support the extra weight of the glass.
5) Routed Timber Fixing.
Finally, glass panels can be cut to the desired size and slotted into the existing timber structure using routed grooves. These slots are ‘routed’ from the handrail and base rail, and adhesive is added for extra security. This approach gives a seamless look but requires high levels of technical skill and specialist tooling to achieve.
About Bradfabs
Bradfabs has a rich history of working with clients to provide innovative, space-saving staircase solutions within their properties across Yorkshire and further afield. View the full range of Products we offer, or contact a member of our team today on 01274 400 401 or email us at sales@bradfabs.co.uk to discuss your specific requirements.
