Project of the Month – June 2024
Enclosed Spiral Staircase Bristol
June 2024 – Enclosed Spiral Staircase Bristol
A fairly common look people request is the ‘walled’ spiral where the balustrade on the stair is solid structure. This design forms a wonderful elliptical twist as it ascends and creates a stunning sculpture in the right setting. Despite this not being something we offer directly we do often create the framework for the on site joiner to form the wall. Plywood is cut and bend and fixed to the stair’s newel posts then plastered to a smooth finish.
Our client, based just north of Bristol was very keen for this type of spiral staircase. The costs they received for various firms however was prohibitive. When we proposed our solution, our customer couldn’t have been more thrilled. For less than a quarter of the prices they were quoted, they were able to achieve the look they desired with a few days extra work from the site joinery team.
The stair itself was made at over 2000mm diameter to ensure it complied with the requitements as the primary stair in the home as well allowing for the buildup thickness of the surrounding wall. 14 risers were included with a triangular top platform at the top joining it to the upper floor. 30mm solid oak treads and risers would added. All the steelwork was supplied primed for on site finishing.
Our client took these pictures during and after pictures which really demonstrate the transformation and evolution of the spiral.
For a price for your version of this custom made spiral stair, please fill out the form at the bottom of the page.
STEP ONE
The core structure of the spiral is assembled – all in primed steel. This is achieved the same way on all our custom spirals.
- Locate the centre of the centre column position from the drawings by measuring off the face of the floor.
- Connect the top platform to the column – the column has pre positioned flanges for these.
- Check levels and bolt the platform and the column to the upper and lower floor.
- Add the treads to the bolts already protruding from the centre column (do not fully tighten the bolts at this time)
- Starting from the top fit the curved balustrade sections to the outer of the treads. Again keep the fixings finger tightened for now.
- Once the balustrade and handrail are aligned, tighten all the tread and balustrade bolts.
STEP TWO
Add the oak treads and risers to check positioning
- When choosing closed risers on these models the riser and tread come in one L shaped piece.
- As standard all the timber on these models is oiled in the factory and will need another coat once installed
- The timber treads can either be glued down to the steel tread or srewed from underneath
- In this situation when further work is being carried out it is important to remove the treads after dry fitting them to prevent damage
- When permanently installing the treads and risers be sure to add a little silicon where wood meets wood to prevent any squeaking
STEP THREE
Create the curved wall. This is something your joiner will form using the structure of our balustrade for support. On this project out client told us their joiner screwed thin plywood to both sides of the balustrade then plastered and painted to finish.
This is very economical way to achieve a spectacular spiral staircase. The core , primed structure is not tremendously expensive nor are the material cost to create the curved wall. For some clients we even supply them with drawings for the treads and risers so they can use their own.
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