Spiral Staircases

We visited the workshop and showroom for a manufacturer of Spiral Staircases today. Cottage Craft Spirals are based in Derbyshire but will build a staircase in either wood or metal, or both for delivery and self (or builder) install anywhere in the country.

The workshop was very impressive and their showroom had examples in both wood and metal, and combinations of the two.

Surprisingly our favourite "in the flesh" was also the one we picked out from the catalogue, and is surprisingly modern and plain. This picture is reproduced from the website and catalogue - I hope they don't mind :

Photo reproduced without permission - Cottage Craft Spirals Ltd.

The closed risers give this staircase a very solid look and feel. Each tread is made with a turned bobbin with a square hole down the centre. The tread fits on top and the riser is mortised into the side. Each tread simply slides over a square section steel bar as the staircase is built up from the bottom. Child's play to assemble, assuming it has been built correctly - apparently !

The staircase is designed with knowledge of the floor to floor height, entry point, exit point and handedness. The designer has some leeway in the angle of tread (between two acceptable limits) and height of the riser in order to achieve the desired goal.

The example in the picture above has a detached handrail on the wall, but this stair can also be specified with ballusters and an attached handrail. I haven't quite got my head around what we will do yet. The staircase will be in a corner, so will be enclosed on two sides, and will be (I think) more fully enclosed on the upper floor. However there will be parts that are open. The advice from the Cottage Craft Spirals owner was to have ballusters all the way down - if you change from detached to attached handrail it never looks right.

Apparently a major part of the expense of a completely wooden spiral is producing the curved handrail. If I understood and remembered correctly, a single piece of wood is cut into strips lengthwise then re-glued back together while held into a jig using 350 G-clamps.

Food for thought but we haven't (yet) placed our order......