Stair cases (or Stairway) can be one of the most appealing things in a house. Often used to go up or down a level, but the design of the stairway really sparks up the house. There are many things that go into a stairway, such as the design of the stairway, type of stairway, as well as, design and type of railings. The blog will help the homeowner/reader understand and learn about different styles of stairway, railings, and posts, and cosmetic appeal.  

Stairs may seem very straight forward but many people don't realize the multiple types of staircases available. to achieve the best look for your home, you want to choose a design that you feel drawn to and that will work with your house. There are 10 types of staircases to consider. 

• Flower petal staircase: this staircase is in a spiral shape with specific, curved steps leading to the upper level. Here's an example below:

• Staircase slide: these stairs can either be straight or spiraled, and are the same as normal staircase but with the slide built on to the side. Here's and example below:

• Library slider staircase: the staircase is created with shelves. These stairs are perfect for storage for books. Here's an example below:

• Steep staircase: these stairs are made up of individual slabs of wood or metal attached to opposing walls. These stairways are popular in houses that are smaller in size. Here's an example below:

• Flat F.M staircase: these stairs are attached to walls not to each other generally made from metal. These stairs look alike that they are floating to make a staircase. Here's an example below:

• Lace staircase: this staircase is made up of metal with lace like holes cut into the very end of the individual stairs. Here's an example below:

• Tree banister staircase: this staircase can be a spiral or straight. Depending on the best option of your home. The banister is crafted to look like roots at the bottom of stairs. Here's an example below

• Tree staircase: the staircase is made up of wood as a spiral staircase that is smooth with undersides with stairs on the top of the smooth curves. Here's an example below:

• Under stair staircase: these stairs are storage themselves. They are straight stairs built on top full of storage Units, the storage becomes bigger with the stairs slope. Here's an example below:

Now that we have covered stairway style, it's important to also talk about the pickets, railings and the steps.

We’ll start out with railing style first, there are a few railing styles that people can choose from to create a great looking stairway. First style is wooden pickets.

Wooden pickets are the most common railing style found in your average home. The builder often uses this because this is the cheapest option out of all the styles available. But just because it’s cheaper, it doesn’t mean that it does not stand out or look bad. The wooden pickets alongside wooden posts, can look really appealing when they match the floor style or contrast well enough that it stands out. Here’s an example of a wooden picket and railing done right versus done wrong. 

First the wrong:

The issue is not the design of the stairway but rather the colours. The colours don't match the floor of the ground and the post stands out too much from the rest of the pickets. 

Wooden picket done right:

The reason why this looks good, is because the wooden pickets are contrasting the floor, the railing and the stair steps. It’s also merging well with the wooden post without it standing out too much. 

The pickets of the wood can come in unique designs and colours/patterns. 

Here are examples of some unique designs:

Now that we have covered the wooden pickets, it's time to take this to another level and discuss the Iron pickets. Iron pickets are considered an upgrade from the standard wood and can look really appealing in design when the stairway is done correctly. 

Here’s an example of a iron picketed stairway:

Iron pickets are very customizable and come in unique designs. The colour however, is often standard black and if painted, white. 

Now that we have covered the pickets, there are unique pickets that connect the ceiling and the floor together with chains, and/or metallic pickets, a well known name for this is vertical bar stairway. 

Here’s an example of a metallic vertical bar stairway in a modern style stairway:

The bars are used to connect the ceiling and the floor together to close off the individual from falling from the sides. The vertical bars often go through the side of the step to connect to the floor from the ceiling. This idea is becoming very popular in new modern design homes. Most of these stairs will be found in higher end homes starting from $2M+ 

After understanding the vertical bars and chain style railing design, some homeowners opt for stainless steel railings as their railing design. Stainless steel railings are an older concept in homes but still popular today, such design is often used in offices, large houses, and sometimes commercial buildings. 

Here’s an example of a stainless steel railing: 

The design can look great and suitable for a modern style home design. The railing on top for this design is usually in stainless steel as well but can be wooden if the owner pleases. 

Another design that is popular by many is a glass designed railing. The concept was originally used in commercial and office like buildings, but homeowners started to adopt this design when they were creating a modern style stairway. 

Here’s an example of a glass railing:

The posts on the glass railings can be iron, stainless steel, or wood. Stainless steel and iron are usually the more common choices from the three with stainless steel being #1. 

Now that we have discussed the railings, between posts, let's talk about the steps of the stairs. Often the homeowners opt for wooden steps but there are also carpeted steps and a mix of wood+carpet. We at Mass Realty Inc., recommend that homeowners opt in for wooden steps because they provide more value for the home, if they are going to use carpet for comfort, it’s highly advised to use the mix of carpet+wood together. In higher end houses, the homeowner may be using marble steps which also will be covered below.

Here’s an example of carpet+wood steps together:

Note: the carpet is not placed on the steps but nailed in so that it can be secured. Loose carpet increases risk of injury and falling from slipping.  

This style of step is designed to stop slippage from the stairway by increasing friction on the feet. And also provides comfort when walking on top instead of hardwood. The down side of this is that the carpet on the stairway will also require cleaning with a vacuum. 

Marble stairway is the most expensive stairway a homeowner can use in the house. It’s considered the highest upgrade for steps, but the stairway has an increased risk of slippage due to the surface of marble being slippery. This is especially the case when water or any liquid has been spilled on the step.  

Here’s an example of a marble step on a stairway: 

After discussion of the steps, let’s dive into the posts of the stairway. They come in many different designs, colours, and materials. The most popular and used are wooden posts. Alongside the wooden posts there is also metallic/stainless steel, and in higher end houses, marble. 

Here are some examples of wooden post designs on stairway:

Example of stainless steel post on stairway: 

Example of marble post on a stairway:

With posts, people often place caps on top for a unique design. The caps can be standard builder, or customized heavily as a unique design on the post. Picture above has a golden globe with a figure on top of each post. 

Here are examples of the cap designs on the posts:

Alongside stairways, some homeowners tend to decorate stairways by using lights, plants, or plant vines to give it a personal touch.

Here is an example of lights on the stairway: 

Pros: 

1. The light on the steps or the railing or the side can illuminate the house making it brighter and cozier. 
2. Can look appealing and eye catching 

Cons:

1. The cost of the light can include, purchase, installation, maintenance, and electricity billing increases. 
2. Lights not working may require replacement of one light or whole system. 

Here is an example of plants on the stairway:

Pros: 

1. Having pots of plants on the side of the stairway can look really cozy, and warm, it will also provide oxygen for the house leading to fresher air and ventilation. 
2. The plants can look cosmetically appealing when done right. 

Cons: 

1. Pets can ruin the pots by dropping them which in return can lead to damage to the floor, stairway and maybe the animal or individual. 
2. Plants may create moisture around walls causing walls to get dirty or develop mold. 
3. May invite unwanted pesky bugs, leading to insect infestations. 

Homeowners can opt in for fake/plastic plants for cosmetic appeal.

Here is an example of a plant vines on stairway: 

Pros: 

1. Cosmetically can look appealing, and cozy
2. The plant will provide better air quality due to higher oxygen levels

Cons: 

1. Growing vines on siding creates moisture between the plants and stairway. The moisture can lead to mold, mildew and rot on the stairway itself.
2. It can also lead to insect infestations.

Homeowners can opt in for plastic vines to create cosmetic appeal.

That is the end of the blog for stairways. Stay tuned for new blogs to come in the future! If you require any real estate services, contact the Mass Realty Inc. Team at 647-824-8717 or 647-400-9089. We will help you find your dream home and list your home for as low as 1%! Call in today!