A crucial step when installing or renovating your staircase is taking the measurements: ensuring your staircase fits is a matter of millimetres. What’s more, your staircase must also be easy to use, which in practical terms means it shouldn’t be too steep and shouldn’t have too many steps. There are no exact ratios, but there are a number of guidelines we’d like to share with you.
The rise and run of your staircase determine whether it is comfortable to walk on:
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- The rise is the height between the steps;
- The tread depth is the width of the step itself (in other words: how much space there is to place your foot).
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For a private home, a step height of 22 centimetres is often taken as the standard. In public buildings, the stairs are usually made less steep. There, the step height is usually around 18 centimetres.
The choice of riser height largely determines the tread depth as well. A classic formula is: 2 × riser height + tread depth = 63 centimetres. As the size of the tread is the most significant factor in accidents and falls, a number of minimum dimensions apply. For residential properties, this is 22 centimetres; for public buildings, 28 centimetres is standard. The ratio of 17 (rise) x 29 (run) is the most efficient according to this staircase formula.
The ratio between the rise and the run determines the gradient of the staircase. A gradient of 42 degrees is standard for residential properties, whilst in public buildings it is 33 degrees. The height of the handrail is usually between 90 and 100 centimetres. If you adhere to the above dimensions, the staircase will be easily navigable for most people and the risk of falls will be minimised.
Are all these calculations making your head spin, and would you rather leave the staircase renovation to a specialist? If so, please get in touch with us for personalised advice.