How to Choose the Right Material and Design for a New Staircase

When having a new home built, or when you're renovating your home and will be installing a new staircase, you'll need to carefully consider your choice for materials and design styles for both the stairs and the railing. You may want a grand staircase that is very attractive or one that is compact and unobtrusive, but you also need stairs that are safe for the whole family and that blend well with the home's overall decor and style. Note a few tips on how to choose the right material and design for a new staircase in your home so you know those stairs will be safe but also attractive.

Modern home style

If your home has a very modern style, avoid plain, exposed wood, as this is very traditional and may clash with a modern home. Instead, paint the stairs a crisp white or a dark slate grey to match the home's style, ensuring you use a paint with a bit of thickness to it for added traction. You might even add some personality to the stairs with your paint job, such as adding a black stripe up the middle of the staircase or adding one black horizontal stripe across the face of each white step. You might even forego wood stairs and choose metal steps for something very industrial and modern. A raised pattern on the steps gives you even more traction and safety and adds more visual interest to the stairs.

The railing or balustrade you choose is also important for a modern home style; glass panels can be a good choice for a modern design, or you might opt for wires under the railing for a very chic look. Avoid traditional wood or wrought iron as these may easily clash with a modern look.

Traditional style

Exposed wood for stairs and a railing is very traditional, but if you may want something more personal and unique for your home, consider a very detailed, scrolling wrought iron balustrade to break up the look of all that wood. If you have children or pets in the home and are worried that scrollwork might be too sharp for them, opt for solid glass panels under a thick wood railing for something light and airy but also safe, without gaps where fingers might get caught. Keep the stairs themselves as wide as possible for a very traditional style; if your home is small, add landings so that you can turn the stairs, and allow them to fit in a more cramped space.

For more information, contact a business such as Tarosa Stairs Pty Ltd.