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April 27, 2010

Are spiral stair kits suitable for DIY installation?

The question really begs another question, "are you capable of DIY?"

As an old codger from a poor background I am like most others of my ilk, capable of fixing, the car, the washing machine, rewiring the house, replacing the roof and darning my socks. Nothing clever in that, we had no choice! The situation has changed dramatically of recent years, some of the lucky young people of today think DIY is being able top up the screen wash (assuming they can open the bonnet first).

The answer to the question is yes, spiral staircase kits, space saver staircase kits, and modular stair kits are all supplied for DIY installation. They invariably come with full fitting instructions and an installation CD.

In theory anyone can assembly say a Karina space saver or a Klan spiral, and in fact they can. However it helps to have a tool kit, a bit of practical experience and a slow methodical approach to a “not done this before” task.

The tool kit.

Tool kit wise there is nothing very dramatic required, and we are lucky in these modern times in that anything that you do not have, will most likely be very cheaply available for purchase from the local pound shop, all thanks to our Chinese cousins. The drill bits won’t last five minutes but will not cost anything anyway.

In the fitting instructions of most staircase kits you will normally see a list of tools and drill sizes etc. that are you will. These are worth looking at and worth thinking about, you can very often adapt what you already have to suit, and sometimes it is cheaper to buy a replacement rawl bolt type fixing to suit the drill bit that you already have, rather than buy a more expensive masonry bit to suit the supplied fixing. Another point worth noting in terms of equipment is that most spiral staircase kits are supplied from continental manufacturers who supply fixings assuming that all floors including upper floors are made of concrete. This is a typical detail on the continent but over this side of ‘the sleeve’ we tend to have wooden upper floors. The point being that sometimes it is better to buy timber fixings rather than struggle with the larger concrete expansion fittings supplied. For instance (just to test your knowledge) I would have a tendency to replace 12mm expansion bolts (rawl bolts) with 10 or 12mm coach screws (note that is screws not bolts) when fixing into timber floor joists.

The skill factor.

It is very difficult to define a level of skill needed. In general if you cannot put together a flat pack £ 30.00 wardrobe then you probably do not have enough of it.

There is nothing actually that complicated about the installation in fact understanding the instructions is more complex than the actual work. Over the years I have had lots of experience of phone conversations with frustrated DIY staircase installers. From these I have come to realise that next to patience, the skill most needed for successful kit staircase erection is a good eye for level, and the ability to use a spirit level. You see it is easy to bolt things together in the right place and in the right order, but a kit stair only really becomes stable once it is fixed to the structure at the top and the bottom, in between you are wrestling with a snake, and the ability to spot and correct minor errors of plumb or level are essential. A millimetre out of plumb at the bottom can be a meter out at the top and that will cause all sorts of problems.

So be honest with yourself if you have understood what I have said so far you are probably half way there. If not “get somebody in” GSI is the new DIY.

A final word always buy from someone who sounds like they know what they are talking about, and who can be contacted by phone for those “oh dear what do I do now” moments

The Stair Doctor

April 20, 2010

The purchase of a staircase is confusing, where do I buy ?

OK a fair question Mrs Evans, I know what you mean, it is a nightmare trawling the web or yellow pages for a product that you want but probably know next to nothing about.

Before we start let me say that it would be unprofessional of the good old Stair Doctor to actually recommend any particular named supplier. The idea of this blog is to point you in the direction of a type of supplier. In this new world of the web that is really all you need to source the type of staircase that you are looking for.

Let us first look at what we mean by a staircase before we get into the supplier bit. First a bit of history, traditionally householders did not buy staircases, your house came with a stair, end of story. The staircase in your house would probably be made of wood, and would have been supplied to the house builder by a joinery company who made stairs, no problem.

Now in this enlightened age of self-builders, house renovators and the need for all things to be shiny and minimalist the situation has changed. Now house owners do not want just functional staircases but attractive show piece models that they can be proud of. “Who can blame them” says the Staircase Doctor rubbing his hands with glee.

This new market of owners buying their own house fixtures has created a new demand, with new manufacturers and suppliers to service that demand. With a product like say a fitted kitchen, there are now kitchen showrooms on every high street, and everyone knows the ropes for how to purchase. Staircases are a different matter, as an industry it is still in a state of flux with everyone feeling their way and the poor householder lost for which way to turn.

So depending on what you are looking for the following is the deal according to the good old Stair Doctor.

Traditional timber staircases and luxury hardwood made-to-measure type grand designs.

Still the realm of the traditional local joinery shop or national joinery company who will supply you a standard flight for very little money, or made-to-measure luxury ones for a lot more money. These companies will normally come out to survey and offer a fitting service. The standard of the average UK joinery shop is normally very high and prices are reasonable. There are now also some Polish based companies trying to break into the UK market with some very high standard work, but usually very old-fashioned designs for UK tastes. I am also not sure what problems are caused by the logistics of a joinery shop over 1000 kilometres away.

Modern open plan metal and timber staircases both basic and luxury

Now you are into the more confusing realm. Once you introduce metal support elements and space age designs into staircases it gets difficult to impossible for a joinery shop to supply. To my knowledge there is also no major UK national company that has attacked this market and set up what would need to be a multi skilled operation to meet the ever increasing demand. This is not true of continental Europe, particularly Germany and Italy where there are a multitude of large and small manufacturers who design and make stairs in a combination of materials.

They have even solved the logistics problems by making them in easily transportable modular kit form which are sold through UK based agencies. Some of these agencies offer a survey and fit service some do not. Be prepared to pay for surveying and fitting service, it is not a cheap operation to be able to offer nationwide roaming gangs of stair fitters.

Do not discount self-fitting or local builder fitting, nearly all of these products come with assembly instructions. As a relatively new phenomena there are both good and not so good UK suppliers out there, my advice is look more closely than a phone call, have they got a showroom? Are they answering your technical questions? Or are they operating on the web from a front bedroom.

I have to add that there now just a few smaller to medium UK companies who do manufacture some very nice luxury one off design staircases for the man who has everything. If money is no object to get the stair of your dreams you will find very good service from these set-ups.

Spiral staircases

Spiral stairs are a real specialist field, making anything helical is difficult, the tooling and computer design software is not really economical for small operators. So when it comes to spiral staircases you a limited to dealing with big boys, most of which see their customer base as being large commercial projects.

There are one or two UK companies who produce spiral stairs suitable for the domestic market but your choice is limited. The exception is traditional wrought iron style spiral staircases, which by using aluminium castings usually brought in from abroad allows quite a few small companies to offer spiral stairs in this niche market.

The other alternative is the imported (usually Italy or Germany) kit or made-to-measure stairs that are excellent and readily available. Just like the flight stairs above it is advisable to buy from some a firm with staircase knowledge rather than just Web savvy.

Steel fire escape stairs and external staircases generally.

These type of stairs are totally different from any of the other stair types and are more likely to be supplied by general steel fabrication companies rather than the normal staircase manufacturers and suppliers that we have already discussed. Britain has a long history of engineering with steel, you will have no difficulty in finding a small fabrication company on an industrial estate near you, or a large national company, both can fabricate for you one off steel stairs, platforms, mezzanines etc.

What you will struggle to find are ‘off the shelf’ kit form escape stairs, to my knowledge no one has yet been able to fill this void.

The Stair Doctor

April 12, 2010

Tell me please are Genius spiral staircase kits structurally safe?

The question came from Mr Concerned an engineer who looks into everything very very deeply. I’m an engineer (read car mechanic) so I know everything.

Actually it is not a silly question if you are of a technical leaning, because it does seem amazing that something like a kit stair can arrive flat pack and end up as a safe to use spiral stair. The question does not just apply to the luxury Genius spiral staircase range, but to any kit spiral stair range such as the Klan or Civik spiral staircases. For that matter it also applies to a flight kit staircase such as the Komoda , Kompact or again the Genius.

The answer of course is "yes no problem, what do you think these Italian manufacturers are stupid"

To be honest when I first came across the kit stair phenomenon I had doubts myself. I was pleasantly surprised when I ascended my first spiral staircase kit to find how solid it felt.

But lets have an honest look in a little more detail to keep the mechanic happy.

Spiral staircase Kits

Most domestic sized spiral staircases not just the kit form have a little more movement underfoot than a solidly built traditional stringer staircase. That is unavoidable when you consider that all of the treads are cantilevered horizontally out from a single centre pole support.

It is not to say that spiral stairs are unsafe, they just feel a little different. The most rigid spiral staircase that you could make would be a totally welded steel structure or the concrete equivalent, but it would probably not be attractive and would be a nightmare to get inside the house. So enter the Genius spiral staircase, sold in kit form with an attractive combination of timber and metal. Easy to erect anywhere, and exactly what the wife was looking for.

All kit spiral staircases really consist of separate elements that are held together with nut and bolts. The main structural element the centre pole is usually supplied in two or three lengths (for crate size reasons), these are threaded and screw together to act monolithically. All the treads with the spacer sleeves between them are then dropped on the pole and a big nut at the top is tightened to make everything rigid.

The clever bit that the mechanic did not notice is that the baluster poles at the front of each tread go down through to the tread below, thus transferring any live loads such as fat mechanic all the way down through the poles to the floor. It is not perfect but it works. It does require a bit of common sense of the man doing the tightening but that is where the mechanic comes into his own.

Like all structures that you walk up or over you will cause a vibration from the regular footfall, that is why soldiers break step when walking over bridges, and why the wibbly wobbly bridge on the Thames wibbled and wobbled. The same applies to spiral staircases to a lesser degree. Kit spirals are supplied with what are called baluster-to-wall brackets. If your spiral stair is anywhere near a wall you use these to anchor it to the wall. They take away any slight swaying and are worth using if you can. If you have no adjacent wall do not worry you will probably never notice anything anyway.

Kit flight staircases Genius, Kompact et al

These staircase kits consist of separate elements under each tread that are bolted together to make rigid support spine. The result is amazingly rigid, and like the spiral staircase the baluster poles at the front of each tread go through to the next one down to transfer the loads at the outer edge.

Because the diagonal span of this type of structure (like a ladder leaning against a wall) there is a risk of both vibration and sagging in the middle of the span again a bit like a ladder. To that end the engineers have produced a support pole which supports the stair against the floor or side wall. These are supplied with the kit. Also like the Spiral staircase kit you are supplied with baluster–to-wall brackets which if there is a wall along side are worth using to prevent any lateral movement.

Stair kits have been around for many years and have been sold in thousands world wide. Brand leaders like the Genius spiral staircase have been thoroughly tested in the only place that counts, that is in peoples homes. Any minor faults were ironed out years ago. The major problem with any kit stair is not the kit but the quality of installation. However they are not actually that difficult to get right and should be no problem for an engineer.

The Staircase Doctor