Oak Spindles for Stairs

Spindles are often one of the most decorative parts of your staircase, and can vary widely in design from traditional wooden stair spindles to more contemporary metal spindles. When choosing the spindles for your staircase, there are a few things to consider.

If you have young children or pets, a balustrade with sturdy spindles and a hard wearing finish could be the best option for you to minimise wear and tear. These are generally preferred for family-proofing your home over glass panels, which easily show fingerprints and smears.

The style of your property is also an important part of your choice. A traditional wooden spindle may be more in keeping with a property with period features, but a metal spindle would suit a more contemporary style.

Because oak is a hardwood, it’s extremely durable, strong, and resistant to scratches and dents. Oak could be the perfect choice for your stair spindles wood if you’re looking for a long lasting wood to invest in a property that you’ll be living in for years to come. This way, you can rest assured that your staircase wont get damaged and worn out easily over time. This can be particularly important if you have small children that might spill drinks or drop items onto the wood, or a pet that might scratch the wood with their claws.

While in the short-term, a lightweight wood like pine could be a cheaper option, when considering oak’s durability and resistance to dent or scratches, it could become the more cost-effective option over a long period of time.

We have a simple calculation that will allow you to work out how many spindles you need to fill your staircase. Where X is the going of the flight of stairs in mm (the horizontal distance from front to back), use these calculations:
For 32mm spindles
•X ÷ 112 for a turned spindle. •X ÷ 125 for a plain spindle.

For 41mm spindles
•X ÷ 121 for a turned spindle.
•X ÷ 135 for a plain spindle.

Alternatively, you can also use our spindle spacing calculator to easily understand how many spindles you need and how far to space them.