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Within this guide you'll find information on the following:
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A balustrade is the structure that encloses a staircase on one or both sides, commonly consisting of:
Together, these parts form a railing or wall that's designed to prevent people from falling off or down the staircase.
Balustrades serve a vital safety function, but they're important to design. From traditional to ornate to modern, the beauty of balustrades is that they can be used to make a real design feature of a staircase, or alternatively can blend seamlessly with the décor so as not to make too strong a statement.
As the name suggests, the part that you hold on to while climbing or descending the stairs. It sits on top of the spindles or glass, depending on the type of balustrade being installed. It can also be used as a standalone product where it is attached to a wall.
Spindles (also known as balusters) support the handrail and protect people from falling through the space between the handrail and the stairs.
The part that sits on top of the stair string and to which the bottom of the spindles are fixed.
The vertical posts that sit at the bottom and/or top of the balustrade to support the handrail and secure the whole balustrade.
See our technical guides to key stair parts for further information on the different parts of a balustrade.
A more traditional baluster would include classic elements such as carved wooden spindles and newel posts.
An ornately designed baluster makes a statement and may not include spindles at all, but instead incorporate intricate metalwork alongside more traditional elements.
Modern staircase designs can include few to no elements of a ‘traditional’ balustrade, with materials like toughened glass opening lots of opportunities to create safe and light-enhancing structures.
Visit our online shop to see the full range of balustrade parts and styles we offer
Choosing a balustrade for your staircase depends largely on the style and age of your home. You can find detailed advice on selecting the right material and style of balustrade for your home in this guide.
In order to keep your balustrade as safe and user-friendly as possible, there are a few UK building regulations to follow:
The handrail in a domestic property should be no lower than 900mm on both stairs and landings. If this is a commercial property then handrail on the stairs is 900mm and 1100mm on the landing.
Handrails in domestic properties must be able to withstand 0.36kN/m (kiloNewton metres).
Spindles must be placed close enough together that a 100mm sphere cannot be passed in between them.
If you’re planning to update your staircase balustrade and need inspiration, take a look at our style guide for design ideas.
Our white primed product are primed on a hardwood base, which tends to be either tulipwood or birch.
No, they are a pre-primed product, so they are ready to receive a final colour of your choosing.
As there are many variations of white, we cannot always guarantee the shade of our white primed products will be 100% to your liking, which is why it is called ‘White Primed’. We advise that a solvent-based top coat works best with our White Primed products rather than a water-based paint.
A solvent-based top coat adheres best to our white primed stair parts, rather than a water based paint. We would advise following the below steps prior to painting:
The vast majority of our stair parts come unfinished. We offer some ranges that come pre-finished, such as Fusion, Axxys and Immix, and these are highlighted as being pre-finished in their descriptions.
Since our products are unfinished, you’re free to finish them once installed to the look you want with paint, stain or varnish. We advise finishing your wooden stair parts as they may discolour and stain over time if no finish is applied.
We offer a range of finishes by Treatex which protects and enhances the natural grain of your wooden staircase.
No, our stair parts are designed for internal use only.
All the handrails and baserails that we sell that have a groove in to take a spindle or slot for glass panels come with a compliment of infill (spacer or track).
No, all the infill/spacer/tracks we sell are pre-packed into our handrails and baserails.
If you order online then you will automatically be charged the £15 delivery rate (Monday –Friday all day service). If you call us to place the order over the telephone (0114 2721228) then we can look to do a reduced delivery rate dependant on the item(s) you wish to purchase.
