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Information needed to design your spiral stair.
Some of this information
should be confirmed with actual field measurements.
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Where will the stair
start and stop? The most accurate way to design
a spiral stair for your job begins with your floor plan
drawings. Most architects, when specifying a spiral stair,
will simply put a circle where the stair will be located.
If you fax our office a copy of your upper and lower floor
plan, we will fax back a shop drawing of a layout designed
for your job. We can also itemize the cost of the stair
based on the design you choose and provide an estimate
of the delivery charges.
How much space
do you have? The amount of space you need will be the
same upstairs as down stairs. For example, a 5 ft diameter
stair will need 52" x 52" area, upstairs
and downstairs, directly above one another. Within our technical
specifications, we list the minimum finished well size required
for each stair size. Keep in mind that this is a minimum
size, and if you have the space, we recommend that you make
the opening two or three inches larger.
Check with your
local building inspector to see if he has any requirements. Most National Building Codes require the stair to be
5 ft diameter or larger. We manufacture specific stair
packages that address these codes. Within this Web site,
we list the normal, National Building Code requirements.
How much traffic
will the stair have? The higher the traffic, the larger
the stair.
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Will you be cutting
a hole in the floor for the stair to travel through, or
will the stair be installed off a balcony face? If you are going through the floor, will the hole be square
or round and what size will the hole be?
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Safety for children. Whether you chose a large stair or a small stair, the
space between the balusters should be considered. This
is the area that a child could fall through. Our code
stair package automatically includes enough balusters
to maintain a four-inch space between the balusters. Our
other packages come standard with one baluster per tread,
and extra center balusters are sold individually. With
one baluster per tread, Salter's stairs have a nice open
affect, but the space could be as large as 18" between
the balusters. If small children will be using the stair,
you may wish to add additional balusters.
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Is the stair being
used for interior or exterior use? If the stair
is being used outside, it's important to consider the
durability of the stair and what amount of maintenance
it will require. The primary concern is the steel rusting.
If the stair is painted with several coats of alkyd based
paint, this will provide a good durable finish in a mild
environment. Steel stairs that are hot dipped, galvanized,
or aluminum will be maintenance free even in the harshest
environment.
The most cost-effective is the galvanized stair. If the
galvanized stair is left in its natural finish, you will
not need to do anything to it for an indefinite period
of time. If you paint a galvanized or aluminum stair,
the only maintenance you need to be concerned with is
the overall quality of the paint.
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