A customer recently asked me for ideas for an open stair system in their home. They are going for an urban/loft type look. Metal may be ideal but they are open to the idea of wood. I was thinking of using a large engineered lumber beam (glulam, LSL…etc) maybe something resembling a 4×12 for the outside stringers and metal stair brackets with bolts (instead of actually cutting out the rise and tread). A rough appearance may be nice too. For the treads they want something with a thickness of maybe 3″.
The stairway is broken up into 2 sections with a landing between floors. Each string will have 7 treads. If this means anything for design ideas.
As always the budget is as tight as we can keep it.
Anyone have ideas for materials, design or pics from old projects?
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Here's a thread on a floating stair that might give you some ideas, as well as pointing out some of the pitfalls along the way.
You may have to register to see the photos, but it's free.
http://www.talkfestool.com/vb/woodworking-projects/504-floating-stair.html
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Just a tidbit ... I found that a big part of stair design is meeting codes ... referring to the space between open treads (if that is your tendency) and of course the railing/ballusters. Open treads w/ the newest codes can be tough. A standard e.g. 1 1/2" tread leaves too much riser space between treads. Some of the trick is designing a tread w/ a nose area that somehow 'hangs down' enough to close the gap enough to meet code. You probably already know all this stuff.
Metal treads ... maybe come up w/ a simple design (use diamond plate? for that real industrial feel). Take it to a metal fabricator and have him bang it out. It could be a simple series of bends in a flat sheet instead of welding intensive design. This could provide a nose and bolting flanges. There may be commercial treads already available that are just what you want. I know someone has to make these for the multitudes of stairs we see on a daily basis. Someone is punching this stuff out somewhere.
If they want a modern or industrial look. The cable railings are nice. Don't know their cost. I did glass .... special order. There are lots of options using glass in terms of how the glass is mounted.
I think stringers out of plywood could be inexpensive and strong! Trim the edges and you have a finished stringer.
A buddy of mine just did a stairway using off-the-shelf (well, OK, they were special order) Architectural Grade laminated beam stock --essentially stacked 2x4 stock, for both treads and risers.
I didn't see the end product. When I saw it, shallow tread housings had been routed into the stringers, as well as shallow housings to make the angle-iron connectors he used less visible.
Up close, the Architectural Grade stuff is a little rough: some slightly open gluelines, some normal framing-lumber-type checking, but it was smooth and splinter-free.
I had a feeling that it was going to look pretty good.
AitchKay
I designed a set of stairs once that never got built -- didn't win the bid.
I was going to use thick stock for the stringers and treads, and use exposed dovetails to let the balusters into the ends of the treads (they used to do that all the time, but then they'd hide it with a return nosing).
I envisioned slightly oversize (1 1/4" square?) balusters. I was going to mass-produce them , building a hair of taper into the tails to make fitting them more forgiving, then trace then onto the treads.
The treads would overhang the stringers by about 6".
A combination of a fine saw (to outline the sockets) and a router (to notch to a controlled depth) would take care of the notching.
I planned to drive a single #12 screw into the center of each tail, then plug with a contrasting wood.
I wish I'd gotten to build it; I think it would have looked great.
But today it would have to be modified to deal with current graspability rules, and the 4"-max opening rule.
AitchKay
Here is a pic of mine at test fit and after the inlays were added to the treads. Stingers are cherry and the treads are Jatoba. These are in production now, so I apologize for the lack of proper finishes. It would be easy to substitute any host of less expensive woods. The treads are mortised into the stringers (top/bottom stair template and router). Stair supplies sells many diff treads in 1.5" to 2" thickness, but not 3". I would be careful going to a 4" stringer if the stairs are about the same width as mine. Even at these dimensions they look quite massive. Truth be told I didnt think my math was correct after I first clamped them together due to the scale.
Be sure to check your local regs to see how well open tread designs are liked.
Brad
PS: Dont be too tough on me for unfinished bits. The lino in the second pic is going and the walls are now drywalled.
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In case your interested, here is the railing. The bottom board will be about 1" above the top of the stringer. You will see some glue squeeze out that will be removed yet and the box caps are missing.
The open tread is still permitted in my area.
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Brad