Internal staircases elevate your home’s theme, style and sophistication. With impeccable design, stairs can be enjoyed as a stand-out ‘wow’ feature and help home life to flow smoothly and safely.
Here we unpack the staircase lingo you need to know as well as the different styles of staircases we offer.
What are the staircase definitions I need to know?
MDF or carpet-grade – MDF is the abbreviation for Medium-Density Fibreboard, an engineered product that is made up of wood fibres combined with wax and resin. MDF can be used on the treads, risers and stringers of the staircase, and is commonly concealed with carpet or painted. It's important to note that MDF is a paint-grade material and cannot ever be stained.
Vic Ash - Short for Victorian Ash, it is a light-coloured hardwood product that can be stained in a range of colour options to suit your home. A Vic Ash staircase is a popular choice for its natural qualities and variations. Vic Ash can be used on the treads, risers, stringers, handrails, timber capping and balusters.
Treads and risers - Most staircases are made up with treads and risers. The tread is the horizontal part of the step that you will stand on; the riser is the vertical space between each step.
Stringer - The stringer is an angled support board that runs along the side of the staircase, located at the bottom of the balusters. The treads and risers are fixed into the stringer. An MDF or Carpet-Grade staircase will have a painted stringer, whereas a Vic Ash staircase will have a Vic Ash stringer to match.
Staircase landing - The landing is the flat platform of floor in-between the ground floor and first floor flight of stairs. It is built in-between the main floor levels and is typically used to allow the stairs to change direction (house specific).
Staircase winder - The winder is where the steps are narrower on one side than the other and are used to change the direction of the stairs without a landing.
Step-sure winders: A different shaped type of winder to make the turn much easier to navigate. This style of winder also provides a spacious corner landing area to ensure that even on stairs that take a sharp 90-degree turn, the user can climb up and down with an enhanced feeling of security.
Base landing - A large Vic Ash platform located at the foot of the staircase to step on before the first tread of the staircase.
Newel post and newel post top - The newel post is a square, upright post located at the foot of a straight staircase or at the landing. The newel post is made from Vic Ash and can either be painted or stained. The newel post top (or capping) is made of Vic Ash which sits directly on top of the post and comes in a square or decorative design (available with the Hampton staircase). This can also be stained or painted.
Handrails – The handrail is a long piece of Vic Ash timber that is fixed to the balusters or plaster wall next to the staircase to provide support when travelling up the staircase.
Baluster - A staircase baluster (also known as a ‘balustrade’) is a support system that holds up the handrail. It can act as a decorative feature and encloses the railing to help make the staircase safe. There are many different types of balusters to select from:
What are the different types of balusters?
Plaster baluster - fully plaster-lined baluster, used as a wall-like structure, which both visually and physically encloses the staircase. The height of the plaster balustrade wall may be full height to completely enclose the staircase on one side (or both sides), or it may be at half-height so that the top of the wall provides a grip for support. There is a handrail on one wall of the staircase for additional support.
Plaster baluster with timber top – This option has a Vic Ash timber top (or capping) installed to the baluster as an extra design element to provide more visual appeal. It can only be selected with a half-height plaster baluster.
Wrought iron balusters - a tough iron material in the colour black which is available in different shapes, such as round or blade, and decorative designs, such as ribbon or knuckle, and can be modern or traditional to suit the home’s theme. It provides a more open staircase and lets more natural light into the area.
Stainless steel balusters - a durable steel vertical rod in a polished silver colour.
Glass baluster - a sleek, clear glass panel that creates a solid barrier and can be installed in different ways such as Sandwich Glass (where the glass is secured in-between the staircase stringer).
Timber balusters - made from Pine and can be stained or painted. For example, this is included when the 'Hampton's staircase' option is selected.
What are the styles of staircases on offer?
A staircase should blend seamlessly with a home’s style and design theme. Here are the most popular types of staircases.
Note: All staircase customisation requests are subject to approval.
Hamptons style – This includes a combination of Vic Ash timber and MDF-painted elements. It features Vic Ash square-edged treads with MDF-painted risers, Pine balusters and a Vic Ash square handrail to complete the look. To achieve the ultimate Hamptons staircase, the treads are stained, and risers are painted for contrast, whilst the balusters are painted and the handrail is stained. (see image attached of Hamptons staircase)
Open riser style – This is where the risers are removed from the staircase, giving the appearance of floating treads. This modern style opens the entryway and enhances the sense of space and light. This is the standard staircase for our Emperor Series. (see image attached of Open riser staircase)
Part-timber/part-MDF or carpet-grade style - Some staircases can feature part-timber treads and risers and part-MDF or carpet-grade treads and risers. An example would be if the ground-floor flight of stairs is in Vic Ash timber, with the first-floor flight of stairs being in MDF or carpet-grade material, which is broken up by the staircase landing. This style is a cost-effective option for those who love the look of timber stairs but don’t want to pay the price of a full Vic Ash staircase.
Vic Ash timber style - A full Vic Ash timber staircase provides a seamless look where the staircase is all timber and can be stained in any of the available colour choices to match your selected flooring.
MDF or carpet-grade style - A full MDF or carpet-grade staircase is the preferred option for those wanting to carpet their staircase for added comfort, softness and sophistication in the finish. Note: an MDF staircase cannot ever be stained.
Hot tips
Our interior design team will guide you through the staircase elements available with your home design of choice. Not all options are available in all designs, and often with stairs, some features are not compatible. For example:
- The MDF or carpet-grade style of the staircase has a carpet finish, which means the material cannot ever be stained.
- Most pine elements are painted and cannot be stained. Pine elements are used in our Hamptons style staircase.
- The Vic Ash elements can be stained.
- When selecting a glass baluster it is important to note a round handrail is not compatible.
- The open riser style of staircase does not allow for understair storage.