| A |
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B
Balusters - A
turned, carved or otherwise vertical section placed between
the handrail and the stair tread or stair stringer.
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| Balustrade
- The framework formed by the combination of rail, newels
and balusters. two basic types: Over the post and Post to Post |
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| Banister -
a baluster ( corruption of baluster ). |
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| Brackets
- Ornamental devices applied to the surface of the stair stringer
under the treads of open tread stairs. |
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| Box
- Straight stairs with closed stringers. |
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| Bull nose
- A trim piece or plate applied to the sub floor on balcony
areas to provide a foundation for the balusters. |
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Bull nosed
starting tread - Sometimes called a scroll step. The
bottom or first step of a stair because the ends project beyond
the stringers and form
the surface upon which the starting newels and handrail begin.
The ends are semicircular in shape. |
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| Bump
out - Increasing the width of the stair to accommodate
a partial wall. The stair is closed between the walls and
becomes open on at least one side. |
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| C |
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| Carriages
(Stringers, Cut Jacks) - The diagonal members that support the
treads. |
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| Circular stair
- a helical stair |
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| Cove molding
- A length of molding placed under the treads. |
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Closed
stringers - A staircase in which the ends of
the treads are routed, or housed so that they are not visible
outside the stair.
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Curved stair
- A broad definition for stairs that form a portion
or all of a circle. Most curved stairs have concentric lines
for the stringers (also see Supported).
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| Cut
Jacks - Stringers which have been simply notched
out on their upper edges to receive the treads and risers. |
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| D |
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Dextral stair: a
stair that turns to the right during ascent.
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| Dogleg -
A change in pitch of the stair because of a change in the length
tread. The tread length causes the stringer to form a bent shape
looking like a "dog's hind leg".; A stair with two flights separated
by a half landing, and having no stairwell. |
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| E |
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Easing/Easement
- The curved junctions placed in a handrail to bring the parts
at different levels into one flowing curve. A fitting that
curves in a vertical plane, used to change the angle of the
handrail.
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| F |
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| False end
treads - Treads which have a wood veneer on the surfaces
and solid wood nose and return. False end treads
when covered with carpet look like solid treads and are
less expensive than a solid wood tread. |
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| Fillet -
A thin strip that fills the plowed ( grooved) rail space between
balusters in a hand rail or toe rail. |
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| Finial
- The ornamental top of a newel post. Carved, shaped or turned. |
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Fittings - See
easing/easements. Sections of
a handrail used at the beginning and end of a balustrade or
wherever the handrail changes height or direction.
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| Flight of
stairs - An uninterrupted series of steps and stringers
reaching from one landing to the next. The flights may be straight
or curved. |
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| Flitch - A
log sliced into thin veneer pieces, usually 1/16" thickness,
slices are then bundled back to sell as a unit |
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| Flutes -
Sometimes called reeds. Flutes are decorative vertical grooves
placed in a wood surface such as a baluster or newel. |
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| G |
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| Going (run)
- the horizontal distance between two successive nosings.
The sum of the goings of a straight flight stair is the going
of the flight. |
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| Gradient of a stair
- the ratio between going (run) and riser; the angle
of inclination. |
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| Guardrail
- A protective railing designed to prevent people
or objects from falling into open well, stairwell or other
open spaces. |
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| Glue blocks
- Blocks of wood attached to the underside of a stair
at the junction of the riser and tread. Glue blocks secure the
treads and risers together and are used to prevent movement
which causes squeaks. |
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Gooseneck
- A combination of an easing and a fitting in a rail system
which allows the handrail to change heights from an incline
back to the level.
Placed at landings or at the top of a stair. |
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H
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| Hand
- The direction a stair takes when at the first riser. Hand
is determined by applying the hand to the handrail when ascending
the stairs, i.e. if the stair curves to the right when the right
hand is used the flight is called a right hand stair. |
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| Handrail
- A molded rail following the pitch or rake of the staircase,
and forming the top or connecting piece of the balustrade which
protects the outside of the stair. |
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Headroom
- The vertical distance from the lowest point of the ceiling
or soffit directly above the stair to the nose of
the stair Most code require
6' -8", (80 in), (2.03 m), (203 cm) |
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| Helical stair
- A correct, but not the usual, name for a spiral stair. |
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| Horse-
Another term for the stringer or supporting member of the staircase. |
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Housed
stringer - The profile of the treads, nosing
and risers is routed into a finished stringer.
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| I |
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| J |
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| Jack: another
term for stringer or supporting member of the staircase; ...cut
jack |
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| K |
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| L |
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| Landing:
a resting place, or wide step at the middle or top of a flight
of stairs. Landings are often used to change the direction
of a stair. |
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| M |
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| Margin -
reveal; the distance between the
nosing and the top of a closed stringer. |
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| Mopstick handrail
-a handrail that is circular,
except for a small flat surface underneath. |
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| Mitered
risers - The vertical risers are mitered to the
vertical notched portion of the stair stringer |
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| N |
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| Newels or
newel post - A solid rectangular, or circular section
of vertical post at the center and at regular turns and
junctions of a rail system. The newels provide the main support
for the rail system. There is a starting newel at the base of
the stairs and a landing newel at the turns or top of the stair.
Other newels are described as: center turned newel, box newel,
pin top newel. |
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| Nosing - The
front edge of the tread which projects beyond the face of the
riser. It is usually rounded, chamfered or sometimes shaped. |
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| O |
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| Open
risers - A staircase designed with only the horizontal
surfaces of the treads fixed to the stair stringers. Vertical
surfaces between treads are open. |
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| Open stair
- a stair that is open on one or both sides. |
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| Open
stringer - A stringer that is cut out for the treads
and risers such that their profile can be seen from the side. |
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| Opening cap
- A fitting or portion of the rail system which begins
with a round cap and is connected to the handrail. |
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| Open well stair -
a stair with two or more flights around an open space. |
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| P |
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| Perron -
a dignified exterior stairway, usually approaching
the main entrance. |
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| Pin top baluster
- A baluster having dowel type top rather than a square. |
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| Pitch
- The inclination or rake of a stair with or to a horizontal
plane. |
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| Plowed rail
- A hand rail which has had the bottom grooved or plowed
to accommodate a square top baluster. Fillet are used to fill
the space between balusters. |
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| Posts
- Another name for a newel. A
solid rectangular, or circular section of vertical post
at the center and at regular turns and junctions of a
rail system. The newels or posts provide the main support
for the rail system. There is a starting post at the base
of the stairs and a landing post at the turns or top of the
stair. Other posts are described as: Center turned post, Box
post, Pin top post. |
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| Q |
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| Quarter turn
fitting - That part of a level rail that allows a 90
degree change of direction. The fitting may have a round
cap to accommodate the end of a newel. |
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| R |
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| Rail system
-The balustrade. Used to describe a complete rail system consisting
of the handrail, newels, fittings and balusters. |
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| Rake
- The angle or inclination of the stair as it climbs from one
floor to the next. |
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| Ramp
- A vertical curved easing in a handrail; an incline plane for
passage of traffic. |
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| Reveal
- The amount of space between the top of a tread to the
stop of a stringer or in front of the first riser. |
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| Rise
- The vertical distance between the upper surfaces of two consecutive
treads. |
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| Risers
- The vertical face of a step. |
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S
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| Shoe
rail - A plowed rail that is used under square end balusters when they
do not sit directly on the treads. |
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| Skirtboard
- A decorative trim board used on either open or closed sides of the stair. |
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| Soffit - The visible sloping under-surface between the stair stringers. |
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| Spindles - The balusters or turned, carved or otherwise vertical sections
placed between the handrail and the stair tread or stair
stringer. |
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| Spiral
staircase - Stairs, which
rise regularly around a cylinder, real or imaginary. Sometimes
called helical. |
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| Step - One unit of a stair, consisting of a riser and a tread.
A stair is a series of steps. |
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| Square
top baluster - Balusters with square tops rather than the more commonly used
pin tops. Require plowed rail and fillets. |
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| Starting
tread (step) - The first tread and riser at the bottom of the stair. (Also see:
Bull
nosed) |
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| Stairway - a staircase, or a stairwell. |
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| Stairwell- The framed opening in the floor that incorporates
the stairs. The long dimension affects the amount of available
headroom. |
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| Stringer- (Carriages, Cut Jacks) The inclined boards or laminations in which
the treads and risers are enclosed. |
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| Supported
staircase
- a stair having supporting walls arranged under and/or around. |
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| T |
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| Tandem
cap - A connecting fitting usually outfitted with a circular cap to
which horizontal end piece rails can be attached. |
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| Toe
rail - A horizontal component of a rail system, parallel to the handrail.
Balusters are placed on this component. |
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| Treads - The horizontal part of a staircase upon which the foot is
placed. |
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| Turn
out - A fitting used to start a rail system. Part of the handrail
which is curved in plan and elevation views. |
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| U |
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| V |
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| Veneer - A thin sliced wood used to cover tread ends and stair stringers. |
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| Volutes
or Wreath - part of the
handrail which is curved in plan and elevation views. Volutes
are used to start rail system. |
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| W |
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| Wash -
a slight sloping of treads to throw of rainwater. |
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| Wall
Rail - Used where a stair runs alongside a wall and is attached to the
wall with rail brackets. |
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| Walk
line - An arbitrary line but generally 12" from the inside radius
of a curved stair. |
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| Wedges - Ramp type pieces of wood used in the construction of closed
staircases to help secure treads and risers. |
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| Winders - Treads that are narrower at one end than the other. Used to turn
corners or go around curves. |
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| Winding
stair - A spiral star;
a circular or elliptical geometrical stair. |
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| X |
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| Y |
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| Z |
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