Understanding Circular and Curved Stairs

There is nothing quite as beautiful as an exceptionally well designed, constructed and finished curved stairs or circular staircase installed in your home or business. The sweeping features of circular and curved stairs add a touch of glamour to a home and can provide an extremely open feeling in a room or entryway. For over 30 years, the master craftsmen of The Great Lakes Stair & Millwork Co. have been creating custom circular and curved stairs with “Old World Craftmanship” that will last a lifetime.

While working with customers over the years in designing and installing circular and curved stairs, we have noticed that many times people get confused in the description between different types of radius stairs: such as the differences between Spiral Staircases vs. Circular Staircases vs. Helical Staircases vs. Curved Staircases vs. Winding Staircases vs. Round Stairs. For purposes of clarification and establishing a consistent vocabular and understanding, we offer the following definitions:

A circular staircase rotates in a round fashion around the circumference of a given area. Usually turns more than 90 degrees. This stair has a center “hole” that a person can look up or down through. Sometimes people hang chandeliers through the center area of these stairs.
A curved staircase does a sweeping turn in a smaller area than a circular stair and usually does not make a complete circle. Usually turns 90 degrees or less.
A Helical stair is similar in size and turn to a spiral stair but does not use a center pole and typically has an inner and outer radius handrails.
A winding staircase completes a turn with angles and does so with angular steps without a center pole.
A spiral staircase is typically a tight radius stair that uses a diameter for sizing and wraps around a center pole.
A Round staircase typically refers to a stair that is circular or curved

What Are The Advantages Of Circular and Curved Staircases

As mentioned above circular and curved staircases are some of the most beautiful, architecturally aesthetic types of staircases that can be installed in a home or business. They are thought of as “turning sculptures” that are also a very functional piece of furniture. Their flowing, sweeping beauty brings a fluency and gracefulness to your home, offering a focal point for conversations as well as a great place for photo opportunities for many family gatherings.

When it comes to safety, you need not fear a circular or curved staircase. They are very user friendly with a natural cadence (flow & consistency) in the steps which makes ascending and descending the staircase extremely comfortable, even in the event of an emergency. On a true circular or curved staircase, a person never has to look at their feet while traversing the stair, due to the cadence and the consistent symmetrical design of the stairs. This accurate cadence makes circular and curved stairs very easy to follow up and down, unlike a 90 degree straight stairs where you have to pay more attention to where you are placing your feet while making an abrupt turn. Additionally, true curved and circular stairs use less space than other types of straight stairs with platforms. Their ease of use, efficient use of space, and stunning aesthetic value makes circular and curved stairs an ideal choice for many situations.

Circular and curved staircases meet all applicable building codes for both commercial and residential structures.

Delivery and installation of circular and curved stairs is very similar to that of typical straight stairs. The stair carriage itself (the portion of the stair that comprised of the Treads, risers and stringers assembled) is loaded into the enclosed Truck or trailer and braced into place. The remaining parts of the stair are packaged separately – such as the Hand Railings, Spindles, Newels and Landing treads which are removed from the stair and numbered and labeled for ease of re-assembly at the project destination. Whether we deliver stairs 5 miles away or 5,000 miles away, we package, ship, and brace these stairs the same way for damage free transit to the jobsite or project location.

Why You Should Choose Great Lakes Stair for your Circular or Curved Staircase

With over 30 years of experience in producing and installing circular and curved staircases, we know exactly what questions to ask about your project and we will understand your needs as a consumer. We collaborate with our customers by sharing photos, evaluating your space, understanding your specifications and then, turning your ideas into reality. We do not produce any base or entry level products; all our circular and curved staircase solutions range from semi-custom to all custom designed and hand crafted projects.

Please give us a call at 330-225-2005 or contact us when you are considering a circular or curved staircase for your home or business. The specialists at The Great Lakes Stair & Millwork Company will ensure you get the correct staircase design for your needs, at the right price for your budget along with optional expert installation for a staircase and hand railing system that will last a lifetime.