More and more people are choosing to implement open tread staircases into their house design, and it is easy to see why! There are many reasons as to why this type of staircase can benefit your home, perfectly bringing your home up to a trendy, contemporary 21^st century design. However, one major drawback for especially young families is the safety of an open tread, as after all stairs are only getting higher and higher from the ground below, so any risk of falling needs to be assessed. Here at Abbott-Wade, we are here to do that assessing for you, and come to the conclusion whether open tread staircase is safe for your home.

Why do people have open tread staircases?

Before we examine their safety, it is useful to list the reasons as to why open tread staircases appeal to people in the first place. Often the safety aspect comes as an afterthought as people often consider its appearance before the practicality of the staircase. Open tread staircases are a great way of brightening up your home, as the opening between each step allows for light to shine through the whole downstairs floor. This can be great for making your home a more welcoming environment.

As well as being a good way of making your space brighter, open tread staircases are also true to their name and make your space appear more open. This is often useful if you are looking to have a more inclusive design with less separation between floors.

Is an open tread safe to use?

One of the biggest reasons as to why people opt against installing a new staircase with open treads is the fact that the gaps in between each step could be a safety issue, especially if you have a young family. This is in case a child (or adult for that matter!) catches their foot in between the treads and could risk falling. To combat this, UK regulations state that there cannot be a gap of more than 10cm between each step, significantly reducing the gap of someone’s foot or head (trust us, it happens) being caught between each.

To make sure someone’s foot isn’t caught between steps coming down the steps, regulations also state that treads must have an overhang of at least 16mm, as safety precautions are put in place before an open tread staircase is installed.

The team at Abbott-Wade will always make sure that our staircase renovations adhere to these regulations so you can have peace of mind that your open tread staircases are safe to use in any home.

Contact us

What are your opinions on having an open tread staircase in your property? Has this post changed whether you would like one in your home? If so, get in touch with the team here at Abbott-Wade for a consultation about your dream staircase design. Simply give us a call on 01744 634 442 or email us at info@abbottwade.co.uk.

Here at Abbott-Wade, it is safe to say that we are staircase enthusiasts, after all we are the experts! With this in mind, we are regularly paying close attention to the kind of designs our customers are asking us to install, and where they get their inspiration from. As modern trends are always changing, it is important to stress that trying to keep up with the very latest design, you might be looking at an expensive process. But, if you are looking for a new staircase for a new decade, checking out these trends put together by the team of the North West’s number one staircase team…

Spiral staircase

One of the most eye catching designs around, a spiral staircase is the staple of a modern home. No, we’re not talking about the ones that you see in castles, we’re thinking of an open tread spiral staircase with glass balustrades that would combine beautifully with an oak wood floor. Any kind of spiral staircase has the advantage of adding a vintage look to a home, or contemporary when done correctly, giving it a versatility which is not always accomplished by other kinds of staircases.

Light staircases

More and more in modern households, light is right if you’re looking to keep on trend! And we’re not talking about the odd combinations of green, yellow and pink that were a fixture in the 1960’s, but light shades of grey and white are now becoming the primary colour schemes of the modern house. With this, steel staircases are becoming more and more popular due to their tough make up and lighter colour. We have also saw many painted staircases in lighter colours this year, as houses becoming brighter and more welcoming to guests.

Floating staircase

Floating staircases may be something that you have saw on Grand Designs and pondered what they would look like in your own home. Well, now you can implement one of these in your house and give yourself a staircase that is bang in trend in 2020! Leave any visitors in awe as the seemingly levitating treads can give a sense of efficiency of space whilst giving you a unique and intriguing design that will last for years to come.

Contact us

So there are 3 staircase designs that are proving to be a big hit in 2020, but making your perfect staircase is entirely down to personal preference, but if you are looking for a contemporary staircase you should definitely look to incorporate some of these design features!

Do you have any staircase ideas of your own that you’d like to discuss with an expert? Be sure to get in touch with us at Abbott-Wade today! Give us a call on 01744 634 442 or email us at info@abbottwade.co.uk for a quick and informed response from one of our team.

Due to the unfortunate circumstances happening in the world at the moment, we are being rightly instructed to stay at home. This gives us more time to look at our homes in detail and carefully examine what you like most about the place in which you live. Towards the top of the list should be your staircase, right?

After all, the staircase is one of the most used pieces of furniture in the home and should be appreciated as any couch, bed or TV is. Here at Abbott-Wade, we have our selection of staircases ready to install once government advice changes, so we can climb the first step on installing your dream staircase together.

Glass staircase

One of our most popular staircase finishes are our glass staircases. These elegant designs allow your home to embrace natural light which will be plentiful as we approach the summer months! This gives your home a modern, contemporary look that helps the colours of your walls shine through as well as nature outside. This effective staircase design is sure to create a stunning look for years to come.

We make sure that our glass staircases are some of the toughest around, so your wonderfully designed staircase is safe for use for a lifetime, with no worries about the quality of the glass balustrades that give their staircase their signature open plan look.

If you would like to find out more information about how a glass staircase could work in your home, or discuss the design of your dreams with us, please do get in touch!

Wooden staircase

If lockdown has got you wanting to take a nod back to a more traditional staircase, then a wooden staircase could be something that piques your interest. These finishes can add a warm tone to a home that is in desperate need of a look that can be appreciated all year round. A firm favourite with customers, the wooden finish is a timeless classic and will be a smart fit in any home.

Wooden staircases have a versatility that means that the tough and sturdy wooden spindles can be combined with glass balustrades providing the perfect contrast between old and new which could give your staircase a contemporary feel for years to come.

Steel staircase

A relatively new look in homes, steel staircases are here to stay with their dazzling, modern appeal. This design normally does not look out of place in offices and commercial buildings, but as home’s are becoming bigger and more experimental in their design, a steel staircase is providing the centrepiece in more and more houses.

Much like their wooden counterparts, these stylish pieces of furniture can work perfectly in combination with glass to provide the ultimate contemporary staircase or you can favour a more traditional staircase by mixing it with a wooden design.

As to be expected, steel staircases can prove to be a more durable material that will last a lifetime, which is something you should definitely look for when purchasing a new staircase.

Contact us

If you would like to get started on designing your dream staircase and want to discuss your ideas with us or would like some advice from our team of staircase experts, then we are still available to contact despite the COVID-19 outbreak. You can request one of our brochures to keep yourself occupied during lockdown and give you some inspiration or get in touch via our online enquiry form to discuss some ideas of your own. You can also contact us by giving us a call on 01744 634 442 or emailing us at info@abbottwade.co.uk.