With over 20 years of experience as staircase specialists, Abbott-Wade can totally transform your home, drawing upon our expertise and industry experience for every design and installation. We’ve created a variety of bespoke staircases, beautified existing flights with replacement glass stair panels, and completed countless successful installations for our satisfied customers.
Glass Stair Panels – Some of Our Transformations
On this page, we show real photographs of spindle renovations, where the clients chose to replace their tired spindles with contemporary clamped glass stair panels. These photographs were taken inside the homes of real customers by our installations team, with their permission, to prove just how good glass balustrades can look in any type of home or residential building.*
What are glass stair panels?
Glass stair panels are the parts of a staircase that connect the base rail and the handrail, providing an attractive alternative to traditional spindles.
When you think of stair panels, you may have in mind the dreadful, boxed-in look of the 60s. However, those stair panels completely restricted the flow of light, resulting in dark stairways that were something of an eyesore.
The contemporary glass stair panels of the modern day provide the opposite effect, opening up your stairway by increasing the flow of light.
Types of glass stair panels
Our glass stair panels are made from clear toughened glass, which is typically 10mm thick. The width of the panel and the type of brackets used to secure them to the handrail and base rail will differ depending on the individual needs of the customer.
Whilst glass stair panels are available to buy off the shelf, it’s much better to have bespoke panels made to fit the space you are renovating. This is especially true if you would prefer wider glass stair panels, or if your staircase has an unusual configuration. All of our glass stair panels are made bespoke to order, with careful measurements taken to ensure an accurate fit.
Replacing worn-out spindles with stylish glass panels is a popular choice amongst Abbott-Wade clients. While painted spindles can add colour to a staircase, our 10mm toughened glass stair panels make the space brighter by letting more light through. You can also create a sense of continuity by choosing brass or stainless steel glass clamps to secure the balustrades.
Why our clients love glass stair panels
Changing from wooden or metal spindles to glass stair panels isn’t purely a cosmetic choice. Yes, glass stair panels look incredible and can instantly modernise your staircase, but there are also more pragmatic reasons to choose this material. Many customers have told us that their old spindles were a dust trap, and that they dreaded the daunting chore of painting them all while redecorating.
Glass stair panels require much less maintenance than wooden spindles and are far easier to clean. A regular wipe-down and polishing with a dry cloth can keep glass balustrades looking brand new for a long time. No need to stress about finicky spindles or feel trapped in the stairwell by a series of bars. Glass will open up the area with an increased light flow, making even the smallest flight feel spacious.
As you can see from the photographs on this page, replacing painted spindles with clamped glass panels can immediately streamline your staircase and improve its appearance. With these strong toughened glass panels, your safety is still assured while going up and down the stairs – but as you can see, the space appears much cleaner and less cluttered compared to the ‘before’ images.
Clamped glass stair panels case studies
Staircases come in all shapes and sizes, but glass stair panels can suit any flight of stairs if designed and installed appropriately. To the right, you can see photographs of a large communal staircase from a residential block in London. The Residents Association for this building collectively decided that a renovation was overdue for their drab and dated staircase.
They were looking for something more modern yet still homely, which was both safe and a satisfactory design for residents and visitors. As the images show, Abbott-Wade delivered a beautiful new staircase solution with oak and glass balustrades. If you’d like to hear more customer stories about replacing spindles with glass, check out this case study from Mr Frodsham.
More glass staircase inspiration
For more staircase inspiration, browse our gallery of installation photographs to see some of the amazing staircases we’ve worked on at Abbott-Wade. You can also look around our website for staircase design ideas and learn more about the styles we offer. If you’re somehow still not sold on clamped glass stair panels, why not consider embedded glass, glass spindles, or frameless glass?
Interested in getting glass stair panels for your own stairs? Get in touch with the team at Abbott-Wade by calling 01744 632 442 or sending an e-mail to info@abbottwade.co.uk, and one of our staircase experts will be happy to assist you.
*Each of the before and after images on this page are taken before and after a real Abbott-Wade installation, in UK homes visited by our teams.
Some of the images may be taken at different stages of completion, with carpets/decoration left unfinished.