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 21st 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/.
