stairs construction?

mwstroh

13 years ago

can you please explain how these stairs are attached and what the treads and walls are made of?

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PRO

Mohler + Ghillino Architects

13 years ago

Thanks for your question. The stair treads are comprised of two layers of bamboo plywood (I believe these came from Bamboo Hardwoods) laminated together. They are edge banded so that you do not see the edge laminations. They are supported on steel angles with a blackened finish that are screwed into the wall and the bottom of the tread. The side walls are painted GWB on studs and the center wall is CVG fir plywood on studs. There is 2x blocking between studs in the walls wherever the angle is attached.

I've attached a shot of a more recent stair of similar (evolved, you might say) design from the View Ridge House (also on our page). Here, the steel angles are hidden behind the GWB and routed into the bottom of the tread for a cleaner look. The treads in this case are two layers of quarter sawn/rift cut white oak planks with a nosing. Again, painted GWB side walls and a CVG fir plywood center wall.

Hope that helps.

Rick

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Comments (10)

mwstroh
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks so much. That's a huge help. Beautiful work!!!
PRO
Mohler + Ghillino Architects
13 years ago
Thanks for your comment!

My apologies but I actually gave you a bit of misinformation on the second example (Chris, the builder, saw the post and reminded me of the changes we made). The steel angles are not set into the GWB but, instead, are mounted onto painted MDF blocks that flush out with the GWB (GWB would crush). The angles are 1 -1/2" and are upturned so that they are almost entirely hidden by the stair treads. This required the use of flat head lag screws but saved some money. With the money we saved we sprung for solid 1-1/2" oak stair treads - not two layers of plank with a nosing.

Thanks!

Rick
mwstroh
Original Author
13 years ago
last modified: 13 years ago
Thanks Rick. I assume that taking this approach is much easier on the budget than custom fabbed steel-and-wood stairs? And yet it still has a nice modern look.
PRO
Mohler + Ghillino Architects
13 years ago
Absolutely correct. It's a wood frame stair that's a little fussier than normal in that it requires careful blocking between studs, the fabridation of some metal angles, and a more robust stair tread since it has to span. However, much less expensive than a fabricated steel stair (like the one below). The two examples have a plywood clad center wall. To save money these could have been GWB painted with an interesting color, for example.
Per Johnson
11 years ago
I'm in Seattle and looking for a custom railing like the ones shown here. Could you tell me which metal worker you used? Thanks!

Beautiful job, by the way.
kirstyeg
10 years ago
@Per Johnson did you ever find a metal worker for your staircase? We're building in Seattle this winter and looking to do something similar.
Per Johnson
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
@kirstyeg. We found a great metalworker who made a beautiful, clean, modern steel railing for us. His name is Tim Stackpole (Stackpole Design). I can certainly recommend giving him a chance to look at your project. You can see some of his work here: http://stackpoledesign.tumblr.com/. Tim's phone is 206-234-6588.
kirstyeg
10 years ago
Thanks @Per Johnson! Will discuss w/ my GC. (Your name sounds familiar. Are you a Bulldog? I graduated GHS c/o 93.)
Per Johnson
10 years ago
Yep. '95.