Stair spindles are a great way to add some character (and extra safety) to your home decor. A staircase is often the first feature people see when entering your home, so why would you settle for anything but the best first impression?! It may seem a little daunting to think about ripping out your existing wooden or metal spindles but, with the right advice, you can update your staircase easily and affordably in just a few easy steps….
The following guide is intended as an overview of the current safety regulations (and our expert advice) over fitting spindles to your home staircase. However, before installing or replacing stair spindles, we would always advise that you contact a building inspector if you are unsure about your compliance with building safety regulations. For the very best results, we’d always advise that installation is carried out by a professional tradesperson.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT ARE STAIR SPINDLES?
Stair spindles, sometimes also referred to as ‘balusters’ are vertical rods designed to connect the handrail to the base of a staircase. They provide added style to your overall staircase design, but also act as crucial safety feature.
Stair spindles normally come in a range of different styles and materials, including wood, but our spindles have all been crafted from wrought iron or high-grade steel. The quality metal casting technique of our stair spindles gives a reassuring sense of sturdiness and quality, which woods such as pine or oak just cannot offer.
WHAT ARE THE RULES FOR STAIR SPINDLES?
UK building regulations state that a 10cm (100mm) sphere shouldn’t be able to pass through the gaps between stair spindles. In other words, the maximum space between spindles shouldn’t exceed 9.9cm (99mm) for both landing and angled spindles. This ensures maximum safety, preventing falls and slips when using your staircase. Especially when little ones are involved.
HOW MANY STAIR SPINDLES DO I NEED?
How many spindles are too many? Well, hopefully we can answer that one for you. As stated above, current regulations note that the gap between spindles shouldn’t exceed 9.9cm (99mm).
As a general rule, every step (or ‘tread’) on your staircase should require two spindles. However this is largely dependent on the width of each step. For best results, use our Stair Spindle Calculation below to figure out exactly how many spindles you’ll need.
WHAT STYLE OF STAIR SPINDLE SHOULD I GO FOR?
That’s completely up to you! We stock a huge and varied selection of designs; including classic basket weave and twisted designs, as well as more ornate scrolled and Art Deco-inspired pieces. When it comes to which spindle design is best for your home, it all comes down to the style of your existing staircase, the type of decor you love and which finish catches your eye. Take a look at our Stair Fittings Style Guide for further inspiration.
HOW DO I INSTALL MY STAIR SPINDLES?
All of our metal spindles are installed by way of simple brackets. There are two types involved depending on which part of the staircase your spindles are being added to. Rake brackets are used for fitting spindles at an angle (such as going up a staircase), whilst landing brackets are used for simple vertical installation (such as along a landing or balcony).
All our brackets feature pre-drilled fixing holes, which can easily be screwed onto your bannisters. You can then insert each stair spindle and secure them in place by way of a grub screw. We currently offer four different styles of brackets. Find out more below.
High-Quality Materials
All our stair spindles have been expertly crafted from high-quality metals using traditional metalworking techniques, including wrought iron and robust steel.
Unique Designs
Whether you’re looking for something traditional and classic or something a little bit different, we’ve got it all in our collection of carefully designed stair spindles.
Classic Finishes
Many of our stair spindles are finished in a sleek black powder coat. However, some of our designs also feature polished steel elements. Fancy something else? Get in touch.
SPACING GUIDE
As we’ve said many times throughout this guide, stair spindles are the most important part of any staircase. Not only do they provide support between your handrail and base rail, they also add a beautiful finishing touch to any staircase and, most importantly, provide safety to your home or commercial property.
As a general rule, two spindles per step (or ‘tread’) should be sufficient when applying the ‘maximum gap of 9.9cm (99mm) between spindles’ requirement. However, this will depend entirely on how deep your treads are. Here at Black Country Metal Works, we like to check, check and check again to ensure we have our calculations in order, which is why we’ve developed the below formula to help you work out exactly how many stair spindles you’ll need for your specific staircase.
This calculation has been developed based on our standard spindle width of 1.5cm (15mm), with a 9.9cm (99mm) gap between each. However, some people prefer to have their spindles closer together. Remember, this should never exceed 9.9cm (99mm)! We’d advise working in millimetres for this calculation. Once you have your measurements, you can use our handy calculator below to work everything out for you. Simply input all the data into each required field and press 'calculate'.
Our top tip is to make sure you round up to the nearest whole number if your calculation has a decimal point. Here is an example of this formula in action:
The total rail length equals 312.5cm (3125mm), the spindle width is 1.5cm (15mm) and the desired spacing is 9.9cm (99mm). Therefore 3125 minus 15 = 3110. 15 plus 99 = 114. So, 3110 divided by 114 = 27.28. You can then round this up to 28, suggesting a total of 28 spindles to complete this project.
To ensure that everything is 100% accurate with your calculations, we’d always advise ordering at least two extra spindles. These can easily be returned to us (un-cut), so it’s always better to be safe than sorry! Also, don’t forget to order two brackets for each spindle, unless they come attached or included with your chosen spindles (this will be indicated within the product description).
CUTTING SERVICE
Just to make your journey to a shiny new staircase that extra bit easier, we also provide a cutting service. Our stair spindles measure 85cm (850mm) to 95cm (950mm) in height, and have been designed to fit most standard staircases. However, if you require something shorter, we are able to pre-cut many of our designs before shipping them out to you at a starting price of £1 per spindle (dependent on style and quantity).
However, there may be some restrictions on the amount that can be removed from certain spindles depending on the design. We can also only offer our cutting service for spindles with removable brackets. For more information about our cutting services, feel free to call our friendly sales team on 01691 610952. Please note that we cannot accept returns on custom sized stair spindles, or spindles that have been cut post-delivery.
You can also easily cut spindles down yourself using a hacksaw, grinder with a metal cutting disk, or chop saw. However, we’d always recommend using a trusted tradesperson to cut your stair spindles down to ensure maximum safety.
BRACKETS & INSTALLATION
When it comes to installing our stair spindles, it really is as easy as 1, 2, 3. As mentioned earlier in this guide, there are two main types of brackets used to fit stair spindles. However, we offer multiple variations of each to make installation even easier for you (and your tradesperson).
The two main bracket designs that we supply include rake brackets and landing brackets. Rake brackets are what we use to fit spindles on an angle, going up a staircase handrail. These allow for spindles to be fitted at an angle. Landing brackets are used for fitting spindles on landings or balustrades. These allow for safe vertical fitting. Here’s a little more information about each unique type that we offer...
Embedded Landing Brackets
Designed for landings or balustrades, these brackets can be embedded into a staircase for added spindle security. Embedding spaces will need to be created.
Landing Brackets
Designed for landings or balustrades, these brackets can be installed onto your staircase by way of fixing screws before slotting in a stair spindle.
Adjustable Rake Brackets
Designed for angled bannisters, these brackets feature a hinged spindle holder which can be adjusted to suit the angle of your staircase. Installed using screws.
Fixed Rake Brackets
Designed for angled bannisters, these brackets are for simple spindle fitting and already feature a standard angle ready for spindle placement.
RETURNING SPARES
Yup, you read that right. We provide hassle free returns for any spare spindles you may have lying around once a project is complete. These spindles must be returned in the same condition that they were delivered in, and we cannot accept the return of any damaged or cut spindles (even if they were pre-cut by our in-house team). The return of any spare spindles will still fall under our wider Refunds & Returns Policy. Please refer to this to find out more about returning your spare spindles.
Your question still hasn’t quite been answered? Not to worry. Our customer service team is always on-hand to give further advice over our stair spindle designs and how to install them. Feel free to contact us for more information. Or have a look through our full collection of stair spindles by clicking the button below.
