Floating Staircase Design Ideas

Floating Staircase

Floating stairs have gained popularity recently, particularly as homeowners opt for contemporary styles. Selecting a modern floating stair in your interior design provides an open and spacious look and compliments the minimalistic contemporary style. One question arises: Does the design of this creative staircase work in your home, or would traditional stairs be a better fit?

When considering floating stairs, engineering is as important as the materials selected to build them. The reason is that the floating stringer, which gives the floating effect, must have superior strength yet minimal support. Due to the minimal support, the stringer must be well-engineered to ensure both safety and longevity. Stair manufacturers will custom-weld stairs so the stringers are more solid and stable, which adds value and makes the floating stairs a good investment.

Engineering is of the utmost importance since the stair uses a smaller structure for support. Therefore, floating staircases tend to be more expensive than traditional staircases. Floating stairs can use a mono-stringer design or a double-stringer design. The mono-stringer design is more costly because the engineering required to create a durable stringer that supports what two stringers can provide is greater. You can be assured that your stairs will withstand use and remain long-lasting if you choose a mono-stringer floating stair.

Building a mono-stringer staircase can cost 40% more than a traditional staircase. With this said, various other factors contribute to the cost estimation, such as the overall structure, size, the number of steps, the step material, the type of hand railing (if included), and whether there will be any platforms or landings. Once you have designed your staircase, a contractor can provide an accurate estimate of the total cost for this functional and impressive element in your home remodel or custom home build. The driving factors for cost are the quality and customization of the engineering.

Floating Staircase Design Ideas

A floating staircase is an architectural showpiece, perfect for a minimalist, open-air environment with a contemporary style, as seen in this renovated home. The spacious look is applicable in various settings, both outdoors and indoors. Property owners can implement floating staircase designs in many ways, making them spacing-permissive structures. By giving an open-air feel and allowing much more light into your rooms, floating stairs are lovely to incorporate into areas with large windows or openings, inviting sunlight to permeate your overall living space. A traditional staircase can block the view to the other side and visually close the space between two rooms.

If you desire to add more space to your floor plan, you can remove a wall and traditional staircase and incorporate the floating stairs just about anywhere. The added space allows for extra storage or a place for more furniture or artwork, as floating stairs do not require the support of a nearby wall or any additional form of support underneath. There are more options for the design of your floating stairs than a traditional staircase, allowing you to choose glass floating stairs, wood floating stairs, or metal floating stairs, to name a few. You can also configure your stairs to have several flights separated by landing platforms. The platforms can also provide various directions for each flight. Since you can choose the direction for each flight to run or rise, a well-engineered floating staircase can fit into the tightest spaces, even ones with unusual dimensions.

Floating stairs are versatile and can express your unique taste and creativity. Incorporating them into your home design complements the atmosphere and adds a grand look, a great way to impress your guests.

Take a look at this contemporary floating staircase featuring glass and wood steps, along with a bonus slide to the lower level for the children. Want to see more of this project?

Visit this link for additional design ideas for floating stairs, and consider how you can incorporate them when remodeling your current home or planning the design for your new home build. The ideas are limitless!