By Daniel Kim
A steel staircase is the one piece of engineering your guests will touch every day. Get the design decisions right up front and it feels inevitable; get them wrong and it creaks, rusts or fails certification. Here's our pre-cut checklist.
1. Stringer style sets everything
Folded-plate stringers read modern and hide fixings; twin channel stringers suit industrial looks and carry heavier treads; a central spine needs serious engineering but floats beautifully. Pick the look first — it drives the steel sizes and the price.
2. Compliance is non-negotiable
The National Construction Code caps risers at 190mm, demands minimum goings, 1m-minimum handrail heights and balustrade gaps under 125mm. We design to these numbers as standard and arrange engineer certification where the stair is structural.
“Design the stair around the code, not the other way around. Retrofitting compliance is where budgets go to die.”
3. Decide the finish before fabrication
- Indoor feature stair → linished welds + premium powder-coat
- Outdoor or coastal → galvanise first, then coat
- Treads: spotted gum, blackbutt or perforated steel pan
- Allow crane or hiab access for one-piece installs
Bring measurements, photos and a rough idea to our workshop — we'll sketch concepts on the spot and follow up with a 3D concept and fixed quote.
DANIEL KIM
DESIGN & CUSTOM LEAD
Daniel turns napkin sketches into 3D stair concepts and runs our custom installation crew.
