Have you Considered Stair Treads for your Home & Garden Decor?

Stair treads are an essential aspect of just about any home with stairs. For those who don’t know, stair treads are the horizontal part of the stairs that are stepped upon. Stair treads are one of the many things that tend to be overlooked during the design of just about any home. Of course, stair treads are a crucial consideration when developing any staircase. Here, we’ll take a look at some of the most important considerations to be made when selecting and cutting stair treads – there are a quite a few, and getting this right is crucially important.

Think About Load

When choosing the material for stair treads, be sure to consider how much loading you expect them to bear, and how often. Determining how much load a stair tread is going to take is a crucial decision in whether one chooses, say, metal treads, wooden treads, split wooden treads, or some other option. Of all the things to think about when making a choice of treads, load is the most important. If possible, discuss this with a structural engineer, so you can ensure minimal stress on the part of the builders or flooring staff.

Sizing

Some stair treads are much easier to cut to size than others. Metal treads for more industrial buildings, for instance, are hard to slice into a shape that will fit the staircase. Wooden treads, on the other hand, are easier to manipulate – this means they’re easy to cut, paint, and lay. This is why wooden treads are the most common in home applications. On top of being easy to manipulate, they’re easy to carpet, modify, and extend. The advantage to metal staircases, on the other hand, is the fact that they generally require less material and less maintenance.

Consider Exposure

Stair treads that are going to be outside obviously have different requirements than those intended for indoor use. Outdoor stair treads are commonly wooden, but some people are starting to consider alternative stair treads for their garden decor. Some people have turned to metal ones, and in some applications, this does quite well. Though metal can make beautiful things, they have the unfortunate characteristic of being aesthetically unpleasing, however, so most people stick to wooden stair treads for outdoor applications. If you choose to go this route, ensure that your wooden treads are coated in the right protective films and paint.

Aesthetics

The obvious consideration to be made when it comes to stair treads is the aesthetic one. What the treads look like is the first thing most people think about, and reasonably enough. What they look like is the first thing people will notice when looking at the stairs and their treads, so it’s obviously a deciding factor. As long as decisions are made with the above two factors in mind and is not solely based on looks, you should be fine when choosing your stair treads. Choosing stair treads is a complicated decision with many influencing factors. If you keep all of these in mind, however, you’ll be sure to make the right one.