| I wanted to give
you a couple of options on how to close an open stairway. Examine the
illustrations and pictures on this page to get more ideas. The main goal
is to block a 4 inch round sphere from going through any area of the
stairway, including the handrailing.
The upper section of the illustration shows you the front view of a
stairway with 2 x 12 treads and the lower section is a side view of the
same stairway. By placing a piece of wood on top of the lower stair
tread, you can create an open riser effect, but keep a 4 inch round
sphere from going through this area.
Remember, some building codes don't allow you to use open riser's.
Attention: Don't forget to check with your local
building department to verify any building codes on this website. This
information could be incorrect or outdated. Building codes are updated
regularly and to some building departments have different
interpretations for certain building codes.
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| In the illustration above we
moved the blocking board to the center, between the two stair
treads. Make sure that you use a strong piece of wood or metal,
because this particular design could easily get kicked by
stairway users and damaged. |
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In the illustration above we
moved the blocking board to the top, between the two stair
treads. This is probably the best spot and will suffer the least
amount of damage, from people using the stairway. |
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| In the illustration above, we
closed the stairway with a 2 x 6. This is the simplest way to
close a stairway's risers. Simply nail a 2 x 6 to the back up
every tread and then nail from the top of the tread into the 2 x
6 riser to securely fasten it to the stairway. |
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In the illustration above, we
closed the stairway with a 2 x 6, except this time we angled it.
Some stairways require a 1 inch setback, instead of a 1 inch
tread overhang. If you need to close the risers and the designer
is requesting a setback instead of an overhang, this is how it
would be done. |
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At giving you a couple of
illustrations, but wanted to give you a picture, just in case
the illustrations didn't make any sense. The picture on the left
is showing the area that needs to be blocked, to create a open
or closed riser stairway, according to most building codes. The
black ball represents a 4 inch round sphere, that can not pass
or penetrate through any part of an open staircase. |
Maximum Rise
Maximum Total Stairway Rise
Maximum Angle of the Stair Risers
Maximum Variation in Stair Risers
Stair Tread Minimum
Stair
Tread Nosing Requirements
Floor and
Landing Overhang
Closed Treads and Open Risers
What's an Open Riser
Staircase?
Problems with Open Risers Stairways
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