Spiral Staircase Riser Bars

Riser bars - when should they be fitted?

Most spiral staircase, space saver staircase and modular staircase designs on our website feature open-backed treads, that is to say there is no solid riser at the back of each tread. This means your Building Control Surveyor may require you to have some form of barrier at the back of your spiral staircase treads to prevent young children squeezing between the treads and getting trapped. Under these circumstances you need to ensure you do not have a gap that would allow the passage of a 100mm sphere to pass through.

The most economical way to achieve this is to fit a set of riser bars, which are horizontal steel bars fitted at the back of the tread during or after construction of your spiral staircase kit. We recommend customers check with building control before purchasing a set of riser bars, just to make sure, but don't forget they can be added at a later date if you find you do need them.

Riser bars are generally straightforward to fit, for any competent DIY'er. You will have to cut the riser bars to length depending on your staircase diameter, and drill a hole in the tread to securely fix the riser bar. For Gamia Zinc staircases it is best to use a small amount of exterior silicone sealant to seal the drill hole during installation. The cut end of the riser bar can be finished with a zinc touch-up paint, available from most diy or motor accesory stores as well as online sources.

In Scotland riser bars are required for all domestic staircases whatever the circumstances. In April 2103 for the rest of the UK (England, Wales and Northern Ireland), the wording of the regulations concerning tread risers on open tread stairs was slightly changed, so we now recommend you contact Building Control to check whether they require you to fit riser bars or not. Alternatively give us a call or email us via the Contact Us page