Rob O'Keeffe Joinery
Job profile: Spiral staircase
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For this job the client asked for a curved solid timber staircase that would look elegant and sweeping. Rimu was the chosen wood because the new house was to have other rimu fittings and would be furnished with rimu items. The sketch plans supplied to Rob provided no elevations, sections or construction details and significant design input was required, making competitive pricing a challenge
"All we had was a drawing of the spiral staircase which really didn't give us enough information to build it. They had a concept of what they wanted, but we had to turn it into a reality off a pretty minimal drawing."
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Coming in from the main entrance and internal garage the finished staircase leads up onto a bridge, above the entrance foyer which links the main bedrooms and living area. The stairs are a prominent feature, without being dominant as access to all areas of the house are associated with the staircase and accompanying bridge. The curve of the staircase is enhanced by the laminated, cut and mitred rimu string, laminated rimu handrail, the curved skirting in the foyer and the creation of a sill type ledge to allow the curved walls to revert to square above the stairs. Simple twisted cast iron balustrades and rimu newel post are fitted.
In the construction, a full size jig was made to form the internal string and handrail
"We had to make up a cylindrical form that was the full size of the inside diameter of the stairs and full height as well and do our laminating on that – because you can't laminate on just a circle, it has to go up on the angle as well. Its quite a complex sort of a curve."
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The string was laminated with one layer of rimu then staves fitted to form the shape of the treads and risers. The staves also had the mitre for the riser on them. After the mitres were cut to the inside laminate and the treads cut, the outside rimu laminate was fitted. The outside curve of the stairs was formed with 50x50 framing timber to support the treads and riders. This all gave a relatively simple construction allowing the stairs to be made to suit the quoted price.
Rob comments that the installation was relatively painless.
"We were a bit worried about getting it into the house, but we had an idea right from the start that it wouldn't be too bad because it would wind in through the doorway like a corkscrew... which was exactly what it did!"
"Like any job you have problems you have to work through. You aim to make things perfect, but things never are perfect. The main satisfaction you get is seeing that the customers are happy with it – that's what motivates us, that's what it's all about."
