Stairs, Steps and Stairway Systems

This is a link to a Google 3D SketchUp drawing for an Arts and Crafts inspired railing. You will need the SketchUp software to download this drawing and its freely available online. We do not provide support for this software. Not all drawings have the measurements displayed but you can use the measurement tool in SketchUp to easily and accurately determine the dimensions of each lumber part. Most drawings do not have instructions, its assumed you can build it based on the completed drawing provided.

By Skip Thomsen - Any good carpenter can build a staircase. What we are talking about here is taking that staircase to the next level: beyond just a means to get from one floor in a building to another.

Assembled with groove-and-tenon joints and dowels, the sturdy handrail and square balusters of this simple projects design complement the roughhewn staircase while adding safety for young and old, alike.

Home repair expert Henry Harrison helps a guest add a handrail to his stairway for added safety. On his elbow grease scale of one to four, Harrison gives this job a four.

Learn how to install stairs to an existing porch or deck; includes tips on working with stringers, treads, and risers; materials and tool lists.

The second stair railing adds interest and eye-appeal to the bare wall and, more importantly, provides additional safety for people as they go up or down the stairs. Orienting the handrail on its side can add finger-hold and save space on narrow stairs.

Alternating half-treads let you climb in half the floor space - with greater safety. By adding a third stringer at the center and clipping each tread in half, you can stack steps much more compactly.

Is your staircase in need of a re-do? If it is, you should consider building your own stair railing and saving a ton of money. Just follow along at the link to see how it was done.

In this tutorial we show you how to make standard exterior steps 900mm wide, coming off a deck 900mm above ground.

If you are building a deck with stairs, you will need to install a stair railing. Here is how you do it.

Fun right? Build a removable stair slide using the free tutorial at the link. Don't forget to place a cushion a the bottom, you know, just in case!

Building a silent staircase is easy with this guide including planning, geometry, diagrams, and the basics of notching and attaching stringers.

We will cover the most important components of building a guardrail. In addition, I want you to see how we added backing behind the drywall and how we continued the rail down the rake of the ceiling so the balusters could be ...

Build an exterior stairs using pressure-treated wood with these free instructions.

Although I have been building these spiral stairs off and on for nearly 15 years, compiling and releasing the plans is a recent occurrence. I have tried to make them as easily understandable as I could.

These DIY steps will work for replacing an old set of stairs and for building stairs on a brand new deck. So grab your tools and lets start building!

Follow along and build a set of exterior steps. An easy and necessary project.

Build one of these inexpensive jigs for building your own stairs. It will save you lots of headaches.

There are two different classes of stairs. The first class is a mill-made stair, which is usually fabricated in a mill shop and shipped to the job site as a kit, ready for assembly and installation. The second class, a carpenter-built stair, is just that...

This tutorial will show you how to build stairs and calculate stair stringers.