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There are lots of practical factors you need to keep in mind when buying glass stair parts. In this article, we explore some of the benefits and options available to homeowners looking at using glass. We also provide guidance on the typical stair parts you can choose to incorporate glass into your staircase - without breaking the bank in the process.
Quickly jump to sections in this piece below
Read about the advantages of featuring glass in your staircase.
Read how to combine glass and wood, and the parts you will need.
Find out the typical costs of glass stair parts.
Read tips on caring for your glass staircase.
Frequently asked questions about using glass stair parts.
One of the biggest advantages of using glass in a staircase design is the beautiful aesthetic it provides to your home. The placement of glass can make a huge difference in the way the staircase looks.
Something that makes glass such a great choice is that it can offer and provide the illusion of space. This is something that plays a massive part in helping your home evolve. Glass is open and airy and helps makes it seem as though there is more space. This is a classic interior design trick.
Glass is a great way of making use of natural light. Glass panels allow natural light to flow through the space, preventing any dark or shadowy areas forming.
One of the key advantages here is that it is clearly much cheaper to incorporate glass into your existing staircase rather than replace the entire thing. To combine glass with wood, a number of parts are needed:
The clamps and brackets attach a glass panel to the hand and base rails (ungrooved) and ensure they are as secure as possible. The cost of these can quickly add up – it’s generally more expensive to use clamps than it is to use grooved hand and base rails.
The glass panels themselves are key, and of course, you need to think about size and shape, as well as thickness and cut of glass. A glass panel replaces a traditional spindle, supporting the staircase. If you are unsure how to measure panels, read our guide to stair panels.
The handrails are also an important consideration, and you need to think about whether you want to use grooved or non-grooved handrails and base rails. The main difference is that non-grooved handrails and base rails will need a bracket to attach the glass panels to the handrail, while the grooved variety can have the panels slotting inside them.
We supply handrails in ash, white oak, dark hardwood, hemlock, pine, walnut and white primed wood.
You can read our guide to handrails and base rails for more information on buying each.
For information on the different wood stair parts available, read our full guide to buying wood stair parts.
Fillets are used between the glass panels and are designed to tidy up the space so that unsightly base rail grooves are not visible to users of the staircase. Our glass grooved handrails come with infill, however silicone can be bought separately to secure either the glass in place. We suggest using the Clear Fix Adhesive:
Clear Fix is a clear hybrid polymer grab adhesive, which has the ability to bond just about everything in both interior and exterior applications.
Exl tax: £6.64
Our Fusion range features products for a wood and glass balustrade, featuring panels and traditional wooden materials.
A wooden staircase is often cheaper than glass, however will lack the unique, modern appearance of glass.
The following is a price guide on what to pay for each:
| Material | Handrail price range | Base rail price range |
|---|---|---|
| White oak | £11 - £200 | £18 - £146 |
| Pine | £8 - £62 | £4 - £34 |
| White primed | £9 - £53 | £5 - £29 |
You can read our full guide to white oak stair parts here.
A glass staircase is a feature that can have a massive impact on your home. However, as with any asset, you need to know how to look after it properly. There are a lot of things you can do to ensure you maintain and look after a glass staircase:
Cleaning regularly is something you need to get into the habit of doing. Wiping the surfaces is a good place to start, and you might even look at washing the glass on a semi-regular basis too. You can find spray and polish to use specifically for glass that leaves your staircase looking in good condition.
One of the best ways to care for your glass staircase is to simply be gentle with it and treat it with care. This means no running or roughhousing on the stairs, no throwing or dropping heavy items, and generally just ensuring you treat it with respect as much as you can.
This is largely down to personal preference and budget, but an all-glass staircase is going to cost significantly more than combining glass and wood such as white oak.
No. Glass is toughened, and building regulations mean that the gaps between the glass panels are not wide enough for accidents to occur on the staircase. If you are thinking of a frameless glass staircase, again the glass will be toughened further but expect to pay a lot more for the glass itself.
Traditional balustrade commonly consists of a handrail, stair spindles, base rail and newel posts. Glass balustrades feature glass panels to provide the vertical infill between the base rail and handrail, providing an alternative to spindles.
You can read our full guide to glass balustrades here.
Are you looking to replace glass star parts? Shop our full range of glass stair parts here.
