Quarter-turned
The term quarter-turned describes a 90-degree turn in a staircase, so that it looks like a L when you look at it from above.
Spindle
The spindle is the central part of spiral staircases. The wooden or metal steps are attached to it.
Scissor staircase
The scissor staircase is a special type of attic staircase. It consists of steps that are attached to each other by so-called scissors. This makes it possible to pull the stairs out and push them together like an accordion. For this reason, scissor staircases are a good choice if there is no fold-out room or generally little space available.
Riser
A stair tread consists of a tread and a riser. The term riser refers to the vertical side of a step. On our spiral staircases, there is an empty space between the individual steps as standard. However, a metal riser can be fitted as an option on the wooden steps. This is particularly useful if small children use the stairs, which is why the riser is also known as child safety rail.
Winding staircase
A spiral staircase has an almost circular course and winds upwards around an open centre point. This open centre is also called the stair eye. The spiral staircase, on the other hand, has a metal spindle in the middle to which the steps are attached.
Galvanised
Our exterior staircases are made of galvanised metal parts. This means that the materials are coated with a layer of zinc to make them corrosion-resistant, hard-wearing and weatherproof.
U-value
The U-value is an important term when selecting loft ladders and flat roof exits. It provides information about the insulating performance of a material. Therefore, it is also called thermal insulation value or heat transfer coefficient.
The U-value describes the amount of energy or heat that flows through a material when there are different temperatures on both sides of the material. The unit of the U-value is W/m2K (watts per square metre and kelvin). The lower the U-value, the more the material insulates.
Bottom chords
Bottom chords, lower girders or bottom rails are horizontal bars in the banister. On Minka system staircases, the bottom chords are made of high-quality stainless steel.
Tread
A stair step consists of the tread and the riser. The tread is the horizontal surface of the step that you step on with your foot.
Stair stringer
The term stair stringer is used by experts to describe the two side parts of stairs or ladders to which the steps are attached.