Stair Treads

The tread is the part of the step which is trodden on while climbing or descending the staircase. The tread and the riser together make one step; a series of treads and risers connected by a string and railing make a flight of stairs.

A Tread can be as simple as ‘the bit you put your feet on’, or it can form a part of the statement your staircase makes.

A stair tread may incorporate ‘nosing’, a decorative feature applied to the edge of the tread and protruding slightly over the riser beneath. This can be used to cover end grain (the rough line left after cutting in to shape).

Nosing may also be applied to hide end grain on the open sides of the treads on a cut string staircase (where the edge is visible).

A simple rectangular tread for use on straight staircase designs.

For ease of installation, our standard oak treads are manufactured with a notch on the underside, into which the top of the riser can be slotted. This is routed to fit risers 18mm wide; the standard width for all hardwood risers.

Where plywood risers are used, standard riser width will be 9mm. In this case, the remaining space in the slot can be filled with a wedge or a second piece of chamfered 9mm ply.

We sell pre-made standard stair treads of 21mm thickness and 268mm depth (the distance from the riser to the back of the step). These can be cut to the desired depth during installation if required.
Standard stair tread is supplied in 1m boards, which can be cut to size during installation.

All our oak and hardwood options are pre-sanded and unfinished so that they can be treated or painted any colour to fit in with your existing decor.

Pear Stairs are able to supply glass stair treads, which are toughened for strength and laminated for slip resistance.

Glass treads can be combined with timber stringers and a timber balustrade to stunning visual effect, or paired with one of our glass balustrades to maximise the effect of the material.

For a truly modern and minimalistic look, many choose to combine glass with stainless steel components, such as these stainless steel dowel risers.

A glass stair tread gives the look and feel of a ‘floating’ staircase; but despite its weightless appearance, ours meets and exceeds the load-bearing capabilities required by building regulations.

In fact, toughened glass is five times stronger than normal glass, and the laminating process increases this strength further.

A winder tread is a triangular tread which is designed to be used on winder or curved staircases, and cut to a narrower width on one side than the other.

Combining multiple winders enables a staircase to change direction without incorporating landings; this is desirable where space is limited, or may simply be preferred aesthetically.

We sell pre-made winders with individual turns of 30°. These can be cut to size during installation if required – in this case, you will need to cut the tread widthwise (the left edge in the picture on the left hand side), maintaining the 30° angle and nosing.

To accomplish a 90° turn, three winders must be used together.

The beginning of a turn is accomplished using a single winder. Our pre-made single winders are manufactured 1.7m wide, and cut to a 615mm tread depth on the outside edge (the edge opposite the turn). The width can be altered during installation, but the depth should remain the same to preserve the angle of the turn.

Winders can also be produced in measurements custom to your requirements.

The single winder is followed by a second winder tread which is sometimes referred to as a ‘kite winder’ – this is because it is kite shaped, with four sides.

The four sides of the kite winder are necessary to enable the kite to sit at the centre of a turn in the staircase. This forms a 90° corner in the string or a wall. The two outside edges of a kite winder are, therefore, cut at 90° from one another, allowing it to be slotted easily into place.

Our pre-made kite winders are cut to 1.23m wide and have a 634mm tread depth on the outside edge.

The third and final winder required to complete a 90° turn is a second 30° winder.

Our pre-made third winders are cut to 1.22m wide and 615mm tread depth on the outside edge.

The width of any winder tread can be altered during installation, but the depth should remain the same to preserve the angle of the turn.

Winders can also be produced in measurements custom to your requirements.

A left or right turn can be incorporated into a staircase using left or right-handed winder treads; for a left turn, left-handed winders should be used; for a right turn, right-handed winders should be used.

Whether the tread is right or left handed determines which side of the tread is narrowest; for example, on left handed winder tread, the narrowest side would be the left hand side.

Please make sure you know whether you require left or right-hand winders before ordering from us. This is to ensure that the nosing and riser slot are positioned correctly on the treads you receive – were you to simply flip a right-hand winder over, the tread would be upside down, with a slot on top and nosing below.

Each of our winder treads is manufactured with a nosed edge, meaning that nosings do not need to be purchased separately.

A bullnose (also called a ‘bullnose step’ or ‘starting step’) is a decorative feature that can be added to the bottom of a staircase which is open on one or both sides. (‘Open’ means that the edge of the staircase does not butt up against a wall.)

This means that the first step from the bottom of the staircase may be rounded, and wider than the other steps.

This isn’t just cosmetically appealing; a wider base can mean a sturdier staircase.

Bullnose tread should be used with a bullnose riser. Together, the two components form one bullnose step.

We sell pre-made bullnose treads of 265mm depth and 1.05m length. These are the standard dimensions. Our bullnose treads can be cut to size during installation if necessary, or produced custom to your specifications.

The pre-made bullnose treads in our shop are single bullnoses designed for staircases which are open on only one side. Before ordering bullnose tread, you'll need to know whether you require a left-handed or right-handed bullnose.

For a staircase which is open on both sides, a double bullnose is used. This is rounded on both sides.

Because a double bullnose tread cannot be cut down to size during installation, we don’t sell pre-made double bullnose treads in our shop.

Instead, we manufacture double bullnose treads ourselves, custom to your staircase’s measurements. If you require a double bullnose, please contact a member of our staff with your staircase’s exact measurements, and we will manufacture the tread to fit, in a timber of your choice.

We are happy to produce bespoke bullnose treads to your design specifications, such as the unique six-sided step opposite.

A D-end step (sometimes called a ‘curtail step’) is a decorative feature, similar to a bullnose, that can be added to the bottom of a staircase which is open on one or both sides.

D-end treads are designed to be used with D-end risers, and together, the two components form a single D-end step.

Pear Stairs supplies single and double-going D-end treads.

A single-going D-end step is used when only a single entry step (the first step from the ground floor) is desired, and can be used in less spacious settings for an elegant appearance.

A double-going D-end step is used when two entry steps are desired.

The single-going D-end then sits on top of the double-going D-end, creating a wider, more imposing staircase entry. This is called a ‘double D-end’ or ‘double curtail’.

We sell double-going D-end tread of 245mm tread depth and 485mm going (the total step depth, on which the single going D-end step sits). This type of tread is available either left or right handed – it is important that you know which side the D-end will be on before ordering.

Whether the D-end is left or right handed is determined by which side of the staircase butts up against the wall.

We sell pre-made single going D-end tread manufactured to 260mm tread depth. This can be used on either left-handed or right-handed D-ends.

Both single-going and double-going D-end treads are supplied in widths of 1.4m, which can be cut to size during installation.

Where a staircase is open on both sides, a double D-end (not to be confused with a double going D-end) is used – this is rounded on both sides.

As a double D-end tread cannot be cut down to size during installation, all double D-end treads must be manufactured custom to your staircase’s measurements. This means that we can’t sell double D-end treads pre-made.

If you require double D-end tread, please contact a member of our staff with your staircase’s exact measurements, and we will manufacture the tread to fit in your choice of timber.

We can also manufacture bespoke D-end steps, custom to your design specifications. Examples of D-end steps we have produced for our customers are:

This extra-large double going D-end step.

This bespoke square-edged double going D-end step.

Space-saver treads, also known as 'alternating tread stairs' and 'paddle stairs' are used with space-saving stairs. This type of staircase is designed, as the name suggests, to save space.

The tread on a space-saving staircase is unique in design.

Part of each tread is cut away on either the left or right hand, alternately. The climber ascends and descends the stairs by placing the left foot on the left-hand tread, the right foot on the right-hand tread, and so on.

What size tread is right for you?

When ordering space-saving stairs, most of our customers specify which side tread they prefer to start with; left or right. This makes it much easier to grow used to climbing space-saving stairs, as most people have a foot they favour first when climbing a staircase.

To find out which is right for you,  try climbing your pre-existing staircase and make note of which foot you start with.

Space-saving stairs can take some getting used to, require practice, and should only be used by people who are physically fit.

It is impossible to turn around on space-saving stairs and both feet cannot occupy one tread at the same time; so this is not ideal for residential use and is better suited to?

Additionally, Pear Stairs only supplies space-saving staircases in hardwood. We believe this is safest, due to the high strain placed on each of the treads when climbed.

Where a space-saver staircase is used, it must comply with relevant building regulations:

• A space-saver staircase must not be used as the sole staircase in a dwelling.
• A space-saver staircase must only be installed in straight flights – winders are not viable.
• A space-saver staircase must be installed with a handrail on one or both sides.
• A space-saver staircase must not be the sole route of access to more than one room.
• A space-saver staircase must not be the sole route of access to a habitable room; i.e., a bedroom, lounge, or other room which residents access often throughout the day.

Pear Stairs produces space-saving treads to a minimum thickness of 32mm, for safety. As each space-saver staircase is produced to customer specifications, tread width may vary, but we suggest an absolute minimum width of 500mm.