Glass and wood railings are the most popular stair railing used for modern homes. They have a beautiful visual impact, help spaces look bigger, add openness, and allow the flow of light.
Moreover, these railings add significant value to a house or commercial office while making it look luxurious. As long as you use the correct materials and install the railing properly, it will boost the functionality of your space.
Kinds of Glass Railings
When it comes to choosing wood or glass railings, you will find a wide variety available in the market. The most common types of glass used for railings include dadoed, clamped, and standoff.
1. Dadoed Glass Railing
This type of railing allows the panels to be secured towards the top railing and lower show. This glass railing is used within a wooden framework. Since no hardware or clips are needed for this glass railing, it has a clean visual.
2. Clamped Glass Railing
Clamped glass railing allows glass panels to be secured using glass clips on the shoe, railing, or posts. This glass railing system allows steel or wood posts to be used as well.
This is a beautiful style, especially if homeowners want to highlight their black or steel hardware, creating a perfectly modern look.
3. Standoff Glass Railing
Standoff glass railings are safely secured with stainless steel cylinders known as standoffs. The glass has holes drilled in it, allowing it to be leveled immediately into the right spot. The standoffs then help attach the panel to the vertical side of the floor and stair system.
You can also install this as a frameless railing with close to no visual hardware. This stair rail glass Austin is versatile and looks beautiful.
Kinds of Wood Railings
1. Oakwood
Oakwood is a popular option for wooden stair railings because of its beauty and strength, making it perfect for exterior and interior railings. Oak is generally used to manufacture furniture, carvings, and veneers and is commonly also used in the construction industry.
It is resistant to moisture and durable, which means that railings made out of this material will last for years without requiring any maintenance.
There are 600 different species of oakwood available over the world, but they mainly fall into two groups- white and red oak. Red oak is the most popular option of these two varieties.
What homeowners and designers love the most about oakwood stairs is that the wood provides a gorgeous fine-grained texture, making it look vintage and modern all in one.
However, if you are on a budget, you may find oakwood quite expensive.
2. Walnut
Like oakwood, walnut stair railings also look beautiful- they are hard, strong, and can be maintained easily, even after being polished.
As a tree, walnut is durable and strong, but they can easily be trimmed and cut. Based on where you live, the soil, and the climate, the kind of walnut wood you find will be different in terms of its structure and color. However, all kinds of walnut wood look gorgeous and perfect for decoration purposes.
Remember, the older the walnut tree, the darker and more valuable the wood will be.
The best part about using walnut wood to make stair railings is that the final product will be resistant to moisture, increasing durability. Moreover, walnut wood is more resistant to decay. This is why it is commonly used to produce furniture.
Moreover, there are many different shades of walnut that you can choose from. You can even get your own unique shade on the wood since it contains loads of tannins. Even though it is a dense wood, it is malleable and not too heavy.
Like oakwood, walnut wood is not budget-friendly, so we recommend being willing to spend a bit more if you are using this wood for your railings.
3. Maple
Maple is a dense, solid wood with a wonderful texture. It is stronger than oakwood, making it an even better choice. However, maple has a white color that can sometimes have a pink or yellow tinge. It is usually used for interior decoration, as it creates a beautiful contrast against dark elements in the house.
The most common uses of maple include furniture production, flooring, and other decorations that require light-colored wood.
There are two kinds of maple wood available in the market- soft maple and hard maple. Contrary to what people usually believe, soft maple is a variety of hardwood that comes in wide varieties. On the other hand, there is only one variety of hard maple, which is known as the Acer saccharum.
Hard maple is a great choice for staircases as it is highly dense. Moreover, it has a smooth finish and is firm and flexible. Designers prefer maple stairs because they can easily be processed, polished, stained, and maintained over the years.
However, since maple wood is light in color, marks and scratches will be more visible on your stairs. Moreover, maple wood is not the best choice for humid areas, as it can easily crack. Hence, we would not recommend maple if you want to create a staircase outdoors.
Conclusion
A stair railing makeover can be difficult to execute while ensuring that you use the best quality materials and make your stair railings as durable as possible. Remember, staircases are your home’s backbone. They connect the stories of a house or workplace, which means that they must be functional and aesthetically pleasing.
Regardless of whether you choose to go with frameless stair rail glass Austin or wood stair railing designs, Go Frameless Austin can help you decide the best material for your surroundings. We will stick to your budget and ensure that whatever material you choose ends up looking phenomenal!