Is a glass staircase a bad idea? Does anyone have one?

[100daysandBeyond]

I have three boys, we need to replace our 40 year old cheap stair case because it's grim. Because of the structure, vertical spindles is difficult.

We are considering glass panels.

Is that a really bad idea?

Don’t do it.

Last week ours spontaneously combusted at 4am. Nobody anywhere near it thank god because if they’d have been under it they could have been killed.

Apparently the glass should have been laminated so this can’t happen so I’m playing merry hell with our home builder.

And replacing the whole lot with wood spindles!

I was looking at houses online earlier and saw one with glass sides to the stairs.

My first thought was "Sod that, it'll need cleaning every bloody day".

Some people really like shiny surfaces and don't mind either smears all over them or polishing constantly. I, like many people am not a fan.

I guarantee the once a week going over from the cleaners won't be enough.

I've got one. It's great!! I hardly ever clean it, I don't know why but it's not dirty. I maybe clean it once a week, I have 2 young children.. We love ours.

@Minfilia

Don’t do it.

Last week ours spontaneously combusted at 4am. Nobody anywhere near it thank god because if they’d have been under it they could have been killed.

Apparently the glass should have been laminated so this can’t happen so I’m playing merry hell with our home builder.

And replacing the whole lot with wood spindles!

No one would've been killed, if it was made from toughened glass as it should be, it shatters which means it doesn't fall on anyone!

Thanks!

@Offmyfence

Yes, quite clearly it shatters. Into both large, heavy chunks, and smaller sharp ones that cut me despite wearing leather gloves to clean it all up.

And, you know - there’s that thing called gravity… but if you seriously think it being reinforced means it can’t possibly fall on anyone then crack on I guess

I opened this thinking you meant actual glass steps and was going to advise not wearing skirts if there's anyone standing underneath 😁

We’ve just had our stairs done like this and it looks phenomenal. Makes our dingy hallways feel so much brighter.

Honestly, ours doesn’t take much cleaning either. We haven’t wiped it over since before Christmas and it looks lovely still 🤷🏼‍♀️ we don’t have DC but we do have a dog!

I have a glass staircase and don't find it gets dirty too easily, I probably polish it once a month. More often when the kids were a bit younger.

@TorySteller

We’ve just had our stairs done like this and it looks phenomenal. Makes our dingy hallways feel so much brighter.

Honestly, ours doesn’t take much cleaning either. We haven’t wiped it over since before Christmas and it looks lovely still 🤷🏼‍♀️ we don’t have DC but we do have a dog!

Right you've sold it to me!

The only question now is the expense!

Do you mind if I ask how much yours was?

I don't understand why wooden poles wooden let in enough light?

Love ours - and even with hoards of children and a dog, it doesn't take that much cleaning.

I have 2 boys everything gets broken / smashed hated on
Don't even start me on teenagers....

Don't do it just get spindles and save up for your dream house when they've left home 🤣😀

@100daysandBeyond ours cost about £7k from Abbott Wade who are one of the leading staircase specialists in the UK. But that included a full wood panel under the stairs - and wood is pricey at the moment!

You could probably get it done cheaper from elsewhere though.

@ElenaCouch yes wooden bannisters do let light through, but we’ve found with ours that the glass makes the stairs look airier and less ‘busy’.

Honestly to is a way to devalue your house overnight unless it is a large ultra modern built in the last 5 years

Think of the open 1960s staircases or the 1970s/1980s twisted iron spindles - glass staircases are the 2022 version of these.

@TheHoptimist Whereas for me I hate spindle gloss painted staircases, they look so cheap and tacky and put me off buying a house. I just sold my house with its glass staircase and it definitely did not devalue my house. Each to their own.

We have glass and oak. Doesn't get too dirty with kids and pets. I only give it a clean every 2 or 3 weeks or so.
Its changed the whole look of the hallway, so light and bright!

We had a really weird 1970s non standard staircase and used Stairfurb to order ours. All made to measure. Cost about £2.5k all in and we fitted it ourselves. They have a section on their website to cost the panels. They do 40% off sales regularly so wait for one of those.

I would have a glass staircase, it sounds ideal - letting light in. Look really lovely and safe.

Def do it and post a pic of it finished

I have a staircase like this and my cleaner goes over it once a week. I have an 18 month old and it is what it is with regards to hand prints 🤷🏻‍♀️ They're not toddlers forever. I never seem to see marks on it to be honest as I'm busy living my life!!!

We have those. I have two large bull breed dog, so wall wipe downs are a weekly chore. It takes no time to wipe them down, quicker than properly dusting spindles anyway. Kids might make them a bit more messy but if you can live with that, go for it.

[quote Minfilia]@Offmyfence

Yes, quite clearly it shatters. Into both large, heavy chunks, and smaller sharp ones that cut me despite wearing leather gloves to clean it all up.

And, you know - there’s that thing called gravity… but if you seriously think it being reinforced means it can’t possibly fall on anyone then crack on I guess [/quote]
Don't want to be rude but was it a quality product. Lots of stuff off the internet doesn't meet safety standards .
Normal leather gloves for handling broken glass are useless unless they are proper ones for that purpose .

@TheHoptimist

Honestly to is a way to devalue your house overnight unless it is a large ultra modern built in the last 5 years

Think of the open 1960s staircases or the 1970s/1980s twisted iron spindles - glass staircases are the 2022 version of these.

It think it’s just personal preference, and certainly not something that will make a substantial difference to the value of a house.

Who would’ve thought glass staircases could be so divisive

[quote Minfilia]@Offmyfence

Yes, quite clearly it shatters. Into both large, heavy chunks, and smaller sharp ones that cut me despite wearing leather gloves to clean it all up.

And, you know - there’s that thing called gravity… but if you seriously think it being reinforced means it can’t possibly fall on anyone then crack on I guess [/quote]
Not the correct glass then, did you get it installed?