Making a Floating Staircase - Woodworking

Hi everyone, thank you for your many fair questions and remarks about this staircase in the comments.
I’ll try to answer them all but thought I would summarize the most interesting ones here:

- Strength:
I built this staircase about a year ago and used it to hall big lumber and furniture upstairs,
I’ve had no issue with it what so ever. Although it could have been even stronger if I didn’t recess the anker bolts in the sides.
(In hindsight, don't know why I did that) but again, its plenty strong.
- Railing:
I’m planning to install a railing on the wall. I want to keep the middle open so I can easily move big pieces upstairs.
- Safety:
here in Belgium (probably different from the US) only new builds and classified renovations need to be approved by an inspector.
This isn’t the case here but that’s a legal issue I won’t bore you with. To summarize; It’s safe and legal.😉
- Woodglue:
I used a lot of glue on the 3 individual pieces, so they would be strong. I did not glue those 3 pieces together though, I only used screws.
As they are each connected to a different part of the building (ground, wall and 1st floor) that can move in different directions.
Adding glue would prevent the natural movement that occurs and would over time loosen and start to creek.

If you have any more tips or questions, let me know! I’m eager to learn more 😊

That came out badass, bro.

can you tell us the angle in degrees. Greetings from Greece

정말 멋져요.!!

Man, I love your careful planning and skill. You are a model in woodworking. By the way, can I have your inspector's phone number?

Good job

considering that those bolts for the wall could be hidden with another piece of wood, i would have not drilled the board and fix it straight and then cover the bolt, rather than cutting the thickness of the board to put the bolts , weakening the structure and the wood , but looks nice.

Strong and efficient. Very nice!
God bless ALL of us!
WWG1WGA

Nice stair, but not floating. It is bolted to two walls. How is that floating?

This was your first time ever building a staircase?? Congratulations brother! from a carpenters perspective, I think you did a great job! I think i understand the way you thought process worked to come up with this design, and i can tell just by looking how much thought you put into it.
If i was you, and since this is a custom design for your needs and available space, i woulnt follow the prints too close in terms of measurements just to make the instalation process a bit easier on myself.
adjusting as needed to the surrounding area.
Thanks for sharing and keep up the great work!!

Nice job 😊

Rapih dan bagus

You’ll fall off these stairs as well. Eventually. Can you guess the reason?

only thing that bugs me is anchoring to a brick wall like that. i am wondering if brick can sustain those sheering loads long term. i am thinking about the fatties ok

This was amazing! Just wow!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

can you posting a blue print for the job thanks

I like this seems very structurally sound, but here in USA building permits and inspection limits us to what we can do without getting a licensed engineered approved design.

I've been remodeling most of my almost 40 years... plans rarely go to plan. lol..
That's an awesome job!

The first casualty is always Plan A.

great job! very nice piece of shit, I love it!

You are a very smart young man! I’m old and not nearly as smart 😂😂

I don’t think I would have countersunk those bolts holding the upper floating platform so deep. Not a lot of wood holding behind those washers.

Привет. Хорошая идея, лестница с двумя платформами. Какой программой пользовался?

Gorgeous! Just needs a handrail for safety.

Cara o que dizer do seu trabalho além de perfeito?
Você está de parabéns, merece aplausos.
O que você acha de fazer a escada aqui da minha casa?
Sou do Rio de Janeiro -Brasil

Dude, what can I say about your work besides being perfect? Congratulations, you deserve applause. What do you think about building the stairs here in my house?
I'am from Rio de Janeiro -Brasil

WOW the inspector was very thorough! It even said, good job. Can’t beat it when the inspector give you a compliment on your work.

Nice video, cute cat

The cat!!!! LOL
Gives a quick meow

Kayu apa yang anda pakai.?

Visible screws, hell no.

GOOD ENDING
WITH THE CAT WALK !!!?

It will weaken over time at your stringer points guarantee. You needed hidden steel via laminate or hang posts or uprights. But not bad... stair builder I am

What kind of software are you using ?

You did a fine job sir. Looks great

Nice👍👍

Nice work and excellent design. Stair builders leave the slot loose and angled so they can drive glues wedges. It makes construction faster and easier and stronger.

Please no more falling off ladders lol.

Classic work bench build , and erect in bits on site 10/10

Very nice safety inspector. Concise notes, delivered without drama.

Great video, very informative. My favorite part, however, was your conversation with the inspector at the end..

This is exactly what I needed!! Perfect for my project

Wow... looks cool. And so many safety hazards! No handrail? No middle stringer means over time even 2x12 material will sag and pull out of those little slots. No risers, so (with the handrail) hopefully you never let a kid wander around there. Hope no one gets hurt too badly.

Nice stairs!

what cad software is this?

Hi there, can you tell me dimensions of ceiling opening?

you are fortunate. in the UK the stair depth and height is regulated, and the number or steps before you are required to have a landing, and the railings/arm-rests. Nice steps. one comment (that I didn;t see already) it is easier to sand the wood before assembly and varnishing. Great build.

Based on how much you were off for the middle piece it almost looks like your plans may not have accounted for the top-board thickness, it looks like you were off by roughly that amount anyway (so you probably could've used those same pieces without additional cutting if you removed the board, made cutouts in it, and then reinstalled it with the middle-piece in place), or at least that's what it looks like.

Well, it worked out in the end anyway.

As for the countersunk anchor bolts, it's probably strong enough for its intended purpose but it would have been better to not countersink them. For even greater strength it may be advisable to put some steel plate between the wood and the bolt head as well, this ensures that the bolt won't eat its way through the wood via compressive forces. This likely qualifies as overengineering but still, useful tricks to keep in mind for future stair-builds, it mostly depends on traffic and weight.

Stairs are a function of bio mechanics,,, how people walk is what determines how stairs are designed and built. To arbitrarily decide upon 45 degrees,,, well yes, there are stairs that are 45 degrees,, but few are. The formulae is (there are actually 3 formulae accepted) 2 X riser height + 1 net tread (no nosing) should equal between 24 and 25. Nosings should be approx. 1.25 inches or 3 cm. All stairways must have hand rails,, and if residential, spindles or suitable side protection to keep children safe.