90 Degree Floating Stair Remodel

More about the Project

When this couple in Zeeland, Michigan first contacted us, we could hear their excitement. They wanted to find a staircase that could open up their hallway, create an inviting space for guests to gather, and connect their beautiful second floor with the living room they’d worked so hard to design.

But they had some concerns. Would floating stairs even fit in this small of a space? And would installation be too costly and time-intensive for their budget? After all, the renovation meant knocking down the baby blue half-wall, putting up new flooring and textured walls, and installing a completely new staircase.

However, we knew that we were working with a spacious, well-designed room that just wasn’t living up to its fullest potential. Our engineers determined that the classic 90° turn of the original stairway was already serving the room perfectly. The staircase needed to keep the hallway open without encroaching on the sliding glass doors across from it or the living room, so we designed our floating staircase in the same configuration.

Next, a thin replacement landing was installed around the existing box at the foot of the staircase. This created the illusion of a thick platform and was an innovative save by our engineers. The couple wanted a luxurious staircase, but they were concerned about their budget. The resulting look is brilliant.

Finally, to fulfill their desire for an open-concept space, the owners chose a white, powder-coated steel stringer. Combining the white stringer with stainless steel cable railing expanded the room dramatically. And, because their space is slightly smaller, our engineers created a shortened stringer to fit in the space perfectly.

This project shows that small floating stairs can have just as big an impact as larger ones when done right. This staircase worked with the existing structures in this room, rather than fighting against them—and the result is an incredible before-and-after.

See more Floating Stairs

*The tread brackets featured in these images are a discontinued design.