This article describes the steps using Web Editor. If you are using the RoomSketcher App, see Overview - Add and Customize Stairs (App).
It’s easy to visualize and choose the perfect stairs for your project. This article covers the following topics:
- Stair Types in RoomSketcher
- Find and Add Stairs to a Floor Plan
- Customize the Size and Direction
- Customize the Color and Materials
- View a Stair in Your Design
- Copy, Move and Delete Stairs
Or, watch this short video:
Stair Types in RoomSketcher
RoomSketcher contains a wide variety of stairs of various types:
- Compact, or ladder-type stairs.
- Double and Single Winder, which curve to change direction 1 or 2 times.
- Half-Landing and Quarter-Landing. U or L shaped stairs and have a small platform or landing.
- Spiral stairs, which wind around a central point.
- Straight, and
- Z Shaped, which change direction two times similar in shape to a Z.
Find and Add Stairs
- Open Web Editor.
- Click on Windows etc. mode
- Type Stairs in the Search box. A list of stairs categories appears.
- Choose a category. A library containing that type of stairs appears.
Tip: You can see a stair’s default size as you hover over it. For best rendering results, pick a stair close in size to your desired stair. - Simply click and drag to place a stair into a floor plan.
Tip: Notice that the stair will snap to a wall for accurate placement. Click the CTRL key while you drag to stop snapping. - The red dot indicates the highest point of the stair.
- Click and drag the green arrows to rotate the stair.
- Click the green triangles to adjust the horizontal direction of the stair (flip the stair on the floor plan).
Customize the Size and Direction
Once you have placed a stair on a floor plan, you can customize it. To customize its size and direction:
- Click the stair in your floor plan to select it, and then click Properties. The Properties page appears.
- Click Floor to Ceiling to automatically adjust the stair height to the height of your walls.
- You can change the Width or Length of the unit.
- Click Default Size to return the stair to its default size after you’ve explored size options.
- For Type, you can choose:
Above Floor (for a stair going up from the floor.
Below Floor (for a stair going down from the floor)
Up and Down if you are working on a middle floor of a building and you want a staircase going up, as well as a staircase going down. - Click Lock if you are sharing your design and don’t want others to be able to change the properties of the stair.
Customize Color and Materials
If you are a VIP or Pro user or have Share Live 3D enabled for a project, and you see this symbol on a stair, then you can change the materials. Before you do, it’s important to understand stairs terminology.
The railing structure is made up of these three parts:
- Baluster - the set of columns supporting the railing - in this image, it is light blue.
- Handrail – the railing. In this example, it is a light Oak color.
- Newel - a post at the head or foot of the stairs - here, it’s a dark wood color.
Other parts of a stair include:
- Risers - the vertical section between the treads of a staircase. In this example, the risers are white.
- Stringer - a structural support for the treads and risers. It is typically located on each side of the stairs and in this example, is a light wood color.
- Tread - the part that you step on. In this image, it is black.
To customize a stair:
- Click the stair which you placed into your floor plan (to select it), and then click Properties. The Properties page appears.
- Click the Customize button at the bottom of the page. The Customize page appears.
- Check or clear Show Left Railing or Show Right Railing to show the railing structure on either side, both sides or to remove all railings.
- To the right of each stair component, click the arrow to open the Select Material or Color page.
- You can use the scroll bar to browse suggested materials, or in Find Material, you can type a word, such as “Wood”, “Tile”, “Paint” or “Red”, to narrow your selection.
- You can also type a hex color code into the Color box at the top, to specify a custom color. - Click a material to select it, and then click OK to close the Select Material or Color box.
View a Stair in Your Design
- To visualize your custom stair, click and drag the camera to point it at the stair, then double-click to take a snapshot.
Copy, Move or Delete a Stair
- You can right-click on a stair to copy it, and then right-click to paste it.
- You can also drag a stair to move it and click the red X to delete a stair.
Related Articles
Now that you’ve learned the basics on how to add and customize stairs, here are some in-depth examples of ways you may add stairs to a project.