This article describes the steps for the web version. To learn how for the app (Mac, Windows and tablet), see Overview - Add and Customize Stairs (App).

In RoomSketcher Home Designer, it’s easy to visualize and choose the perfect stairs for your project. This article covers the following topics:

1. Stair Types in RoomSketcher
2. Find and Add Stairs to a Floor Plan
3. Customize the Size and Direction
4. Customize the Color and Materials
5. View a Stair in Your Design
6. 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

1. Open RoomSketcher Home Designer.
2. Click on Windows etc. mode
3. Type Stairs in the Search box. A list of stairs categories appears.
   
   
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. The red dot indicates the highest point of the stair.
7. Click and drag the green arrows to rotate the stair.
8. 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:

1. Click the stair in your floor plan to select it, and then click Properties. The Properties page appears.
   
   
2. Click Floor to Ceiling to automatically adjust the stair height to the height of your walls.
3. You can change the Width or Length of the unit.
4. Click Default Size to return the stair to its default size after you’ve explored size options. 
5. 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.
6. 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:

1. Click the stair which you placed into your floor plan (to select it), and then click Properties. The Properties page appears.
2. Click the Customize button at the bottom of the page. The Customize page appears.
   
   
3. 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.
4. To the right of each stair component, click the arrow to open the Select Material or Color page.
   
5. 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.
   
   
6. 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.

• Stairs Between Two Floors or Levels
• Stairs to a Mezzanine, Loft, or Raised Area