# Forum Home Renovation Stairs, Steps and Ramps  Balustrate options ?

## davidajelliott

Today I hired a painters plank to finally get rid of the wall paper over the timber stairwell , which required temporarily removing the three parallel timber rails and it just opens up the space. What are my balustrade options : stainless wire , glass or perhaps just putting two of the rails back , the span is about 2100 between posts. Has anyone used stainless wire and do they consider it "mechanicaly" strong enough ? Any and ALL suggestions are welcomed !  :Biggrin:

----------


## Wombat2

wire has to be 90mm apart and tensioned so a ball 120mm in diameter can't fit through.

----------


## stevoh741

> wire has to be 90mm apart and tensioned so a ball 120mm in diameter can't fit through.

  80mm apart and tensioned so a 2kg weight (for memory) placed on a wire wont flex more than 5-10mm (cant remember exact dimension. Look up any stainless wire site and you should find the regs.

----------


## cherub65

With that distance between post min would be 60mm centres using 3.0mm wire [7x7] and the min required tension would be 1491 newtons
                                                                   80mm centres using 4.0mm wire [7x7] and the min required tension would be 2130 newtons 
Any balustrading you use must be designed that a 125mm sphere will not pass through, this also relates to the nose line for the stairs, the old two horizontal planks no longer comply
This is for any landing\stairs over 1000mm high, Also note if over 4000mm high horizontal wire\railing will not comply

----------

