Staircases and railings
Floating Staircase
A specification-first guide to Floating Staircase: what to fix before design freeze, what changes the number, and what the first year on site teaches.
Photo: kyeniz · BY 2.0Overview
Floating Staircase, in plain specification
Written for the decision, not for the mood board.
Floating Staircase is engineered before it is styled. The layout, the services behind it, the hardware carrying it and the clearances around it all get resolved on a drawing long before a finish is picked. Done in that order, the finish becomes a free choice. Done in reverse, the finish becomes a compromise.
The parts of floating staircase that fail first are the parts nobody looks at — hinges, runners, seals, fixings and the edge nobody sealed. That is why our specification names hardware by model and the substrate by grade, and why our estimates look different from ones written by category.
Two homes can specify floating staircase identically and get different results, because site conditions differ: slab level, wall plumb, humidity, water hardness and how the household lives. The specification is a starting point that we adjust against the survey.
Six house styles
Floating Staircase in six personalities
The same brief resolved six ways. Each carries its own material, finish and detailing.
Photo: seier+seier · BY 2.0Minimal Floating Staircase
Serene Minimal treats floating staircase as chalk · pale oak · linen: nothing decorative survives unless it also does work. Structure: RCC with stone cladding. Tread: 20mm stone, honed. Nosing: Shadow gap.
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Photo: qmnonic · BY 2.0Bold Floating Staircase
Bold Contemporary treats floating staircase as charcoal · oxblood · smoked oak: high contrast, confident mass, a single saturated move per room. Structure: Steel stringer, cantilever treads. Tread: 50mm solid timber. Nosing: Square, 5mm reveal.
See this stylePhoto: kyeniz · BY 2.0Heritage Floating Staircase
Modern Heritage treats floating staircase as teak · cane · antique brass: indian craft detailing on a contemporary frame — jaali, cane, inlay and hand-finished brass, used sparingly. Structure: RCC with timber cladding. Tread: 30mm stone. Nosing: Bullnose.
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Photo: *rboed* · BY 2.0Classic Floating Staircase
Classic Luxe treats floating staircase as ivory · statuario · gold: proportioned panelling, cornice and moulding, book-matched stone and warm gilt detail on ivory. Structure: RCC with stone and moulding. Tread: 20mm stone with nosing. Nosing: Rounded with groove.
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Photo: seier+seier · BY 2.0Scandi Floating Staircase
Indo-Scandinavian treats floating staircase as birch · chalk · sage: pale timber, soft daylight and muted green — nordic restraint adapted for indian light, dust and humidity. Structure: Steel with timber treads. Tread: 40mm timber. Nosing: Square.
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Photo: jiuguangw · BY-SA 2.0Deco Floating Staircase
Art Deco Glam treats floating staircase as emerald · brass · lacquer: fluting, fans and geometry. Structure: Steel with stone treads. Tread: 20mm stone, mirror polish. Nosing: Brass inlay strip.
See this styleSpecification
Floating Staircase specification, style by style
This is the table we issue to the factory and the site. It is also what a warranty is enforced against, which is why it reads in grades and dimensions.
| Specification | Minimal | Bold | Heritage | Classic | Scandi | Deco |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rise and going | 165mm rise, 300mm going | 160mm rise, 320mm going | 170mm rise, 280mm going | 165mm rise, 300mm going | 165mm rise, 300mm going | 160mm rise, 320mm going |
| Structure | RCC with stone cladding | Steel stringer, cantilever treads | RCC with timber cladding | RCC with stone and moulding | Steel with timber treads | Steel with stone treads |
| Tread | 20mm stone, honed | 50mm solid timber | 30mm stone | 20mm stone with nosing | 40mm timber | 20mm stone, mirror polish |
| Nosing | Shadow gap | Square, 5mm reveal | Bullnose | Rounded with groove | Square | Brass inlay strip |
| Balustrade | 10mm toughened glass | 12mm frameless glass | Timber with metal spindles | Metal with moulding | Metal, slim | Glass with brass channel |
| Handrail | 40mm SS tube | 50mm timber | Solid teak | Painted metal with brass | 40mm timber | 50mm brass |
| Lighting | Step lights | Recessed strip in stringer | Wall lights | Chandelier over well | Step lights | Profile light under handrail |
| Slip | R10 honed | R10 brushed | R10 | R10 | R10 | R10 |
Before you commit
How to choose floating staircase
Six checks that prevent the failures we are most often called to fix.
- Rise and going are decided by the structure, not by the finish. Get them right at the RCC stage — a stair with inconsistent risers can never be fixed with cladding.
- Check headroom at the mid-landing before anything else. Under 2.1m is a permanent daily problem.
- Choose the tread material for grip when wet, especially where the stair is near a balcony or an entrance.
- Confirm the balustrade infill and height against local code before design; a 900mm rail with 150mm gaps may look elegant and be unusable in a home with children.
- Plan the lighting into the structure. Step lights and handrail profiles need conduits cast or chased before finishing.
- For a cantilever or floating stair, get the structural design signed off. This is engineering before it is interior design.
Bangalore
Floating Staircase in Bangalore
What the city's climate, water, housing stock and society rules mean for this specification.
Most of our work is in Bangalore, and the city sets a few conditions worth knowing before specifying floating staircase. The climate is the kindest in India to timber and joinery — no extreme dry heat, no coastal salt — but the monsoon runs long, and humidity between June and October is what tests every edge, seal and ventilation gap in a home.
Dust along the metro and ORR construction corridors is a real specification input. Sealed joinery, washable finishes and casement or sliding windows with good seals pay for themselves in these pockets in the first year.
Balcony enclosure rules vary sharply between societies, and a few refuse them entirely. Anything involving a balcony gets checked against the society's own rules before design, not after — including in Indiranagar and Koramangala, where older buildings often have their own restrictions.
The mild climate is a genuine advantage: solid timber and veneer move far less here than in Delhi or Chennai, which makes craft detailing more durable and more affordable than it would be elsewhere. It is one of the few Indian cities where that is true year-round.
Our Bangalore projects run with a named project manager and a written weekly site report, which is what keeps a fit-out on programme in a city with restricted working hours.
Sizing
Floating Staircase by home size
Sizing below is what we plan floating staircase to in each home size. These are working dimensions from completed projects, not catalogue minimums.
| Home size | Typical scope | Planning note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 BHK | Compact, single run | Compact planning, one clear gesture |
| 2 BHK | Standard, two runs | Standard scope, most common brief |
| 3 BHK | Full specification | Full scope with storage planned in litres |
| 4 BHK | Extended with island or dresser | Extended scope, bespoke elements |
| 4+ BHK / Villa | Bespoke, villa scale | Villa scale, bespoke throughout |
Cost
What moves the price of floating staircase
We quote line by line rather than per square foot, because these are the items that actually differ between two estimates.
- Structure: an RCC stair clad in stone and a steel cantilever stair are different orders of cost.
- Tread material and edge work.
- Balustrade type, with frameless glass and brass channels at the top.
- Integrated lighting.
- Engineering and site access for heavy elements.
Process
How the work runs
Five stages, with the decisions each one locks.
We measure the space ourselves rather than working from the builder's drawing, note the services, water quality, daylight and society rules, and write down how the room is actually used. Floating Staircase is specified against that survey, not against a catalogue.
Plans, elevations and details, with the specification written as grades and dimensions. You approve an elevation, not a render — this is the stage where changes cost nothing.
Material, finish, hardware and services are locked, and the estimate becomes a line-by-line document. We tell you exactly what this date locks and what can still change afterwards.
Factory production runs to the approved drawing while site work is prepared. Material is checked against the approved sample on arrival, in daylight, and stored correctly until the programme calls for it.
Installation, testing, snagging and a documentation file with drawings, warranties, decor codes and hardware models. A first-year service visit is scheduled at handover.
Living with it
Maintaining floating staircase
The honest routine, and the mistakes that cost the most to undo.
Care and maintenance
- Check glass balustrade fixings annually.
- Re-seal stone treads on the same schedule as the floors, more often at the entrance.
- Keep nosings clean; grit at the nosing wears the edge fastest and is the first place a stone stair looks tired.
- Tighten handrail brackets once in the first year.
What goes wrong
- Inconsistent riser heights, which trip people and cannot be corrected later.
- Polished stone on an entrance stair that gets wet in the monsoon.
- Balustrade gaps that fail child-safety spacing.
- Deciding on a floating stair after the RCC is cast.
Detailing
Floating Staircase detailing notes
The small decisions that separate built work from assembled work.
A 5mm shadow gap between tread and riser makes a heavy stone stair look lighter, and hides the tolerance between two site-cut pieces.
Continue the handrail past the top and bottom riser by 300mm. It is a code habit and it also reads as considered.
Where treads are book-matched or vein-continuous, the slabs must be sequenced from a single block.
Light the treads, not the well. A bright pendant in a stairwell leaves the treads in shadow, which is exactly backwards.
Questions
Floating Staircase — answered
What rise and going should a home staircase use?
Around 160–170mm rise with a 280–320mm going for comfortable domestic use, kept identical on every step. Consistency matters more than the exact figure.
Can an existing staircase be re-clad?
Yes, if the structure is sound and the rise stays consistent after the new finish is added. The added thickness at the top and bottom step is the detail that has to be resolved first.
Is a glass balustrade safe?
Toughened laminated glass of the right thickness, properly fixed, is safe and is standard practice. The specification is about the fixing and the glass build-up, not the appearance.
How is a floating staircase supported?
By a concealed steel stringer or cantilever anchors cast into a structural wall. It is a structural decision taken with the engineer before any finish is chosen.
What is the best tread material?
Stone for durability and a continuous look with the floor; timber for warmth and quieter use. Both need a finish that is not slippery when wet.
How long does a staircase take?
Two to four weeks for cladding and balustrade once the structure is ready, with glass and metalwork measured after the treads are set.
Do you work on floating staircase projects across Bangalore?
Yes — Bangalore is where most of our projects are, from apartments along Sarjapur Road, Whitefield and Hebbal to independent homes in Jayanagar, Indiranagar and Malleshwaram. We survey the space ourselves, work within the society's access and working-hour rules, and hand over with a documentation file. There is a dedicated page for our work in the city if you want the full picture.
Does Bangalore's climate or water affect this choice?
The climate helps and the water does not. Mild year-round temperatures are kinder to timber and joinery than almost any other Indian city, so craft detailing lasts. Hard borewell water in the eastern and northern corridors is the real constraint — it scales glass, chrome and stone, and it changes what we specify and what maintenance we ask the family to commit to.
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Next step
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