Oak stair cladding and alternative claddings for stairs

13 September 2023

Indoor stairs, by virtue of their exposure as a focal element (for the size of the installation too!) are the subject of designs aimed at going far beyond the narrow function.We have often mentioned how many internal stairs, especially modern indoor stairs, are able to create a kind of connection between other elements of an environment.

As a central connection of style, an interior staircase complete with railings and other special detail (stair parts are all important in the highest quality project, from treads and risers to the  handrail brackets, from the  stairs cladding to a light design) reflects and multiplies the mood of the space. 

Be it space-saving internal stairs or large sculptural installations, the result pursued is the maximum fusion of functionality and aesthetics, in relation to the chosen style. 

There are many options to choose from, many staircase ideas to be designed or renewed: in fact you could renovate an existing staircase with, for example, an oak cladding, precious marble cladding or other material; or you could think about a new project, not a standard staircase but a tailored design for your interiors.

Let’s see three examples of modern interior stairs designed for well-defined taste spaces, from which you could draw inspiration for your special cladded staircase. 

Original interior stairs: example of open staircase Vista Project, an extraordinary oak stair in Brescia city

An interior staircase represents the most customizable both in terms of anatomical structure, which can also be mixed, regarding the choice of the railing for internal stairs, regarding the combinations between materials and finishes, regarding tread and riser open or closed and so on.

Often the first features that spring to mind are the general design high quality, the structural shape of the staircase in question and, if we are in the presence of a cladded staircase, the material.

If you love solid wood, solid wood flooring, the warmth and the refinement of the solid oak (white oak, varnished oak etc.), the oak flooring and oak worktops… a solid oak stair could do for you! But a solid oak staircase can have different shapes and make completely different styles.

Now we’re talking about an open staircase by design, a special cladded staircase Vista Project by Officine Sandrini.

This Vista Project model is just the perfect prototype of this philosophy, understood as the maximum customization in an interior staircase project.

The demonstration of this choice of creativity, tailored to the needs of the customer is right before your eyes: if an  oak stair for interior can in some cases make you think of something traditional and not innovative, here it is certainly the opposite thanks to the powerful combination of wood and metal, solid oak stair tread and a special metal railing.

This structure, whose supporting base was made of metal, is characterized by the presence of a blind parapet (right side to rise), which together with the other metal parts was painted in the color bronze cloudy – sample-.

The thus worked fascia board plays with the light and the reflected is underlined by the alternating rectilinear and curvilinear pattern. 

Every single stair tread has a thickness of 80 mm and is made of solid oak brushed and painted always on sample. There are no other oak stair parts, except this distinctive oak tread in perfect harmony with the warmth of the chromatic element chosen for the blind parapet. 

The uniformity of the ramp is interrupted by the insertion of bronzed mirror strips in the front of each step, and contributes to create bright accents in contrast with the density of oak stair cladding. 

The step element is fundamental in each detail, inside oak stairs but in general in all types of staircase design: tread cladding, shape, finishes (bullnose tread, rough edges, inserting Led lights etc.)  

It is evident, at this juncture more than in others, how much a railing of an oak staircase of a certain type is able to not only complete but strongly characterize the whole project from inside.                               

Current Interior Stairs: not only oak stair cladding but also amazing glass stair cladding -Guess Shop in Rome city-

Here is another example of interior stairs that have nothing to do with simple and ordinary internal  stairs, and that certainly do not go unnoticed! 

It must first be stated that the stair sector also allows a certain creativity, and range of stair cladding certainly does not end among the woody essences. A modern cladded staircase with any shape and details can touch very high aesthetic standards and particular uses of materials.

In this perspective a stair cladding (tread and/or riser cladding) takes on particular importance as a visual, material style connector.

This open staircase has also been designed to meet specific functional and aesthetic needs. The internal stairs designed for the Guess store in the city of Rome, enjoy a very strong scenic effect and have required the development of some technical details certainly not used frequently in the installation of stairs.

First of all, the width of the ramp, from 140 cm up to 245, is a really monumental staircase, and the glance is very effective. Steps and risers have been provided without real structures or support frames. 

In fact, the steps with a thickness of 6 cm were made with laminated glass with SGP interlayer (SentryGlas Plus): also called glass “anti hurricane” it has high hardness, rigidity and mechanical strength, so much so as to guarantee the seal without any bearing elements.

A glass cladded staircase, therefore, and not the usual oak stair maybe even combined with the  wood flooring or with  internal doors. Here the use of glass is not limited to a glass balustrade but it’s the real structural material.

The removable faceplates allow, in case of need, the control of the lighting technology. 

The final effect of these internal stairs is magical: a sort of tape (given by tread and closed lift) transparent and bright, accompanied by a railing for the internal staircase/ glass railing! An extraordinary result in the true sense of the word!

The modern Luxo model: among stair parts the step in the foreground together with the stair cladding

Among the many and various ideas for a cladded staircase available on the market which does not include the use of solid oak stair cladding, there is the natural stone cladding stair (the internal stairs in natural stone have a timeless charm) and the Solid Surface, also called acrylic stone stair cladding. 

Among the interior stairs that aim to integrate perfectly into spaces with a modern style, environments where you often appreciate a certain essentiality of the forms, we find Luxo by Officine Sandrini. 

In modern and contemporary contexts in fact there is not only the possibility of inserting metal stairs or stairs made of solid oak, but it is possible to play with innovative combinations or unexpected details.

The desire to surprise with something unexpected led to the design of the Luxo line, in which marble and Corian are used as coverings for a spectacular cladded staircase.

The obvious peculiarity lies in the central steel or LED insert of each single step: the light element, creative with steel and extreme in the case of backlight, somehow interrupts the regularity of the ramps and adds that unexpected touch, both night and day, that makes the staircase unforgettable.

The rigorous finishes perfectly match the essentiality of the shapes. If marble is the chosen covering material, its luxurious and timeless essence is perfectly balanced by the super modern effect of steel and the essential structure.

Is clearly visible also from the images as these modern stairs integrate well with a wood floor, rustic oak or laminate flooring, creating a pleasant visual and material contrast.         

As in all interior projects, modern stairs must also be designed not only to better integrate as placement, structural anatomy and dimensions, but above all to amplify the desired footprint of the whole context as well as the other furniture elements present.

If you are looking for the distinctive element to give a unique design touch to your spaces, a customized cladded staircase could be the one for you: with its timeless charm and irrefutable functionality, this installation represents the essence of modern elegance.

Discover the exclusive models of Officine Sandrini staircases: fill in the following form to receive our new brochure free of charge. Become the protagonist of an amazing and inspiring space, tailored and uncompromising!