In the most basic sense, stairways are devices that allow you to go from one level to another. They are made of elements, both vertical and horizontal, which serve as either platforms, supports, or embellishments, and these elements never vary, whether a straight or curved stair. Manufacturers know, however, that this is a very simple view, because a lot more goes into any set of custom stairs than just primitive structures connected and aligned to support climbing. Custom stairs, in fact, contain many parts, some of which are:

• Baluster: a narrow vertical piece that can support a hand rail
• Landing Newel: the newel located on a landing or a balcony
• Newel post: the main vertical balustrade support; wider around than balusters, and situated at the top and the bottom of a stairway or where there is a handrail turn
• Riser: a vertical part of a step that, with the stringer, supports the tread
• Tread: the horizontal part of a step
• Stringer: the supporting lengths of a stairway on which are mounted risers, treads, and the balustrade

So much goes into building stairs, especially if you are hoping to incorporate the highest caliber of custom stairs into your building project, whether public or private. In addition to the basic elements, speciality stairbuilders must be familiar with the most effective methods that will result in the greatest integrity of stair construction and beauty. And at Walton Stair and Cabinet Company, this is an everyday event.

To make sure that your stairs are quiet, we at Walton Stair and Cabinet Company insist on particular design and building methods. Our speciality stairbuilders are of the traditional school which insists that the tread and riser are routed directly into the stringer, glued, and then block-wedged. Why? Because it guarantees that you will have silent, elegant results, whether for a simple or curved stair. Manufacturers who mass produce stair components and sell pre-cut, packaged kits can't offer this technique, but we can, and we do.