With dwindling ground space, storied buildings are the ideal choices for getting considerable indoor square footage. Opting for a storied building for your workspace does not however mean sacrificing its beauty. You can still have an eye-catching and exceptional indoor design by using some of the elements of its staircase for your interior décor. The newel post is one part of the stairs that can transform the look in your space.
Newel posts in staircase design for commercial buildings are placed at the flights’ ends of your steps. They are intended to connect the ends of your handrail and strings. Most people confuse them for balusters, but the latter support your handrail and are not found at the edges but preferably along the centre of the staircase. Newel posts come as complete sets but can also comprise a separate base, cap and post. These posts vary in design to match all property interior styles. Here are your property’s newel posts alternatives.
Pegged Newel Post
This is largely the most decorative option for a newel post. A pegged newel post comprises a diameter peg also called a dowel with a diameter of 50mm on its bottom. This peg will fit into a hole of a similar diameter in the newel’s base. A pegged newel post often has a fixed length of 750-850mm without the peg. The base will make up for the remainder of the post’s height for your staircase. Pegged newel posts are not the best picks for those who would want to change the appearance of their staircase periodically. This is because the base is not as easy to remove once installed.
Half Newel Posts
These are generally used on landings in staircases with upper or mid landings where the handrail will change the height. The typical block top of a half newel post is 13 inches tall. It is the perfect choice for adding a smart finish and strength to your staircase and finishing the balustrade off. Half newel posts will often directly attach to a wall and sit flush with it. It is easier to update your stairs with a half newel post since you only need to detach one half newel post.
Volute Newel Posts
These will sit flush on the bullnose step found at the foot of your stairs. The volute newel post can be used with 1100mm-long spindles and a volute handrail fitting. These posts are not as thick as other style alternatives and thus not often used for commercial staircases.
Continuous Newel Posts
These newel post styles are used along handrail fittings to generate a continuous design across the newels’ posts flow. Instead of a square newel top, the continuous newel post has round pegs. These sit into holes on the corresponding handrail.
The most popular materials for the above newel posts include hemlock, pine and oak. Oak, a hardwood, is renowned for its beautiful tiger-stripe grain and resistance to scratches and dents. Hemlock is a softwood featuring knotless and uniform grain. Pine is the cheapest of the three popular material alternatives. Though eco-sustainable owing to its fast-growing rates, it is not as strong.
