What is a balustrade and what is a handrail?

Asked by: Laurie Vagt

What is the difference between a balustrade and a handrail?

A balustrade is a railing (handrail) and the row of balusters (posts) that support it. And yes, it is spelt “balustrade”, although it is commonly misspelt as ballustrad, ballustrade or balluster. A balustrade can also be known as railing, rail, banister, handrail and parapet.

What is balustrade in staircase?

Commonly found in stairs, balconies or terraces, a balustrade is a railing supported by a row of small columns called balusters. Interesting enough, most people don’t know the difference between bannisters or handrails with balustrades.

What is the difference between balusters and balustrade?

Balusters can be made of wood, iron, stone and other materials. The term baluster is interchangeable with the word spindle. A balustrade is comprised of an assembled top rail, balusters or spindles and often a bottom rail, posts, post caps, and decorative finials.

What is another name for handrail?

In this page you can discover 14 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for handrail, like: balusters, staircase, guard-rail, bannister, banister, balustrade, guardrail, gangway, footrest, and bollard.

Is banister a handrail?

A banister is the definition of extended support that runs alongside staircases. Banisters are interchangeable with handrails in a definition sense. Meanwhile, a stair railing is what is there to prevent you from falling off the stairs.

What is the railing on a balcony called?

Classically referred to as a “balustrade,” the balcony railing got its name from the Italian word balaustra, meaning wild pomegranate flowers.

What is another word for balusters?

What is another word for balusters?

What means Bannister?

1a : a handrail with its supporting posts. b : handrail. 2 : baluster sense 2.

What does Balustraded mean?

1 : a row of balusters topped by a rail. 2 : a low parapet or barrier.

What do you call the top of a balustrade?

Handrail—a rail that sits on top of the baluster/spindles.

What does kudzu mean in English?

Definition of kudzu

: a fast-growing Asian vine (Pueraria lobata) of the legume family that is used for forage and erosion control and is often a serious weed in the southeastern U.S.

What is the meaning of newel post?

Definition of newel

1 : an upright post about which the steps of a circular staircase wind. 2 : a post at the foot of a straight stairway or one at a landing.

What is the bottom of a banister called?

A volute is the spiral at the bottom part of the handrail used with curtail or bullnose steps.

What is the flat part of a staircase called?

tread

The tread is the flat part of the stair where you step. The riser is the vertical portion of the stair that connects two treads. As well as these two main components there are stringers, which are the sides of the stair that connects the tread and the riser of each stair together.

What are the poles in railings called?

Baluster. A baluster is a short and decorative post, pillar, or column in a series that supports the top rail. You may hear a baluster referred to as a spindle, picket, or banister.

What is the wall above the stairs called?

Kneewall. A framed wall slightly above the noses of the stair treads with its top running parallel with the incline of the stair resulting in a closed stair – also called a pony wall or stub wall.

What’s the difference between spindles and balusters?

A baluster and spindle is actually almost the same thing, but the word spindle is more commonly used because it is easier to remember and say. Balusters usually rest on a footing; this could be a step, floor or deck, whereas, spindles are supported by a horizontal rail at the bottom that is attached to the posts.

What is the area at the top of the stairs called?

Landing/Landing return – This is the area immediately at the top of the staircase (landing), or part way up where a change of direction in the staircase occurs (landing return) which may be either a quarter or a half landing return.

What’s the difference between landing and hallway?

Landings are usually separated from rooms by doors and walls. In homes, where landings do not need to be very wide because people are few, doors to bedrooms are often within arm’s reach of a landing. Where a landing ends and (the rest of) a hallway begins is not that precise.

What is the difference between a handrail and a stair rail?

And that’s why people are choosing them to protect family members such as seniors who face threats from falling. A stair railing, on the other hand, is mostly to prevent people from falling off the side of the stairs. They aren’t asked to do much more – and they don’t.

What is the trim under a stair tread called?

Cove Mould: used to trim underneath the tread where the riser and tread meet. False Tread: a tread cap which is either left or right handed and fits over a false tread. Carpet is run between the tread caps. Fillet: used to fill the plow between the balusters in shoe rail and plowed handrails.

Why are stairs called stringers?

A stringer is the vertical support board or structural member that runs along each side or center of the staircase. The treads and risers are fixed into the stringer. Different stringers can combine with different types of stair treads to provide an almost endless combination of stair designs.

Why are there holes in stair risers?

It appears to be found on Victorian era staircases. One idea is ventilation, although that seems a bit far fetched; another guess would be that it is something added to aid construction, perhaps to enable the riser to be pulled vertical with a finger before fixing (pure speculation).