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How To Measure For Your New Stair Lift

It is really quite easy to measure for your new stair lift. Before you start, however, ensure that you have a good quality tape measure available from all good hardware stores. This should preferably be metal and capable of measuring the full length of your staircase.

You will need to decide which side of the staircase will best suit the stair lift. Since the lift mounts directly onto the stair treads, it does not matter if it the staircase is not next to an interior wall. It is important, however, to allow at least 8” (20cm) for the rail to overhang the top landing and 14” (36 cm) for it to meet the floor at the foot of the stairs, beyond the nose of the first step.

Make a note of any fixtures that could be obstructed by stair lift, including doorways, hand rails, windowsills etc. Taking all this into account, it should become clear which side of the staircase will be most appropriate for the installation. You can how measure the staircase, ensuring that you record each measurement twice to avoid any palpable error. For your convenience, we have included a diagram of the measurements that you will need and a form that you can print off and use.

Explanation of Measurements

1 This measures the overall length of the staircase and determines the length of rail required for the stair lift. Stand at the top of the stairs and extend the tape measure so that it is lying flat above the stair treads and that the tip is touching the landing at the bottom.

2. This measures the width of the staircase. If you find that there are slight variations, use the narrowest point as your measurement.

3. This measures the clearance if there is a wall or door at the bottom of the staircase. Measure from the bottom step to the wall. A minimum of 24” (61 cm) is usually required for this measurement.

4. This measures the rise, or height of one step. Since there will be a slight variation, measure several steps and then take an average.

5. This measures the tread, or depth of one step. Again, this may vary slightly from step to step, so measure a few and take an average.

6. This measures the diagonal distance between the noses of two adjacent steps. Again, take a few measurements to get an average.