If you or someone you care about is having problems walking up and down the stairs safely, a stair lift can be one of the most appealing accessibility options available. A common concern that people have about stair lifts is how much space the stair lift chair will take up on the staircase. Can the chair truly sit close enough to the wall to allow others to walk by?
Fortunately, the answer to this question is usually yes! However, it depends upon the specific stair lift, your situation, and who installs it.
Will a Stair Lift Impact Stair Usability?
There are two main reasons why a stair lift usually will not impact other people’s ability to use the stairs:
1. All modern stair lift chairs fold up when not in use.
Depending on the model, stair lift chairs take up about 12 to 18 inches when folded up, and sit snugly against the wall. Staircases in the United States are generally at least 36 inches wide, meaning that for many Americans, most of your staircase is unblocked when the chair seat is folded. If your home is more than 50 years old, your stairs may be narrower, in which case the model selected starts to matter more than it would in a newer home.
2. Most stair lift chairs can be parked at the bottom landing, entirely off the stairs.
This means that the chair is not an obstacle when you are on the steps. Remember that the stair lift rail will still be there, but the rail generally sits 6 to 8 inches from the wall. For this reason, regardless of the width of the staircase, the vast majority of it typically remains open for use when the chair is parked at the bottom of the stairs. All modern stair lifts come with one remote per landing, so the person using the lift can retrieve it if it is parked at the opposite end of the stairs.
How Narrow Can a Stair Lift Be?
Now that we have addressed the most critical features of stair lift chairs regarding space concerns, let’s look at how narrow or wide a stair lift can be. Three factors help answer the question, “How much space will my stair lift take up on the stairs?”
1. How far the rail sits from the wall when the chair is parked off the stairs.
Among straight stair lifts, Stannah and Bruno have the narrowest rail width. Because of this, the compact Bruno Elan stair lift rail sits only 5 inches from the wall, while the Stannah 600 and Bruno Elite rails sit about 6 inches from the wall. It should be noted that if the extra large seat option is selected on the Bruno Elite, the rail will be just over 9 inches from the wall.
Again, it is important to remember that most stair lift models can park on the bottom landing, entirely off the stairs. For this reason, the distance that the rail sticks out is often the most relevant question to answer to determine how much of the stairway will be taken up by the stair lift.
2. How far the chair sits from the wall when the stair lift chair is folded up.
This dimension matters most in two situations. First, if there is a narrow hallway at the bottom of the stairs that continues in the same direction as the staircase itself, and second, if your stair lift has a retractable rail that does not allow the stair lift to park at the bottom landing due to the way the stair lift battery charging system is designed. These cases may have a bit more of a space-constraint when walking around the stair lift chair than with other stair lift configurations.
In these situations, it is wise to understand how far the chair will protrude from the wall when folded. Perhaps the most compact stair lift chair in this regard is the Harmar Pinnacle, which sits 10.5 inches from the wall when folded. Other compact models include the Bruno Elan, at 12.5 inches, and the Stannah 600, at 14.5 inches. The Bruno Elite folds within 15 to 18.5 inches of the wall (depending on the options selected).
Several popular curved rail stair lift chairs sit 16 inches from the wall when folded up, but this is rarely relevant due to the ability of curved rails to have a “turn and park” feature, which allows them to be parked around a corner or up on a landing away from the staircase.
3. How far the stair lift chair sits from the wall when the chair is in use (not folded up).
Generally, the far edge of the footrest will sit about 22 to 27 inches away from the wall. This is most relevant when the chair is actually being used and traveling up and down the staircase. Otherwise, the measurements discussed above are more important because the chair can be folded up when not in use.
Your Individual Situation
You will also want to consider the circumstances in your life and within your home. Here are some reasons why your situation factors into how much space your stair lift will occupy:
- Not all stair lifts are the same. Custom curved rail stair lifts can park around corners. Most straight rail stair lift chairs can park on the bottom landing. However, if you have a straight stair lift with a folding rail at the bottom landing, you might need to park your stair lift chair on the staircase itself.
- Staircase width varies. While the majority of residential staircases in the United States are 36 inches or wider, older homes often have narrower stairs. It is important to know that a trained stair lift expert can usually help identify a stair lift that works for you and your home. However, the stair lift dimensions will matter more in these situations.
- The number of people in the home and who they are can be relevant.
- Of course, if you are the only person who regularly uses the staircase, you can always use the stair lift to get up and down the stairs, so how much space the stair lift takes up is typically not a concern in such cases.
- However, if two or more people regularly use your staircase, and not all use the stair lift, you may want to consider everyone’s size and agility. Children and many adults can generally walk past a folded-up stair lift chair quite easily, while larger adults or those with mobility issues may not be able to do so. This is when the other factors above, such as type of stair lift, where the stair lift chair parks, and the staircase width, become very important.
Who Installs Your Lift
The expertise and training of the company that helps you select and install your stair lift matters tremendously. Hopefully, you consult a qualified stair lift installation company, such as Arrow Lift, when purchasing your stair lift. If so, the Stair Lift Expert who comes to your home for a free consultation will be familiar with the topics discussed above and help you identify the right stair lift for you or your loved one.
It also pays off to engage the services of a stair lift company that sells multiple makes and models rather than trying to treat one stock (or non-stock) model as a “one-size-fits-all” solution to all of their clients, regardless of staircase construction, user abilities and limitations, and individual budgets.
A key example of the type of decision that an experienced Stair Lift Expert can help you with is what to do about handrails on your staircase, which can affect the amount of space taken up on the stairs by the lift. Many Arrow Lift clients ask if they have to remove the handrail on their staircase or if a stair lift can be installed on a staircase with a handrail. Usually, the presence of a handrail does not prevent us from installing a stair lift that is safe to use. Sometimes, however, the handrail must be removed (or relocated to the other side of the stairs). This highly depends upon the stairs’ layout, the staircase’s dimensions, and the stair lift model selected.
In addition to consulting the right Stair Lift Expert, having a trained and qualified Stair Lift Technician install your lift is crucial. This will pay off regarding the appropriate positioning of the rail, especially when considering unique factors of your staircase, such as handrails, a door at the top of the stairs, and overhead concerns. Not to mention the safety and reliability of the lift!
To properly position the stair lift chair, the Technician must take into account not only the variables of your staircase but also the exact minimum dimensions for the specific model of the stair lift being installed. Qualified Stair Lift Technicians are also trained on safety concerns such as possible pinch points, sufficient overhead, and any possible tripping concerns and how to address them safely.
Experienced Stair Lift Expertise
Play it safe and start by contacting a local stair lift company with a brick-and-mortar presence within reasonable driving distance of your home — one with many years of experience helping clients like you.
Arrow Lift has been selling, installing, and maintaining stair lifts for almost 40 years. While no one can claim to have seen it all, our family business comes close with each passing decade! This enables us to serve you with confidence and competence. Please contact us if you’d like to learn more about choosing the right stair lift for you and your home.
