Thinking of Lighting Your Stairways or Steps?
You may not be lighting a “stairway to heaven,” but have you ever wondered what you could do to add that important safety element or cast just the right amount of light, and the right quality of light, onto a drab, utilitarian stair system transforming it into a vibrant, beautiful statement of taste, style and luxury? If so, RSL (Roberts Step Lite Systems) can help. We know adding light to stairways or steps can be a tricky endeavor. Fortunately, there is an abundance of LED lighting options available to designer’s.
The challenge of lighting staircases often stems from the lack of space and surface treatment: space to conceal a linear light bar within the stair element itself, or difficulty transitioning from the flooring surface to the fixture. From a retrofit perspective, installing some type of fixture within the stair element can be difficult. In this sort of situation, wall mounted step lights may be the optimal choice. An extremely wide variety of fixtures mounted adjacent to the steps is available in a massive array of sizes and finishes. What the wall mounted fixtures lack in subtlety and exposure is made up in relative ease of installation.
Depending on the fixture requirement, an externally mounted stair nosing may be appropriate.
The challenges of installation are minimized due to the step lighting fixture being mounted on the stair tread. The choice at this point is often influenced by the floor covering choice. “Hard” floor coverings like wood, tile, concrete or other similar products often lend themselves to a combination fixture/nosing like the RSL Slim Stair Nosing.
This fixture is custom fabricated to the exact length of the stair tread, minimizing any dark spots or shadows. Plus, custom finishes are available to either blend in or accentuate the color design of the staircase itself. For “soft” floor covering like carpet, the RSL Stair Nosing Carpet Step Light is a good choice. This heavy duty fixture has been a traditional favorite for many projects seeking a stair nosing finished (wrapped) in carpet. Facing the staircase, all that is seen by the viewer is the combination of lovely light and the beautiful floor covering. This, too, is custom fabricated to the nearest ½” of stair tread length.
The greatest impact for step lighting often results from recessing the fixture within the stair tread.
Where possible, the emission of light from an unexposed or hidden source, reflecting on the stair tread below is captivating and enticing. Choosing the fixture is often based on the thickness of the stair tread and the substrates comprising the stairs. RSL’s Low Profile fixture is very popular in this scenario due to the minute dimensions of the finished fixture, 3/8” tall by 5/8” wide. In addition to custom length availability (to the nearest ½”,) twelve colors and intensities, plus RGB, are accessible. Larger arcs and curves are possible with this unique fixture: single piece fixtures can accommodate radii up to seven feet.
RSL began 30 years ago specializing in step/stair lighting and has continued to build on that foundation. If a heavenly stairway is part of your vision, we want to help! It’s our pleasure to supply lighting into an existing fixture system, or one that we design expressly for you. We would love to hear your ideas today! Give us a call 1-405-728-4895…or inquire at info@robertssteplite.com