What is the Best Staircase Scaffold?

Are you considering a staircase scaffold? Whether you’re a beginner, a seasoned DIY-er, or a professional regularly working at height, a staircase scaffold is a significantly safer alternative to staircase ladders. But what is it exactly?

What is Staircase Scaffolding?

Staircase scaffolding is purpose-engineered steel scaffolding for use in a stairwell. Stairwells are typically narrow and have steps, which makes working at height potentially dangerous. This type of scaffolding is a safer alternative to ladders, allowing you to move freely and be more productive.

Why Use a Stairwell Scaffold Tower?

It makes painting or decorating the walls or ceilings, installing or changing light bulbs, or hanging items like mirrors, picture frames, and even curtains easier and safer. But what is the best stairwell scaffold for you?

Using Scaffold Towers in Stairwells

At LEWIS Access, we manufacture and distribute scaffold towers for stairwells from our production facility in South East London. We have engineered two types of scaffolding for stairs: Stairway Access Tower and Stairway Podium. Both serve as stairwell access towers, but depending on your requirements, one is more suitable.

What is the difference between a stair scaffold tower and a stair scaffold podium?

Throughout your research, you may have seen these terms used to describe different types of scaffolding. While it may initially seem confusing, the main difference between them is the size.

Stair Scaffold Tower

On the one hand, a stair scaffold tower is a freestanding structure with an elevated platform supported by a frame of interconnected uprights and cross braces. It is designed to provide a safe working platform for workers performing tasks at heights, such as painting, decorating, construction work, or maintenance.

At Scaffold Tower, we offer clients the ability to customise their stairwell tower. You can choose a stairwell platform working height of 2.4 metres or 4.8 metres. The latter is best suited to a stairwell of one to two stories.

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Stair Scaffold Podium

On the other hand, a stair scaffold podium is a smaller and more compact version of a scaffold tower. It typically has a lower working height and is designed for use in environments where a full-sized stair scaffold tower would be impractical or unnecessary. Scaffold podiums usually have a single working platform with four legs for low-level maintenance that does not require significant movement along a platform—for example, hanging a mirror instead of painting a wall.

We offer a standard podium with a working height of 2.4 metres, with either telescopic or fixed stabilisers. Unlike the stairwell tower mentioned above, this platform is smaller and, therefore, a podium. Consequently, it requires users to adjust the positioning of the podium on the stairs more frequently.

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Can you use scaffolding on stairs?

You can use scaffolding on stairs, but it must be a stairwell tower or podium to ensure safe working practices. These towers differ in design as one end is shorter than the other.

Imagine standing on the stairs sideways; one left is on the step below without a bent knee, and one leg is on the step above but with a bent knee. We produce the legs with a bent knee shorter for stability.

We strongly advise against using traditional scaffolding or scaffold towers, whereby the design is not for staircases for your safety and those around you.

Why Choose a Stair Scaffold Tower with a Long Platform or Small Podium Instead of a Ladder?

Platform

One of the main reasons is the platform. Standing on a ladder is not only dangerous but tiring. With a platform, you can comfortably work for extended hours and move freely along the platform as you work on different sections of the wall or ceiling.

Platform Height

In addition to the benefits of a platform, you have height options, which include 2.4 and 4.8 metres. The platform height that you require depends on the tasks you have in mind. For instance, you may need the taller option if you have a very high ceiling. Tradespeople may consider the taller option to accept jobs with low and high ceilings.

Less Tiring

Standing and balancing on a ladder can be exhausting, which is another reason to consider buying a stairwell tower. They are super easy to erect by one person, and once on the platform, it feels like you are walking on the floor.

Safer Alternative

A ladder always has the potential to slip and slide, especially if users are over-extending to one side. 

Why Choose LEWIS Scaffold Towers?

Established Since 2004

Since 2004, we have been manufacturing scaffold towers. It all started in Mark’s garage. Twenty years later, we are the UK’s leading manufacturer and supplier of scaffold towers with a large factory in South East London.

Over 2,400 Reviews

Over the years, we have built an impeccable reputation for the exceptional quality of each tower we manufacture and the service we provide to all our customers.

British Manufacturer

We focus on quality, so we manufacture all our products here in South East London.

Our Towers Meet BSEN1004 Standard

Be safe; choose a BSEN1004 standard product. All our products meet the relevant requirements.