Straight versus curved stair lifts – what is the difference?

There is little in the way of jargon or industry terminology when it comes to stairlifts, however the terms that are most commonly used are straight and curved. So here is an explanation of what they mean.

Straight stair lift

A straight stair lift means exactly what it says. It is a lift that travels in a straight line up a flight of stairs that is uninterrupted by landings, half-landings, curves or twists in direction.

This means that a straight stairlift can use standard straight sections of track that do not need to bend around corners. This keeps the design, installation and operation of the lift structure simple and for this reason this kind of stairlift installation is the cheapest.

Curved stairlift

Unlike a straight stair lift, the curved stairlift is one that has to transport the passenger's chair (or perch) around corners, bends and changes in direction.

These curved stairlifts use custom made curved sections of track to smoothly direct the lift's seat around features like landings and half-landings that may turn through 90 degrees or more.

This kind of stair lift will normally use a mix of straight and curved tracks. The straight sections will come from regular stock, however the curved sections are normally purpose manufactured to fit the exact angles or bends of the customer's staircase.

Other stair types necessitating a curved stair lift include a spiral staircase where every section of the support railing will be customised to the unique bend of the stair.

For these reasons the design, manufacture and assembly of a curved stairlift is more complex and expensive than the simpler straight stairlift.

Which stair lift option is right for your home?

• If you have a single uninterrupted flight of stairs with no landings or curves, then a straight stairlift will suffice.
• If your staircase has any bends or landings, then you will need a curved stairlift to negotiate these bend and transit the chair smoothly around any changes in direction.

A third option

Because the expense of designing, manufacturing and installing a curved stairlift is much greater than a straight stair lift, there can be a third alternative.

This option applies when you have an "L" shaped staircase and, instead of using a curve to travel around the bend (landing), you could opt to have two separate stairlifts. i.e. One that takes you up the first straight flight of stairs to the landing, where you alight to a second stair lift that transports you from that landing to the top of the stairs.

This option will only be viable if firstly, the two sections of stair are of a similar height and length and secondly, the landing is of sufficient size to accommodate two chairs and in a proximity and orientation that makes moving from one to the other easy and safe. In many instances one or both of these requirements makes this option unviable.

Irrespective of the layout of your staircase, you should be able to find a supplier who will be able to install a stairlift in your home. The exception being stairs with treads that are less than 2 feet in width – although even in these circumstances a custom seat or a perch lift may be able to overcome this restriction.)

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