ᐅ Complaint Regarding Steps on Steel Stringer Stair with 2cm Gap

Hello everyone,
we had a steel stringer staircase installed and were satisfied until now. However, when the temporary steps were replaced with the final ones, there is now a 2 cm (0.8 inch) gap on each side.

It looks really bad, and everyone who has seen it so far agrees.

The stair builder says this is normal and actually makes cleaning easier. He also said that this complies with the DIN standard and that he doesn’t care if anyone dislikes it.

I couldn’t find any information online about a DIN standard regarding the gap between the (steel) stringer and the step.

Can someone tell me if there are any regulations about the maximum allowed gap size?
Thanks in advance!

I think he’s trying to take you for a ride. Steel stringer stairs are of course also available flush, and when it comes to cleaning, this is pretty much a disaster.
Of course, it depends on what you looked at beforehand or what you ordered and whether it was specified that the treads should be flush.

I don’t think it’s ugly or bad, though; it’s just a matter of personal taste.

Best regards,
Dirk Grafe

What was ordered?

We never discussed any gap or similar issues. Based on the model showing how the staircase will look (a computer-simulated model), the steps were aligned, and no gaps were visible even on the construction steps. Therefore, we assumed the finished steps would be the same.

Do we now have to accept it as it is?

I’m not very familiar with stairs, but I think the gap is normal based on the stairs at my parents’ house, and at my own home, there is always a gap as well. It’s probably related to the expansion of the material.

this is exactly how we imagined it.