Straight Vs Curved Stairlifts: A Comparison Guide

If you are looking to retain your independence and improve safety inside your home when your mobility becomes a challenge, an early and important decision to make is whether to install a straight or curved stairlift into your home.

This choice is one that should not be made lightly, as you want to select the equipment that will perfectly match your specific requirements and provide you with the best experience as you move between levels around your property.

Here at Access BDD, we always want to present you with the ideal stairlift solution that will fit in exactly with your home environment. That is why we’ve put together this guide, so that you can understand clearly the differences between having one of our straight stairlifts or any of our curved stairlifts…

A good place to start when answering this question is to define each type of stairlift:

• A straight stairlift is designed for a single staircase that goes directly up and down without any turns or intermediate landings.
• A curved stairlift is built so that it can function seamlessly around the exact shape of a staircase that has bends, corners and multiple landings.

This handy comparison table clearly sets out many of the other ways that a straight stairlift varies from a curved stairlift:

*A crucial caveat when it comes to the average speed of stairlifts is that a straight stairlift does not actually travel faster than a curved stairlift. The difference in overall speed is to do with how long the equipment takes to get up and down a staircase – a curved stairlift only takes longer as it needs to slow itself to get around turns and bends on a complex staircase design safely.

When you urgently need a stairlift fitted into your home, you will also want to understand how the expected installation time changes between choosing a straight stairlift or a curved stairlift.

Once you have purchased a straight stairlift, the equipment should be ready to be instantly installed into your property at a time that suits you. This is because the track of these units will be the same every time.

The actual fitting time of a straight stairlift by a trained engineer should only be a few hours too, as the process is quick and straightforward.

Curved stairlifts take longer to be installed around your home for several reasons. First, time will be needed for this equipment to be custom-built so that it can fit the exact curvature and shape of your property’s staircase.

Once your bespoke curved stairlift has been manufactured, you are then typically looking at one day to have it fitted as the trained engineers work around the complexities of a curved staircase.

Due to the differences outlined, especially in terms of typical cost and installation time, you may consider getting two straight stairlifts installed onto a staircase instead of one curved stairlift.

However, you should only have a pair of straight stairlifts fitted to your staircase with an intermediate landing in between if the user can safely transfer to each piece of equipment.

When you or a loved one risk not having the balance or strength to walk between stairlifts when part of the way up or down a set of stairs, it is advisable to install a curved stairlift into your home.

Do not attempt to convert a straight stairlift to make it curved either. The rail of a straight stairlift is specifically designed for a staircase that does not have any turns, curves or intermediate landings. Extending this rail could compromise how safe the equipment is to use, as well as pushing the unit beyond the structural capabilities that it is designed to handle.

Do you now have a better idea about the type of stairlift that you need? Get started bringing one of our fantastic stairlifts into your home by getting in touch with us to request a quote. You can also find an approved Access BDD dealer near you to receive advice and support in-person from a trusted provider.