Stira Loft Ladders - Quality You Need To Know About
This month we always tend to see loft ladder sales on the rise and with this, in mind, we spent some time with Paddy, the Business Development Manager at Stira Loft Ladders to find out exactly why the Stira Loft Ladders could be the best on the market today.
Sustainable Timber - The Southern Yellow Pine.
Why do you use the Southern Yellow Pine & what are its main characteristics and benefits?
The Southern Yellow Pine used in Stira’s quality loft ladder systems comes from Managed Forests in the South East of the United States. These managed forests are harvested in a responsible manner, and practice a land stewardship ethic which integrates the reforestation, managing, growing, nurturing and harvesting of trees for useful products with the conservation of soil, air, and water quality, and wildlife and fish habitat.
The Southern Yellow Pine is selected for Stira loft ladders as it is particularly strong because of its high density and minimal knots, often presenting no knots at all. It is a fantastic timber for holding its shape over a long period of time and is also resistant to rot and cold damp conditions.
Finishes - Lacquered & Painted
Do all Stira ladders have a lacquered finish applied to them and can your steps be painted?
All Stira loft ladder systems have a matt lacquer finish applied to them. This application protects the ladder sections whilst maintaining the natural timber look and feel. Some customers also ask if their ladders can be painted, however, we don’t recommend painting the steps as it can make them slippy. All other parts of the Stira loft ladder system can be painted should you wish to.
Components & Hinges
We know that all components of the ladder are made in house, why is this and why aren’t they brought In from elsewhere?
To produce some of the safest and strongest loft ladder systems available on the market we needed to source hinges with sufficient strength. We couldn’t source adequate hinges so we started producing heavy-duty hinges in house. This includes our wraparound hinge which is unique to Stira and patented.
Our inhouse metal fabrication capabilities have allowed us to continually improve the strength and design of our loft ladder systems since 1982.
The Hatch Material
Is the hatch the same material as the ladder and if not what material is this made from and why?
The ladder is made of Southern Yellow Pine. The frames are made of White Deal. The White Deal is the same timber used in the construction of house roofing, so as temperatures in the attic space change, the Stira framing will react the same way as the timber joists. The white deal is tried and trusted in the construction industry.
The trapdoor is made of Plywood. This is mainly to keep weight down, allow for the required safety “toe-gap”, to allow for the application of the insulation and airtightness seal, and to present a neutral yet aesthetically pleasing finish.
Quality Control
How do you ensure each ladder has the same high-quality standard during the quality control stage?
Stira is certified to ISO 9001 and has been awarded Kitemark certification for the European loft ladder safety standard BS EN 14975. As part of this accreditation, our loft ladder systems are tested twice a year. Each loft ladder system is handmade and passes through several quality inspection points as part of the manufacturing process.
Is there anything else to add, in terms of what your main USPs are vs competitors?
- 10-year parts guarantee
- Easy to fit
- No pre-assembly
- Unique inner frame for extra strength
- Built to last a lifetime
Every element of a Stira loft ladder system is either bigger or stronger than our competitors:
Our framing is 44% thicker than competitors.
- Our ladder sides are 26% thicker on average.
- Our competitors use a dovetail joint and glue to fix steps in place, we use a larger cut out (so 20-50% more material holding the step), glue and nails to hold the step in place.
- Stira loft ladder systems have dominated the Irish loft ladder market for the last 30 years.
Watch the Stira Semi-Automatic and Original Loft Ladders In Action.