A string is the main structural member running the length of a staircase on either side. It carries the load of the stairs and the people walking on them. In a closed string staircase, the edges of the treads and risers are housed into routed grooves in the string, hiding the joinery from the side view.
Heard on the job
We need to rout the housings in the left string before we can assemble the flight.
Also heard as
- stringer
- stringpiece
Do not mix it up with
- Stringer: String and stringer are often used interchangeably, but string usually implies a closed, routed board, while a stringer is often cut in a sawtooth pattern.