Seventeen Fairfield Inn hotels throughout seven Midwest states have new stairwells fabricated of fiberglass handrail, structural members, stairs and landings. Fiberglass replaced traditional materials such as concrete, steel and aluminum for long lasting, cost-effective solutions to the severe corrosion created by the harsh winters and salts used to melt snow on roads and parking lots.

The Fairfield Inn stairwells are highly visible. Maintaining the attractiveness of all its Inns is a high priority with Marriott International, Inc., which manages the Fairfield Inn chain. Fiberglass materials offered the corrosion resistance and longterm maintenance-free durability Marriott was looking for. A custom handrail, with 2" half-round blue top rail and white pickets, was designed to blend into the existing Fairfield Inn architecture. In addition, an 8" x 1-1/2" x 1/2" angle was developed as a riser cover for the stairs. The two-color handrail system required special handling and painting procedures.

SAFPLATE^® 1/4" thick fiberglass gritted plate bonded to DURAGRID^® I-7000 1-1/4" grating was used for the stair treads and landings. The handrail and stairs were all prefabricated and the treads and stringers were put together with the riser covers ready to set into place in one piece.

The total project included renovating 17 Fairfield Inn locations in Michigan, Ohio, Iowa, Kansas, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. In all, 48 stairwells were pultruded, prefabricated and shipped in 17 consecutive weeks. This large fabricated project included more than 6,500 lineal feet of handrail, 1,350 four-foot wide stair treads and 6,750 square feet of plated grating.

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