Narrow Width Stair Lift — Best Options For Tight, Narrow Staircases (straight & curved)
Are you looking for a narrow width stair lift? A narrow width stairlift takes up as little room as possible when folded. This means other people can still use the stairs comfortably.
There are other important considerations too. When a stairlift is in use, it sits on the rail. This protrudes from the wall a little. Certain stairlifts will have different configurations to mitigate this wall to rail gap better than others.
So while some manufacturers will cite their stairlift width, there’s more to this than meets the eye. You may need a narrow width stairlift, which folds neatly out of the way. But you may also need one which functions well in a narrow space.
Above you can see one of the best stairlifts in this regard for a straight staircase. The Stannah 600 (pictured above). It is better than many others because of their seat back position which sits far back against the wall/bannister. It has an incredibly thin chair back, allowing for more leg room in a tight space.
Narrow Width Stair Lift – Stannah Versus Handicare – (Straight Stairs)
Straight stairs: Handicare Simplicity 950. Folded intrusion from the wall ~11¼” (≈287 mm) (very slim). Handicare’s Simplicity 950 is commonly sold as a slim-profile straight stairlift. Brochures and dealer specs list a folded width to footrest of about 11¼ inches. This makes it one of the narrowest straight-chair options on the market. Good if you need the smallest possible intrusion.
The Handicare 950 (pictured above left) is a super slim, budget lift, and works well on narrow stairs. However, we prefer the Stannah 600 which has better build quality, a stronger motor and greater longevity, in our experience. The Handicare 950 has the racking teeth on top which collects dust and can cause more problems later, whereas the Stannah has a better rail design and more quality look and feel.
Narrow Width Stair Lift – Stannah Versus Handicare – (Curved Stairs)
Curved stairs (most compact curved rails): Handicare 2000 (pictured left) and Stannah 260 (pictured right) are among the tightest-fitting curved options. They have with folded widths ~15¾”–16⅛” (≈400 mm) and custom narrow seat/armrest options.
Again, we recommend the Stannah with our curved stairlift installations, for similar reasons as with the straight stair options. Stannah’s Siena/Sienna 260 is a widely used curved solution and is offered with narrow seat options. Published specs and dealer sheets show a folded width from the wall in the ~15–16 in range depending on configuration — a strong option for narrower curved staircases.
Curved stairlifts are custom-built to your staircase profile, so the final rail position and folded intrusion can vary, according to your fitting. These models are known for tight-fit curved rails and compact folded widths.
For a more in-depth assessment of your staircase, call us on 0800 046 3438 and arrange a free survey.
Narrow Width Stair Lift – Thyssen Flow X/Flow 2a Versus Stannah
We will often recommend a reconditioned Stannah stairlift for narrow stair configurations. However, in some cases a Stannah won’t fit and it is generally for very narrow stairs that we must use a specialist stairlift designed for more tricky situations.
The Thyssen Flow X (pictured above left) and Thyssen Flow 2a (now manufactured by Access BDD) are the best for such situations. The Flow X can manage staircases even narrower than 61cm in width (as mentioned in the Flow X specifications). When folded the stairlift measures only 38cm in width, making it the perfect choice if other house members use the stairs.
Checkout our case study with the stairlift below (the Flow X) here and watch the full installation process in video here.
How to read the numbers (what “folded width” actually means)
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Folded width (or folded depth to footrest): usually measured from the wall/stringer to the outside edge of the folded footrest — this is the space the chair takes when it’s folded up and matters most for people still walking on the steps.
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Minimum required stair width: manufacturers will also list a minimum stair width or minimum open width to edge of footrest — for curved lifts that can be ~27–30″ (depends on rail position and if you need room to swivel at the top). Always check both folded intrusion and the minimum open width.
Practical buying checklist for narrow staircases
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Measure carefully — measure from the wall/stringer to the outer edge of each stair step at key points (bottom, tightest curve, top). Bring those numbers to the surveyor.
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Ask for folded-width & open-width specs for your exact configuration (seat choice, armrest spacers, footrest type). Specs vary by seat and optional spacers.
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Request an on-site survey — curved rails are custom; the engineer will confirm whether the rail should be installed on the inside or outside of the curve to minimise intrusion. Call us on 0800 046 3438 for a free survey of your stairs.
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Consider swivel/park requirements at top/bottom — the space needed to swivel at landings can be the limiting factor, even if the folded width looks OK. So while the folded dimensions are useful at a glance, you will often need a skilled engineer to determine whether a particular stairlift is suitable for your home.
Final notes
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The models above are the most commonly recommended compact options for narrow straight and curved staircases: Handicare, Stannah (Siena/Sienna 260) and Thyssen/Access BDD. Exact folded widths depend on seat style, armrests and optional extras, and curved rails are always bespoke — so use the numbers above as a starting guide and ask suppliers for a site survey and final dimensions.
While some of these options look good on paper, once installed the space is the determining factor as to whether the stairlift takes up more or less room on the staircase. We recommend the Stannah Siena as one of the best options for curved stairs. We also favour the Flow X and Flow 2a as the best stairlifts for very narrow stairs because of their ability to manoeuvre around difficult obstacles and travel while pivoting (using patented technology).
The Stannah Sienna gets you closest to the wall better than any lift on the market, which is why we will recommend those models where they can be fitted. The back to knee measurement is crucial when the chair is facing perpendicular to the wall/bannister. So with standard outward facing chairs, this measurement will need to be taken in extremely narrow staircases.
With stairlifts such as the Flow X, the user can be faced down the stairs. This allows more space. However, the stairlift will still need to turn to allow the user to get off at the top. This is where the limitations can occur. This is the case even with tight fitting stairlifts.
