Residential buildings often began to be built in several floors. This implies the presence of transitions between levels, i.e. stairs, which has many options. For brick houses block the best option would be a concrete span, despite the frightening complexity and scale of the work.
Making a concrete staircase with your own hands is not an easy process. It takes time, patience. Strict observance of the instructions, careful measurement calculations, accounting for the details of the skin - a guarantee that the span will be of high quality, will serve its owners without problems for many years.
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Introduction
The vagaries of nature have no effect on strength and appearance
Any ladder structure must ensure reliability, safety in use. It is technologically complex and is designed for more than one year of service. And if it is placed at the entrance to the house or inside a residential building, the issue of aesthetics is also important.
A concrete staircase has many positive aspects:
- Great accommodation possibilities. The design is not affected by the level of humidity from the inside, the vagaries of nature outside
- Its strength is able to withstand the carrying of heavy furniture
- The structure is not susceptible to the negative effects of fungus, mold, water, temperature extremes. Not destroyed by fire (evacuation routes are made of concrete and metal)
- Monolithic spans - this is the solidity and massiveness of the appearance of the room
- The ability to manufacture stairs of any shape, even the most complex. The main condition is a thorough, accurate basis
- For decor, you can use a large selection of materials: carpet, laminate, wood, marble, granite slabs and much more. A concrete flight of stairs camouflages well with any style
- Noiseless steps, even with wooden cladding
- No special care required
Concrete staircase
With all the above advantages, there are some disadvantages:
- Even simple configurations fall into the category of increased complexity. With self-assembly, you need to prepare for labor-intensive work, a large expenditure of physical strength. Complex models are within the power of people with professional skills
- It takes a lot of time to work, even if the preparation and production of the formwork was carried out quickly. The maturation and curing of concrete takes about 4 weeks. It will take patience
- You can use the interfloor span only after the mortar is completely dry.
- Cladding is required, which leads to additional expenditure of money and time
- It is necessary to foresee in advance that the foundation of the dwelling and the floors can withstand such heavy structures.
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The following concrete staircase structures are distinguished:
- monolithic
monolithic
The solution is poured into a mold, which must be prepared in advance. The structure is cast. Installed directly at the place of use. The model is selected based on the area and design of the room.
- marching
Marching
The march structure occupies a large area of the room. It consists of 1 or many marches that connect the levels, and differs in pluses:
- simple design
- installation does not take much time
- beautiful appearance
- comfort, safety of descent and ascent
- low cost
- screw
screw
Convenient, compact type of design - an alternative to the march type. Saves floor space. It looks very rich with metal railings in addition to glass elements.
- combined
Combined
A complex metal structure (frame) on which concrete steps are fixed.
Stairs can be supported on the walls on one side or on both sides, and also be simply hanging with fastening to the floor and overlapping from above. With the right calculation, the structure will be equally strong. Adjacent to the wall does not increase the bearing capacity of the march in any way. They do this to a greater extent from saving space or facilitating the installation of formwork.
It is better not to undertake the construction of complex forms on your own, but to entrust the work to professional craftsmen. Without the relevant experience, it is unlikely that anything will work out.
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preliminary calculations
Dimensions of flights of concrete stairs
In order for the concrete staircase to turn out to be of high quality, the following calculations are carried out at the planning stage:
- march width
- height, step length
- total length of stairs
According to the advice of experts, certain rules must be observed:
- the height of the steps, taking into account the finishes - 17 cm
- step width - 30 cm
- span should not be less than 90 cm
- span length depends on the angle of inclination:
- 450 - 3 m
- 350 - 4.3 m
- 250 - 6.4 m
Saving raw materials and space in this situation is inappropriate. Steep stairs increase the risk of injury. Tilt at 300 - the most acceptable indicator to feel comfortable when descending or ascending.
With the finished drawing, the presence of preliminary calculations, you can proceed to the direct construction of the concrete staircase itself, strictly following all the steps. Below is an example of creating a stairway.
Stage 1: formwork installation
Mounting and reinforcement of formwork
To fill the marching platform, the wall is initially shrobed about 10 cm deep. Then the formwork is assembled - a frame made of wood. The accuracy of observing the size of the march, the general configuration of the structure will depend on it.
For different parts, different wood thicknesses are used:
- steps, end formwork – board from 30 mm
- bottom panel formwork – waterproof plywood 20 mm
- racks, supports - timber 10x10 cm
- curved elements – OSB board, multilayer plywood
The necessary template is cut out of plywood (it can be used several times). Formwork elements can warp, so they must be treated with alkyd-based varnish or wrapped with polyethylene, roofing material. The formation of gaps between the parts is unacceptable, otherwise the concreting will break the structure. The components are fastened with self-tapping screws, steel corners, wooden blocks of small length. The installation of the support must take into account the thickness of the flight of stairs and the large mass of concrete.
The props must not sag in the air when loaded, even if the formwork system is empty. If necessary, wedges and linings are installed under them. An unedged board is used to connect the racks to each other. The design becomes more rigid, durable.
Stage 2: reinforcement
Oversaturation with metal will only bring harm
The next stage in the manufacture of a concrete flight of stairs is the formation of a frame of reinforcement, which carries the load of the entire structure. Lateral projections are reinforced in increments of 25-30 cm, platforms - 20 cm in each direction. At this stage, it is very important to correctly calculate the load of the flight of stairs. Otherwise, the foundation may not withstand the weight and collapse.
Steel rods with a diameter of 10-12 mm are laid along the direction of the supporting faces. Coupling is carried out by transverse links.
Stair elements are not recommended to be fixed with a welding machine. This leads to a weakening of the strength of the reinforcement. It is more reliable to use a knitting wire. She is tied with a special hook.
From below, the formwork and the frame base should have a distance of about 3 cm between them. Plastic fasteners perfectly cope with this role. For the strength of the stairs, the reinforcing base is additionally attached to the walls. To do this, reinforcement bars are driven into the walls into the drilled slots.
The final stage of reinforcement is the installation of strips of steel or wooden plugs. This will be the future staircase barrier.
Stage 3: concreting
In the process of concreting, savings are inappropriate
A good quality mix is very important for pouring concrete. According to the recommendations of experts, the following proportions must be observed:
- cement PC-400 – 1 l
- rubble – 4 l
- sand – 2 l
- water - 0.6 l
- plasticizer - 0.01 l
Strength and reliability are required from the stairs, so saving on concrete is unacceptable.
Formwork for concrete stairs
The process of mixing the components is carried out in the following order:
- rubble
- cement
- dry sand
- water
Within 1 min. the dry mixture must be mixed. The solution must be stirred for 2 minutes.
A more thorough mixing of the composition will be if you use a concrete mixer for this.
Start concreting from the lower steps and go up. The solution is periodically compacted and leveled with a trowel. There should be no voids with air in the steps. To do this, the mass of concrete is periodically pierced with reinforcement.
Upon completion of work, the open areas of the base are covered with plastic wrap. You can do without it. Then the stairs must be regularly sprinkled with water. This will prevent the concrete from cracking.
After the solution has completely solidified, all fasteners are removed from the formwork and the frame itself is removed.
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The tree creates coziness and a homely atmosphere.
An equally important process is the finishing of the concrete stairs. It will affect the durability and appearance of the structure, as well as the interior of the dwelling. It will give it elegance and solidity.
Wood is often used to decorate concrete stairs. It has the following qualities:
- good thermal insulation properties
- safe movement
- no special care required
- harmony with any interior space
- creating comfort, home environment
Also, it does not give a large load on the base of the structure, which is important for heavy concrete structures. It is applied to finishing of any forms and types of ladders. Balustrade, railings are also often made of wood. Perhaps decoration in the form of artistic cuttings.
Carpet - soft in structure and silent when walking
For families with small children, with the elderly, carpeting is suitable. It is soft in structure, creates noiselessness when walking. It spreads without cuts and is fixed with planks made of wood or plastic.A layer of felt under carpet, or a similar material, will extend its lifespan.
Having a harmonious combination with any finishing materials, concrete can be decorated in several ways, for example, combine wooden and chrome elements.
Tile is a good finishing option
Clinker steps and tiles are another lining material. It is not difficult to lay the clinker steps, which are produced in prepared form and they can fit in size. If the dimensions do not correspond to the structure, a screed is carried out with a cement mixture. When tiling, it is also used on approaches.
Ceramic tiles are not recommended for finishing spiral staircases, because it will have to be cut. Due to the numerous seams, the appearance of the structure will deteriorate. It is more suitable for straight marches. The laying starts from the bottom.
Illumination adds originality to the look
Neon and LED lighting, as well as decor with plastic and glass, give the building a unique, original look.
Working with natural stone is similar to tiling. The material has disadvantages:
- costly
- noise when walking
- discomfort from cold material
- difficult to care for
Natural stone, marble, granite have a big advantage. This durable materials.
The surface is thoroughly cleaned before painting.
Staining concrete steps is cheap. Wear time will increase, but staining will not be able to protect against the cold of concrete, noise when walking.
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Professional advice
Reliability and durability
With the independent construction of a concrete flight of stairs, it does not hurt to listen to the recommendations of specialists:
- The march is concreted in one step
- Crushed stone for the solution must be taken with a diameter of about 1-2 cm to prevent the solution from moving
- Concrete grade should not be lower than B15
- Poor quality of concrete compaction affects the overall strength of the structure. Professionals use an electric vibrator for more effective results.
The construction of a staircase made of concrete must begin with careful preparation for work. For beginners in construction, it is better to start by clarifying all the nuances in design, competent calculations, familiarizing yourself with the technological rules in pouring and finishing. You can always test your strength by building a staircase on the site. A concrete staircase is a good choice of reliability and durability.
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