When developing the design of a room, the interfloor concrete staircase is a rather difficult area. The front home staircase, its architectural style and decoration largely determines the design of the house itself. Therefore, in matters of its finishing, it is important to avoid mistakes. Finishing concrete stairs is a very labor-intensive process. It should be made in harmony with the style and decor of the surrounding space.
Yard monolithic stairs: a – single-flight; b – two-flight with a platform and railings; c – in Art Nouveau style.
You can decorate a concrete staircase in a house using various materials.
This is wood, stone, ceramic tiles, carpeting, laminate, mosaic, floor tiles and other facing materials. This is the main thing to use to finish a concrete staircase.
Wood cladding
Scheme of a concrete staircase.
Concrete stairs lined with solid wood have an excellent appearance and are highly durable. Their service life is calculated for many years. The concrete staircase in the house can be finished completely or partially. Sometimes only steps with railings are trimmed with wood. Full cladding gives the concrete staircase the appearance of a wooden one. This can be an addition to the design solution.
Stairs made of concrete, lined with wood, make the interior of the house unique. Wood has many advantages. It is warm to the touch, which also makes the whole room visually look warm. Wooden cladding absorbs falls. It is easy to process and can be adapted to steps of any shape.
Finishing a concrete staircase with wood begins with taking the necessary measurements. Based on them, an estimate is drawn up and the necessary materials are selected. A staircase made of monolithic concrete is ideally suited for wooden cladding. It doesn't squeak or rot, and bugs don't eat it. Its service life is equal to the service life of the house itself. Such a staircase is not afraid of moisture and temperature changes, as well as open fire.
Staircase diagram.
When finishing the steps of a concrete staircase with wood, you should keep in mind the fact that wood does not like sunlight, frost and moisture. Over time, it may dry out and lose its original appearance. The lining will have to be changed.
Finishing concrete stairs with wood is the most popular type of finishing. Wood muffles the echo of concrete, unlike ceramic tiles and stone, which amplify the sound of footsteps. Noble oak and ash are used for cladding. These types of wood decorate the steps and give them chic and majesty.
The humble pine can lighten a heavy concrete structure with its light shades. It is advisable to choose first-class wood, it is marked “E”. Instead of expensive solid wood, you can use very durable material made of laminated wood for cladding stairs. It must meet the following requirements:
- high-quality drying to a humidity of 8%;
- absence of knots, cracks, holes and pigmentation.
Scheme for calculating the step of a staircase.
It is recommended to finish with the following types of wood:
- oak;
- ash;
- beech;
- wenge;
- badi (has a delightful “watercolor” pattern);
- Doussie (in terms of technical characteristics, it is in no way inferior to oak);
- iroko (golden color turning to orange);
- Jatoba (exceptional wear resistance).
All elite wood is expensive, but its service life is calculated in centuries.
Facing is carried out in the following order:
- steps, if necessary, are leveled and cleaned of dust and dirt;
- a layer of waterproofing in the form of mastic or cement with modifying additives is applied to the surface;
- Pieces of plywood 12-20 mm thick are cut to fit the steps;
- plywood is attached to the steps using glue and dowel nails;
- a wood blank is glued onto a layer of plywood using polyurethane parquet two-component glue;
- During operation, dust is periodically removed with a vacuum cleaner.
Rough step profile analysis
Surface finishing begins after inspecting the structure and taking measurements of its elements. This is necessary in order to ensure the convenience and safety of the staircase profile for walking, as well as to determine the consumption of tiles on the stairs.
Practical studies have shown that to meet these requirements, the height of the step - the value H of the riser - must be within 15-18 cm, and the depth of the step (the value B of the tread), folded with twice its height, must be 60-64 cm, that is: 2H + B = 60-64 cm.
Formulas you can use:
B – H = 12 cm
B + H = 46 cm,
also providing convenience and safety for moving up the stairs.
The optimal sizes are:
- tread depth – 29 cm;
- riser height – 17 cm.
The steps of straight flights can be tiled with tiles of any shape and size
Stone and tile cladding
Scheme for attaching balusters to railings and steps.
One of the common options for finishing an interfloor staircase made of monolithic concrete is lining the steps with porcelain stoneware. This method has become very popular in recent years. Porcelain tiles are superior to other finishing materials in many respects.
Porcelain stoneware steps are free of all disadvantages. They are highly durable, resistant to moisture and chemical exposure, and do not fade under the sun. This material is environmentally friendly and can last for decades. Today it is the best facing material both in price and quality.
Porcelain tiles for cladding stair steps can be matte, embossed or polished. The steps can have a straight shape with processed front edges.
Reinforced wooden formwork for pouring concrete under the stairs.
There are steps that have a curved nose. Porcelain tiles can be selected with anti-slip notches. There are many color options. There are slabs imitating wood, imitating marble, imitating stone. The space between the stairs can be treated with porcelain stoneware of the same color shade.
A good option is clinker steps. But they can break from careless impacts with heavy objects. And clinker tiles have few color options.
Marble is distinguished by its variety of colors. But it is expensive and is afraid of exposure to chemicals. It cannot be washed using detergents.
Creative people choose ceramic tiles. It can become a decoration for a flight of stairs along with wooden balusters. This is the best choice for creating an original staircase design. It is recommended to choose tiles with a rough front surface.
Tiles are a good facing material. But it is cold and hard, unable to absorb falls. The advantages include its low cost and durability.
The stone for cladding concrete stairs must be hard and resistant to abrasion. Granite, hard sandstone, basalt, marble are suitable. Limestones and soft sandstones are absolutely not suitable. It is very difficult to keep them clean. Travertine can be used, but it must be puttied first. The stone, which has a polished surface, is coated with a preparation that prevents slipping.
Attaching these materials to the steps of a concrete staircase is done in the usual ways using adhesive mastic, stone glue or cement mortar.
Finishing the edges of steps
The areas where treads meet the risers, called edges, are most susceptible to destruction. At the same time, they are also the most traumatic elements of the structure. Therefore, when finishing steps with tiles, the following technologies are used to increase strength and minimize the consequences of a person falling when moving up the stairs:
- laying ceramics of a special profile at the junction of the tread with the riser, made taking into account the requirements;
- the use of removable and non-removable overlays of various designs for installation on the edges of steps.
Cladding with other materials
Scheme of a concrete staircase.
Some owners of cottages and apartments prefer minimalism in home design. The attributes of this style are: a minimum of furniture, a maximum of air, neutral black and gray tones, a staircase to the second floor made of concrete without cladding.
In such a room, a simple painting of this staircase is appropriate. This will highlight the style of a bachelor's home. It can be painted monochrome or in different colors. At the same time, we must not forget that the concrete coating is distinguished by its fragility and will begin to crumble over time.
To protect against this nuisance, a layer of cement containing inclusions of hard crumbs is placed under the paint. But even then, the steps will remain cold after painting. If children live in the apartment, you should not use this type of finishing for the staircase steps. Children may catch a cold while playing on the steps. It is better to lay and secure carpet.
The most democratic and elegant material is laminate. It gives an old staircase a fresh look. This type of cladding looks especially advantageous against the backdrop of laminate floors. You can dilute the uniform style with beautiful handrails and unusual lighting, as well as carpeting of the flight of stairs. To cover the steps, special laminate plates, a set of metal profiles and end strips are used.
When choosing carpets, you should give preference to those materials that are easy to clean and dry quickly. It is not recommended to choose a long-pile covering or one with a thick felt pad. Wool coverings are also not suitable. They get dirty quickly and are very difficult to clean. Acrylic coatings do not have high strength. There are special carpets for stairs. They are marked with a special pictogram.
Elimination of design geometry deficiencies
If the staircase has steps whose dimensions differ significantly from the recommended ones, and circumstances allow this to be corrected, then the correct solution to the problem will be a timely change in the design, since safety comes first.
If deviations from the permissible values are insignificant, then when finishing the steps, these design flaws should be neutralized by applying a leveling layer of tile adhesive or laying the tiles on a thicker layer of adhesive.
Some tips
- On a concrete staircase, it is recommended to finish all its parts: steps (treads), risers (vertical planes between the steps), baseboards (the section of the wall above the steps). The treads are covered with non-slip material. The risers are lined with impact-resistant material.
- Painting the risers with white paint visually lightens the staircase. It is recommended to use acrylic or vinyl paint. It gives a smooth, waterproof finish. Instead of paint, you can use plaster, which is based on various resins, ceramic tiles, and steel sheets.
- Wood and carpeting absorb sounds, while ceramic tiles and stone amplify them.
- Wood cladding cannot be laid on fresh concrete. The concrete must sit for at least 2 months.
- Solid wood must have a thickness of 30 mm or more. Plywood with a thickness of 12-20 mm is placed under it.
Finishing concrete stairs in houses is a labor-intensive but interesting process. The concrete staircase can be refined in accordance with the overall design of the house, making it an interior decoration. The main thing is to choose the right materials. Everything else can be done with your own hands.
Steps with overhang
One of the simplest and cheapest cladding methods is to lay the front tread tiles by slightly overhanging the edge of the step, as shown in the video:
- The first stage of cladding will be to vertically glue the material to the riser with your own hands, and you need to align their level with the edge of the step.
- After this, the tiles must be laid horizontally on the tread so that the glazed edge is aligned with the surface of the riser tiles, but there should be no contact between them.
Let's sum it up
Concrete construction is very popular and is often installed in private homes. However, without finishing it does not look very nice. Thanks to the variety of finishing materials, including tiles, the staircase takes on a completely new and unique look.
