Entrance staircase is an integral part of exterior of any private house. They provide comfortable access to the building. Staircase structure must be safe and harmonize with the overall design of the building.
There are many options of building and decoration of the porch stairs. Here we will talk about the benefits and types of concrete steps: prefabricated and monolithic. Prefabricated steps allow you to make the entrance stairs individual.
Advantages of concrete entrance stairs
There are following advantages of concrete stairs for the private house:
- strength and reliability;
- comparatively low price;
- wide opportunities for decoration by selecting the facing of the stairs;
- easy to repair (if necessary).
Comfort of the concrete stairs will depend on the correspondence of the stair parameters to the calculated standards. To observe the size of treads and inclination angle of the stairs, you should plan the structure of the porch at the stage of designing. It is important to choose the right brand of concrete solution. The brand of concrete called “В25” is the most appropriate for external structures.
Prefabricated concrete entrance stairs
It is faster and easier to build the porch when using the prefabricated treads (and not the filling ones). They can have different size and are fully prepared for the installation. The installation is made by hand; it doesn’t require special equipment. It is enough to get acquainted with the technology. Such option is also suitable for building the steps to the cellar or for the inter-floor structure. To align the position of separate segments, you should put the metal wedges under them.
To add strength to the structure, assembly loops of the steps should be welded to the stringers.
Start the installation with laying two parallel metal or reinforced concrete beams. On top of them, you should mount separate plates, moving from the bottom up. Seams between the steps are poured with grout. After completing the installation, you should make a seam troweling.
Filling stairs for the porch
To build the monolithic concrete stairs is much difficult that to install the prefabricated segments of the stairs. Filling structures can have reinforced concrete, stone or brick basis. You can see such flight of stairs in the photo above. It is visually light and seems to go upward.
Following is the general operating algorithm:
- construction of the formwork;
- reinforcement of structure;
- concrete pour;
- dismantling of the formwork;
- facing the finished stairs.
If the steps and walls of the stairs are fully filling, the formwork should be made on each side of the future porch. In the right photo, you can see the installation of spacer. They prevent the deformation of formwork due to the pressure of solution. Boards should be installed from the side of the riser so that the filling segments maintain their shape. Reinforcement is made with the cell size of 100×100 mm.
Next stage is the concrete pour. After solidification of concrete, the formwork should be removed. After that, you should start facing the steps for the stairs. However, before proceeding with the finishing works, ready filling plates must be cleared from the dust and covered with primer composition. These measures will help to improve the adhesion of concrete with facing material.
If you need to build the formwork for the round porch along the outlined border, you should build the pegs or reinforcing bars with an interval of about 30 cm. Then you should push the flexible formwork (for example, veneer) between them and give it a necessary shape.
There are options where the basis of the porch is made of other material. In this case, you won’t have to install the formwork for the concrete step (this role will be played by the framework). For greater strength, cross-section reinforcement should be concreted into the side walls of the basis. In general, works on the installation of the staircase is no different than building the fully filling devices.
Decoration of concrete steps: photos and practice
Invitational step is installed for the comfortable use of the staircase. As you can see in the picture, it adds aesthetics to the building. Invitational step mainly serves for:
- increasing the area of the first tread;
- increasing the area of first few steps;
- extending the angle of entry.
Another important issue is the choice of facing material for the outdoor staircase. There are options with different price and wear resistance. Wooden finishing looks noble in the photo. You can also use porcelain stoneware, ceramics and clinker. Anti-slip properties are important for external constructions, bathroom with handrail and swimming pool. The following tables contain the main characteristics of the four materials.
| Materials | Benefits | Disadvantages | Other features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminum | Small weight of product, reliability, resistance to corrosion and practicality; perfect for domestic use | Comparatively high price | |
| Duralumin | Very durable material at an accessible price; | It is less strong than aluminum and steel | It is an aluminum alloy |
| Steel | High strength, safety; it is suitable for professional ladders | Exposure to corrosion; steel structures are heavier than aluminum ones | Bolt connection or welding is used for fastening the steps to the supports of metal structures |
| Wood | It is easier to process than metal. Wood is serviceable, and you can make such structure with your own hands. | Great weight of finished product, exposure to the effects of environment | When building the ladder, you should make sure that there are no knots in the wood; varnish coating is necessary for protection from external influences |
Considering the advantages and disadvantages of the presented type of finish, the picture of ready solutions, as well as the overall exterior of the private house, you can choose the most appropriate decoration for the steps.
Share your findings in the creation and finishing of the staircase for the porch by leaving the comments in the form.
Clinker tile is easy to lay and care. Thanks for your recommendations!