One of the most expensive stages of building a house is a building of intra-and inter-floor stairs. The cost of laying the frame, the installation of steps and decorative elements depends on the size and materials used, but the final price of the stairs is often very high. That is why many people prefer to design them on their own.
Easy metal stairs
The easiest material for installation and reliable in operation is a metal frame, which is used for leg angle, channel, profile tube or profile. The simplest and most common structures are the stairs from leg angles and channels that can be finished with drywall or wood paneling, but you can build a durable metal base with the help of other materials.
Benefits of the construction of the stairs from channel: closed frame
The channel as the material for the construction of external and internal stairs offers the following benefits:
- provides structural strength even at high loads (the important thing is to take care of the strength of butt connections);
- withstands a maximum load for deflection;
- frames from a channel do not creak and do not vibrate;
- simple design allows you to build a stairway from a channel with your own hands;
- manufacturing of ladders from the leg angle and channel provides ample opportunities for decoration.
Most often, the channel and the leg angles are used for the manufacture of so-called closed-frame: it is assumed that all of its elements are hidden steps, cladding materials and decorative railings. There are no special requirements for the appearance of materials for stairs made of steel channel: most importantly – the confidence that they are able to withstand high load.
When deciding which channel is best to use, you should consider the anticipated load and the length of the stairs: preferred channels will be from No. 8 to 12 and above.
A simple closed frame ladder is a structure of the bearing base made of paired united channel and welded corners – they are a support for the stacking steps. You should pay attention to the thickness of the leg: it depends on the reliability of fastening of treads and risers.
Steps are placed on the corners in the following way:
- Directly on top, fully covering the area.
- The frame is additionally welded to the fixed corner elements.
If you want to ensure the maximum stability of the frame, a ladder is attached to the floor and the wall with anchor bolts, however, the lower part of the structure should be concreted for greater reliability.
There can be any veneer of the hand made staircase: plasterboard, wood, glass and even stone – it all depends on the interior space. The production of exterior stairs is normally simpler because steps are made of metal corrugated sheets, and the railing is decorated with hammering.
Due to steel channel and leg angle, you can quickly create the skeleton of the stairs, but the construction of the screw or rotary design requires special skills and it is time consuming. In this case, you will need to accurately measure the turning position, cut the wedges, heat the profile to bend properly and weld a metal plate to increase the strength of the bend. It is possible to make a spiral staircase out of the leg angle with you own hands, but you need the ability to deal with welding apparatus, therefore, it is better to order the stairs if you experience the shortage of skills.
The metal structure of the area and profile has a lot of weight, so their installation will require additional assistance. You can start priming, painting, finishing and installation of railing only after convincing of the reliability of fastening of the march.
Frame of stainless steel: lightness and creativity
Closed frames look solid and three-dimensional after lining. You can create lighter and elegant stair design with your own hands using open frameworks with one or two stringers. Use a core tube with a rectangular cross section in order to give the stairs strength and elegant look.
The advantages of metal pipe for manufacturing stairs with your hands are as follows:
- Strength and a complete lack of vibration.
- Compact installation of space, saving floor space.
- Ease of painting and finishing, allowing you to fit the appearance of the stairs for any interior.
- The ability to create different types of structures: propulsion, screw, “goose-step”.
There are popular options for domestic stairs with metal profiles and screw with one stringer (the support for the steps) or screw with two stringers. The first kind of designs looks especially air, however it is very risky to assemble it yourself: there is the probability of deflection of steps without additional supports.
As it is shown in the photo above, stairs from a shaped tube with two open strings have obvious advantages: the steps are kept particularly reliable and elegant design and additional decorative elements give it an exquisite look.
Open ladder frames, especially with your own hands, require anti-corrosion treatment, and the regular staining!
If you want to build the frame with two stringers, you will need:
- profile tube of rectangular cross section with a diameter 100×100 mm;
- metal corners;
- welding machine;
- angle grinder machine with circles on metal;
- a perforator;
- hammer.
Progress
Before starting work it is necessary to understand what kind of ladder you want to get at the end, and carefully carry out measurements to determine the height of the stairs, the width of the march and step level.
Then, you need to act in this order:
- Cut the rails of the shaped tube and fit them to pre-made supports (the support should be concreted for installation of the lower part).
- Weld the supports to the frame for steps with fixed step.
- Scald the contours of the steps (you can use rods of rebar).
- Weld the platform to the lower and upper edge of the support frame.
- Prepare for mounting elements of the ladder (if required).
- Sand the welds and burrs, giving the frame from the profile a nice look.
- Handle the frame, prime and enamel paint of the desired color.
- Install design.
Installation of handrails, balusters and steps are carried out after installation of the framework. Veneer of risers is not required on the basis of the profile pipe, which greatly facilitates the work.
Creating a metal frame for external or intra-stairs from leg angle and a profile with your own hands is not too difficult job that allows you to save money on home improvement. The main thing is to carefully calculate and design, to understand what material is suitable for the implementation of project best, and carefully follow each phase of work. We have found themed video to help you. Waiting for responses, we are very interested to know what you do and what challenges you have experienced in the course of work.