Concrete stairs - theory and practice for homeowners

Ladders from concrete - the indisputable leader among the fellows, both in civil, and in industrial engineering. When building in large quantities, as a rule, use standard finished prefabricated products that are produced in large quantities in specialized factories. We will talk about concrete stairs in private houses, so to speak, self-made projects.

Concrete staircase for home

Ladder - one of the most serious constructs in the construction of the building.

There are a number of stringent requirements for it:

• Reliability (strength).
• Security (for all types of users: people and animals).
• Comfort of movement (the ability to transfer dimensional products).
• Durability.

In addition, the staircase, of course, must harmoniously fit into the overall design of the house or, at least, the room in which it is located.

Interesting! Modern staircase designs can make them not only a good part of the interior, but also turn into a work of art, a real highlight of home improvement, from which all other design solutions will be repelled.

Although such products seem cumbersome and “heavy”, in fact they can ideally emphasize certain design elements, distinguishing between two levels of a house.

Types of stairs in private construction

Ladders for private housing construction can be divided into two groups:

• Simple designs for:

• Porches.
• Basements.
• External technical stairs to the second floor or to the basement of the house.

• One-marshevaya with zabezhnymi steps.

Constructively simple stairs it is possible to build yourself even a novice in the construction business. The main thing is not to miss a single stage of this process, even if it seems to you unimportant and secondary.

Stages of the construction of concrete stairs

Even with the seemingly simple design, for example, a three-step staircase at the porch, or an open terrace in front of the house, the construction of a concrete structure always requires careful calculation. What to say about complex multi-level products.

Design and calculation of the stairs

Begin designing your staircase by sizing the space planned for its location. If space allows, you can build a one-marsh ladder.

In the case when you have to “fight for every centimeter of space,” you should use screw, two or more marching constructions with platforms or front steps.

Note! Concrete stairs are calculated according to many indicators, where, perhaps, one of the most important is the maximum load on the entire structure. A more reliable foundation should be prepared in advance for the future structure.

• The first phase of the design is an outline sketch. Take a pencil and paper and draw a sketch of a ladder that will fit your idea of ​​a beautiful and comfortable product, and at the same time succinctly fit into the allotted space.

• The second stage is the calculation taking into account your wishes for ergonomic design and compliance with building codes. We start from the calculation of the recommended angle of ascent from the inside of a private house (25-43 degrees). Again, take a sheet of paper and draw in the desired marks on the axes. Vertically mark the height of the floor, and horizontally varying the length of the projection on the floor, select the appropriate angle of inclination of the stairs for you.

Note! At this stage you will be able to determine the basic dimensions of the structure. The steeper the climb (from 35 to 43 degrees), the shorter the length of the designed staircase, and the less space you have to take under it, but you have to sacrifice comfort. Although, of course, concrete stairs to the second floor can be built outside the house, but let's talk about this in other articles.

• The third stage is the calculation of the optimal length of the tread and the height of the riser (the distance between the previous and the next step). This calculation is based on the average adult step length, which is 60-64 cm. The formula for calculating the parameters of concrete steps is as follows: 2 * H + L = 60-64 cm. . As you understand, these parameters play a significant role in the convenience of the stairs.

Note! Extremely uncomfortable and even unsafe will be the length of the tread less than 25 cm, as the foot of an adult does not fit completely on the step. Too deep steps make it difficult to move up the stairs. Comfortable tread length is in the range of 25-30 cm.

• Now, as for the width of the flight of stairs and other dimensions. The standards for the minimum useful staircase width for private housing construction recommend the following parameters:

• 0.9 m for the entrance structure.
• 0.8 m for internal straight main staircase.
• 0.8-1m for internal screw main.
• 0.7 m for non-residential premises.
• 0.8 m for basement structures.
• 0.6-0.7 m for stairs to the attic.

The next important staircase parameter is that the distance from any of the steps to the ceiling above it should not be less than two meters.

At the last design stage, the cost of the structure and the need for basic and related materials are calculated.

For the construction you will need basic materials:

1. Metal for the device frame.
2. Boards, timber, OSB moisture resistant plates, fasteners for assembling formwork.
3. Directly concrete (cement-sand mortar).

Note! You can trim the stairs for concrete with various available materials, their variety depends entirely on your budget. For example, specialized paint for concrete stairs and other cement products may be used.

From the cost of these materials and the final cost of the concrete stairs for your home. This is provided that you will not use wage labor and rent, or acquire specialized tools.

Building a ladder

The instruction for the construction of a concrete staircase consists of three main points:

• The concrete formwork device is the first stage, on which both the basic technical and operational characteristics of the structure being erected and its appearance depend.

Note! The assembled formwork must be stable, securely fastened, its parts are carefully fastened without cracks or other defects.

It is possible to arrange the formwork for individual steps or common for the entire staircase. The second option is more reliable and will shorten the time of construction of the stairs.

• The second stage - the installation and connection of reinforcing bars in the frame. Fastening of longitudinal and transverse reinforcement is carried out in two ways:

• With the use of welding.
• Knit using special steel wire and hook.

To hold the frame at the right distance from the “bottom” of the formwork, use plastic clips. If during the construction of walls you did not provide embedded parts for fastening the stairs, then for these purposes you will need to drill holes in the wall along the entire length of the march and hammer pins in them. They securely fasten the frame.

• The final stage is the pouring of concrete into the structure followed by tamping.. We cover the surface of the concrete with a film and leave it alone until the concrete is set in strength.

For further decorating and equipping the finished molded structure of the staircase, you will need diamond drilling of holes in concrete, grinding on concrete, perhaps cutting reinforced concrete with diamond circles.

Conclusion

As you can see, concrete stairs for the house can be erected with your own hands, there are no difficulties in this process. The main thing is to pay special attention to the structural strength, prepare a high-quality mortar (get good cement and sand), and decorative finishing is possible for any type of product.

In the presented videos in this article you will find additional information on this topic.