Monolithic staircase do it yourself

If your dream is a monolithic staircase - start your work with the development of a detailed drawing that will allow you to determine the number of steps, their width and height.

The following steps are considered optimal:

• width - 25–30 centimeters,
• height - 15-17 centimeters.

All steps must have the same dimensions.

If you decide to make a curved monolithic staircase, then in the narrowest part of the step its width should not be less than 12 centimeters (otherwise it is likely to stumble, fall and be injured during its operation).

When making a drawing, pay attention to its width. A staircase already 80 centimeters will be inconvenient both for climbing along it, and for bringing furniture or stretchers along with a person lying on it. The most convenient is the width of 1 meter.

Also do not forget about intermediate sites. It is advisable to make them every 12–15 steps, so that a rising person can rest for a while. If the configuration of the opening does not allow an intermediate platform to be made at the place where the stairs are turning, you can perform the run-in steps there.

Reinforcement stairs

A monolithic staircase with its own hands should be made of high-strength concrete with mandatory reinforcement with grids of its lower part (on which all steps are located). For the mesh, you can take reinforcing rods with a diameter of 10–12 mm and arrange them in 15 cm increments. You must tie the rods together with a wire.

If the ladder is large in height and width, it is better to lay the reinforcing mesh in two layers, between which leave a space of two centimeters in height.

The ends of the horizontal reinforcing bars should be hammered into the wall.

Formwork

The lower (flat) part of the formwork should be made of thick moisture-resistant laminated plywood, propping it from the bottom with boards of five-centimeter thickness. The step of the props usually corresponds to the size of the step. Between plywood and vertical props should lay the board to strengthen the whole structure.

On the side, the edge of the stairs is also limited to plywood, which will not allow concrete to leave its intended place. The flanging is additionally enhanced by longitudinally laid boards (on the outside of the formwork), since the plywood itself cannot withstand the pressure of concrete without deformation (but it gives as a result a flat surface on the side and bottom of the stairs).

Reinforcement meshes must be laid on top of the bottom of the plywood formwork, securing them so that they are about 2 cm above the plywood. Such a gap will create a protective layer of concrete over the reinforcement that will prevent its damage and oxidation.

To create the risers (vertical parts of the step), boards are also installed (5 cm thick), which are fastened with metal corners from one side to the wall, and from the other to flange plywood.

It is necessary to fix the lower step of the ladder, strengthening it with a horizontal stop from the board.

Pouring concrete

Concrete for a monolithic staircase should be ordered at RBU (it is problematic to prepare such a volume of high-quality concrete in a small concrete mixer alone, as long as you make the next batch, the previously poured concrete is already set).

Concrete is poured as follows:

1. First, two or three lower steps of the stairs are poured. Be sure to tamp the poured concrete, piercing it with a piece of reinforcement to remove the remaining air in its thickness and fill all the space between the formwork and the reinforcing mesh. The concrete squeezed out during this procedure should be transferred from the lower stages to the upper stages.
2. Having formed the lower stages, proceed to the pouring of the steps above.
3. Do not forget to level the surfaces of the steps as they are finally filled and the concrete sets.

Formwork removal

Remove the formwork from the monolithic ladder should be in several stages:

• After about 5–7 days, the formwork of the steps and the flanging should be removed (then the steps should be sanded using a grinding wheel on the concrete to give them a smooth, smooth surface);
• After 14–21 days, you can remove the vertical supports and remove the lower formwork from plywood.

If you plan to further rest on the newly created monolithic staircase supports for the formwork above the floor, you will have to wait for a set of full strength concrete (this will happen no earlier than 28 days after the staircase has been poured). There is no need to hurry in this case, since then it will be almost impossible to repair the damage caused by the excessive weight of the formwork with concrete.

See also:

• spiral staircases (drawings);
• portal fireplace (step by step instructions).

Video

See instructions on how to build a monolithic staircase:

A photo