Attach the steps to the metal one. Attaching wooden steps to a metal stringer. Ways to make a ladder on bowstrings with your own hands

When choosing a design option for a staircase in a private house, you should pay attention to staircases with bowstrings. This is perhaps the most classic way of execution. In addition, such a staircase can be made without risers, which will reduce material costs and make the design easier. Of course, everyone knows what the steps look like. But how to properly cut the string to attach them? We will talk about this below.

What is a bowstring

The bowstring consists of supporting load-bearing beams located on the sides, with grooves cut on the inside. The grooves are designed for mounting steps. There are usually two such load-bearing beams. But if the staircase on one side is adjacent to the wall, then in this case only one will be needed on the opposite side. From the wall side, fastening is carried out using bolts.

There are bow-string stairs with and without risers (open). At the same time, their absence will make the design lighter and less expensive, but in terms of reliability it will be inferior.

Material

Wood or metal is most often used as a building material for the string of stairs. Reinforced concrete will also work, but it will be difficult to make such a bowstring at home.

Most best option, perhaps wood. Such a staircase looks great, and there is no need to work with welding, which can ruin appearance the presence of seams.

When choosing wood, you should pay attention to the following species:

Conifers. The disadvantage of spruce, pine, fir and cedar is the release of resin. This can affect how smoothly the paint lays down. Although such breeds look great in natural color. In addition, they have good technical characteristics.
Deciduous. This type of wood is most often chosen due to its ease of processing and painting. Among them are oak, maple, cherry and beech.

When choosing lumber for a future bowstring, it is necessary to calculate its dimensions so that the beam turns out to be solid, without splices. The length and width should be in accordance with the design guidelines.

Bowstring calculation

To calculate, use a formula that depends on the step length. There are several rules for proper calculation:

The human step is 63 centimeters long. Based on this, the optimal ratio will be in the calculation formula: 2 step heights + step depth = 63 ± 3 centimeters.
The most comfortable slope of the stairs is considered to be 30-40 degrees.
The optimal step depth is 28-30 centimeters. In the case when the bowstring is unable to provide the required depth, the step is made wider, compensating for the deficiency with a protrusion.
The optimal step height is 15-20 centimeters.

As for the dimensions of the bowstring, they will depend on the length of the future one. At the same time there is standard sizes. A wooden support beam 90 centimeters wide must be at least 4 centimeters thick and 30 centimeters wide. A suitable level for cutting grooves is 2-3 centimeters.

It is necessary to understand that the distance between the grooves and their width on the inner plane of the string will determine the characteristics of the span - the width and height of the step. In addition, these parameters also affect the slope of the stairs.

The minimum width of the beam will be 27.5 centimeters. This value is due to the need to leave a strip of string above and below the steps at least 5 centimeters wide.

When applying markings to the string, take into account that the number of steps will actually be less than the calculated one. This happens because the last step of the stairs is the floor of the second floor. You can use a ruler or a corner to mark the string. But in this case there is a risk of error formation. It is best to prepare a special template.

The steps can be positioned relative to the bowstring in the following ways:

There is no reference line. For such a bowstring, the grooves are made open.
With a reference line. In this case, the inserts are made closed.
With a reference line, but without inserts, but using support fastenings, overlays, corners.

The reference line is a line drawn along the entire length of the beam edge. It is placed at a certain level, but not less than 50 mm. from the edge.

After all the parts of the staircase are ready, it is necessary to treat them with antiseptics and impregnate them with a primer.

Manufacturing instructions

Before starting work, it is necessary to make calculations and prepare the required material. Next, markings are made. After which you can begin production.

The work will be done using the following tools:

rulers, building level;
jigsaw;
manual milling machine;
drills;
hammer with a rubber tip.

The grooves are cut after marking using a manual milling machine. This work will prepare the string of the stairs for installing the steps.

After this, the structure is installed. The string of the staircase will be adjacent to two surfaces - the landing of the first floor and the ceiling or half of the second floor.

The maximum load in the staircase structure falls on the lower support. There is a load at the top support point vertical type, if there is a horizontal support on the platform.

The bowstring can be attached to the wall. In this case, it is necessary to carefully measure the beam and saw off the top and bottom, where the support for the floor and the cross beam of the opening passes.

Most often, a design with mortise is used. Grooves in support board make two centimeters. At the same time, it is important that they are all the same and even - this will help to avoid “walking” the steps. It is best to use a template to evenly mark the distance. To make it, plywood is suitable, to which planks are nailed with an indentation of 5 cm from each corner.

Grooving can be done by hand, but it is better to cut holes using a router manual machine using a stencil.

Making a stencil:

A pair of bars are nailed so that they are parallel to the edge of the bowstring. It is necessary to maintain a distance between them equal to the width of the bowstring.
Place a stencil in order to draw a reference line that coincides with the beam.
The stencil for the steps is placed on the template for milling.
Combine support lines.
Draw lines corresponding to the sides of the tread.
The stencil for the step is moved to the tread line, tracing the resulting marking with a marker.

After this, they move on to cutting holes. A jigsaw or drill is suitable for this. With their help, you need to make holes slightly larger than necessary. After this, the bowstrings are placed on the sawhorses, and markings are applied using a stencil. Hole with a diameter of 15 or 20 mm. cut out using a milling machine. Go into the corners with a chisel.

Installation is carried out in the following order:

A march is assembled and laid on its side so that the wall string is placed at the bottom. After this, draw a line with inside riser and top step.
Next, draw a line connecting the rear edge of the frieze tread to the level of the plinth. Often this line is 7.5 cm long.
Now you need to remove the top riser. The string is sawed off along the guides.
The lower part of the beam is sawed off parallel to the floor line.
Before installation, a recess is made, placed on the upper support post. This notch is used to fit the rack onto the upper floor. The notch is made when installing the finished march.

March position calculation

The string is attached to both support posts using tongues in special pre-made grooves.
To increase the reliability of fastening the stairs, it is necessary to secure the march to the beams. This is done using screws through the support posts. Fastening to the wall is done through a bowstring.

Attaching the bowstring to the floor can be done in two ways:

The support post is installed in a pre-prepared hole in the floor screed.
Installation of the support post is carried out using steel anchors. This option is the easiest to implement.

House owners quite often face the need to install an internal staircase. Two-story houses, as well as apartments have long ceased to be a rarity, and in this case one cannot do without a staircase. Wooden stairs are especially popular and can become a real decoration of the interior - especially if you know how to secure the steps on a wooden staircase. An unreliable fastening will, at best, lead to constant creaking of the steps, and at worst, the ladder may break.

Let's first consider two typical methods of attaching steps to stairs:

Fastening on bowstrings. In this case, each step is attached to special bars (they are called bowstrings) located on the sides of the stairs.

Looking at this picture, it is not difficult to understand the principle of fastening the steps. You just need to add that sometimes the bowstring has to be attached to the adjacent wall.

Fastening on stringers. A stringer is a special structural element that represents the support of a staircase. The steps are attached to stringers from above. One of the options for such fastening can be seen in the figure:

There is a third method of fastening stair steps- with support directly on the railing. Since bolts are used in this case - special fasteners - this method is also called the bolt flooring method. Unfortunately, although using “bolt flooring” you can get very beautiful staircase, it is not recommended to use it, since this requires serious professional skills, which not everyone has.

How to attach steps to stringers?

Let us first consider the situation when it is necessary to attach steps to a wooden staircase on stringers. The most obvious way to do this is to use self-tapping screws. Of course, you will need to select sufficiently long self-tapping screws of rather large diameter. In addition, at the attachment points you will have to drill through the steps with a drill.

The main advantage of this approach is its simplicity and accessibility. But after attaching the step you will have to take care of the appearance and disguise the hole formed in the step. For this purpose, special decorative plugs are used. Most often these plugs are made of plastic. If you choose the right plugs in color and size, they can even decorate the stairs.

Sometimes you can also use a corner to attach stair steps. To do this, such a corner must first be secured to the stringer. This method is most often used when creating wooden stairs with outer skin, completely hiding the kosour.

The least reliable fastening is considered to be landing the steps on wooden pins inserted at the other ends into the stringers. Despite the use of glue, such a connection can become loose and its use is limited.

How to attach steps to strings?

The most “correct” way of attaching steps when constructing a staircase on strings is traditionally considered to be inserting each step into grooves specially cut for them in each of the strings.

This is the mounting method shown in the picture. The most attractive aspect of groove mounting is reliability, but equally important is that in this case no additional elements fasteners Such a staircase does not need to be covered with cladding, and it will not lose any of its visual appeal.

Other methods of attaching steps to a staircase with bowstrings are based on a kind of “replacement” of the stringer with various additional structural elements, attached to the bowstrings. These can be, in particular, linings, special support bars, and in the simplest case - durable metal brackets. Such brackets are attached to the bowstrings with self-tapping screws. All these solutions, although they reduce the aesthetic appeal of a “stripped” staircase without cladding, are used very often because it is much simpler than cutting grooves.

"Single-sided" fastening

Very often the staircase is adjacent directly to the wall. In this case, you can fasten the steps on one side to the string, and on the other to the wall. In the simplest case, if the wall is wooden, this will not cause significant difficulties - after all, such a wall can simply be considered as a bowstring. But if the wall is concrete, you will have to think about the method of fastening.

The most radical approach involves literally “implanting” the steps into the concrete. Of course, in this case the complexity of the work increases sharply. In addition, if you make a mistake, the wall will subsequently crumble when walking up the stairs. Therefore, it is much easier to use conventional fasteners, for example, corners and brackets, which can be fixed in specially drilled holes.

A few words about the steps themselves

Most often, steps for stairs are purchased already finished form, what prevents you from seeing their important design feature- in the overwhelming majority of cases, what we have in front of us is not a single piece of wood, but a “gluing together” of two, and sometimes more, individual fragments. The fact is that steps made from a whole piece are often subject to cracking, and this shortens their service life.

That's why, if you want to make the entire staircase yourself, you must first learn how to glue the steps for the stairs. Professionals perform this gluing using clamps, special devices that ensure optimal conditions for the glue to harden. There are three main gluing methods:

Gluing "on the rail". In this option, a groove is cut out in each of the glued bars. A special rail is inserted into these grooves, which serves as an additional connecting link. Unfortunately, it is also a vulnerable point - if a step then breaks, then it is along the rail.
Butt gluing. The simplest way is to glue the ends of the beams directly together. Unfortunately, this method does not allow you to obtain the strongest connection.
Tongue and groove bonding. It is reminiscent of the “slat” method, but there is no slat - instead, a protruding ridge is made on one of the boards, which is then inserted into a “reciprocal” groove on the other board. This method is considered the most accurate, but also the most difficult.

Wood trim for concrete stairs

Although wooden stairs are rightfully considered the most beautiful and “ecologically friendly”, they still cannot be called either the strongest or the most durable. In addition, each such staircase is quite expensive. It is not surprising that in life you can see concrete stairs much more often. Such stairs are cheap, practical, very durable, but they have one significant drawback - concrete cannot be called pleasant to look at.

This can be corrected using an external wood finishing. Using wooden steps for a concrete staircase, it is not at all difficult to achieve a noticeable improvement in the appearance. Of course, in this case you will need special way fastening steps. As you know, one of the most reliable ways to attach something to a concrete surface is to use dowel nails.

Of course, using dowel-nails directly on the surface of wooden steps would mean pointlessly damaging the material. Therefore, the first stage of facing a concrete staircase should be attaching an impressive layer of plywood to its surface - at least one centimeter thick. Plywood should be taken from those varieties that are resistant to moisture.

Dowel nails will securely secure the plywood layer to the concrete surface. At this stage, you can also straighten the steps a little - it’s no secret that concrete stairs often differ in height. After this, you can begin attaching the wooden steps. The easiest way, as always, is to use powerful screws. Special glue will give additional stability and rigidity to the entire structure.

When working with concrete, we must not forget about one feature of this material - its composition initially contains a lot of moisture. Therefore, you should not attach wooden steps to a freshly cast and hardened concrete staircase - you need to wait two to three months and only then start working. In this case, neither the plywood nor the wooden steps will be in danger of cracking.

Individual construction of houses is almost never complete without the use of stairs. The main requirement for all types of these structures is the safety of movement on them.

Stair structures must be strong and stable. Therefore, the question of how to attach a staircase to the ceiling is very relevant in any private home. Let's take a closer look various options fixation of staircase structures depending on their type.

During operation, the staircase structure is subjected to various types of permanent and temporary loads. In addition to its own weight, it must also withstand the weight of a person and objects moved along it. Therefore, the issue of durable fastening of such structures in the house is very important.

Stair structures are usually fixed to:

Semi;
Top floor slab or beam;
Inter-march platforms;
To the walls– it is recommended to attach the structure only to load-bearing walls made of concrete, timber or brick. The wall thickness must be at least 25 cm.

Important! Products cannot be fixed to asbestos-cement, plasterboard walls, or partitions laid out in one brick.

The method of fastening largely depends on:

Type of staircase structure;
The material from which it is made;
Product weight;
Its dimensions;
Floor, ceiling and wall materials.

The main types of staircase structures are:

Marching– may consist of one or more marches.
supported by bowstrings, stringers, support pillar or loaches. Most often, combined supports are used.
Complex designs– a combination of marches and spiral sections, several marches with turns at different angles.

The method of fixing the structure depends on many factors - photo

The most common in private homes are marching structures made of wood. A single-flight product can have the simplest fastening - to the floor and ceiling. It is a very reliable and stable system that does not require additional intermediate fastenings.

If there are two or more marches, then additional fixation of the structure is necessary. Complex models may have combined fastenings, depending on the shape and type of support.

Openings for installation of staircases

An opening for stairs in the ceiling must be provided at the design stage of the building.

Its dimensions depend on:

Dimensions of the future design;
Type of stairs;
Type of overlap.

The hole in the ceiling under the stairs must have a width equal to the width of the flight with the addition of gaps necessary for fastening the structure and its finishing. The length of the opening largely depends on the angle of inclination of the product.

But for safety purposes, the hole in the ceiling for the stairs must allow a person to descend and ascend in full height. Openings are made in rectangular, square or round shapes.

Fixing stairs to various types of interfloor ceilings

The quality of the material of the staircase structure is of great importance for its reliability and safety. But the strength of fixation of all its elements among themselves, as well as correct fastening stairs to the ceiling, inter-flight platforms, floors and walls play a much larger role.

The interfloor ceiling when installing stairs can be made of various materials:

Wood – the most common type of flooring is wooden beams.
Reinforced concrete slabs.
Steel beams are rarely used in private construction.

Depending on the type of load-bearing structures of the floor, a variety of different ways fixing staircase structures on them.

Interfloor ceilings on wooden beams

If the floors in the house are made on wooden beams, then the flight of stairs should be laid on the beam without distortions. Its fixation is carried out using special fastening systems, depending on the material of the staircase and the type of its supports.

The supports of the staircase structure in the form or stringer are directly adjacent to the floor or platform between the spans, transferring all the loads to them.

If not installed correctly wooden elements cracks may form in the supports. This quite often happens when fixing a bowstring or stringer with beams and slabs into a lock.
Both vertical and horizontal loads act on the lower support of the structure. The same thing happens when the support is tightly fixed to the ceiling.
If the bowstring or stringer rests on the ceiling only with its horizontal part, then the upper support will only be subject to vertical loads from the stairs. Consequently, the risk of cracks in the march is minimized.
A gap of about 1 cm is required between the vertical end of the supporting element and the load-bearing structures of the floor.

Fixation wooden stringers to longitudinal or cross beams made of wood can be carried out with a cut on the staircase support, or on a beam element.

There are a lot of options for fixing stair structures to wooden beams. Often the choice of a specific method depends on various nuances of the product itself and how the opening in the ceiling under the stairs is made.

Features of fastening stairs with metal stringers

Staircase structures on metal supports are stable and durable. If interfloor load-bearing structures are made of reinforced concrete beams, then the metal support can simply be welded to them.

But another option is also possible:

The edge of the stringer, with which it will be attached to the beam or ceiling slab, is cut at the required angle.
Steel plates or corners are welded to the ends of the support.
Attaching the stringer to reinforced concrete structure made using bolts or anchors.

To fix the steel ladder to wooden beam You can install a special metal plate with through holes on the upper end of the stringer.

The support is attached to it through these holes. The thickness of the metal must be at least 5 mm.
To ensure that the plate does not interfere with the decorative finishing, it must be recessed into the beam. This can be done by cutting a rectangular groove in the beam material to fit the plate.
You can do this kind of work with your own hands using a chisel and a hammer, but the process will be very labor-intensive. It is much easier to cut a groove using a router. Width and height seat should be 3-5 mm than the dimensions of the plate.
When choosing suitable hardware for fastening a metal stringer, it is necessary to take into account permanent and temporary loads. Constant load is the weight of the staircase structure itself, variable loads are the weight of a person and objects being moved.
For example, mass metal product is 140 kg, average weight person – 90 kg. Therefore, the minimum load will be 230 kg.

If you use self-tapping screws measuring 10 x 120 mm as fasteners, each of which can withstand a load of 100 kg, then the use of 8 hardware allows a maximum load on the fastener of 800 kg. A sufficient safety margin is provided with this fastening.

Due to the wide variety of options, the most suitable fastening of the stairs to the floor must be selected taking into account all individual characteristics designs. If you are not confident in your abilities, then it is better to entrust such work to professionals.

The price of their services will largely depend on the complexity of the product being installed. But you shouldn’t skimp on this - the safety of the entire structure plays a very important role. More information on the topic " Correct installation stairs to floors various types” can be obtained from the video in this article.

Stairs between floors in country houses equipped with load-bearing beams, which are kosour or bowstring. Both designs are quite reliable, but differ in the way the steps are attached to the beams. A staircase with a bowstring, in which the steps need to be attached to the internal grooves, adapts best to the surrounding interior.

The outer part hides the joining points, which does not spoil the appearance of the structure. The appearance of the staircase is flat and inclined, the steps are located with their ends between the boards. You can buy a ready-made wooden or metal stringer with a jagged edge, and the fastening is carried out on the teeth for the boards.

The size of a ladder with a stringer is more compact, but less reliable. Owners of multi-storey housing choose different ways to attach steps to the string of a wooden staircase, making them open or closed, with the organization of a riser. You can always buy finished project, but if desired, all work can be done with your own hands.

Ladder with a bowstring

The staircase will be more reliable and convenient during active use if the fence is secured to it with balusters. Each support column is attached vertically to the handrail, connecting at the bottom with the beam in increments of no more than 15 centimeters. Such fastening is necessary for the safe placement of the fence and a minimum margin of safety.

Installation of a wooden staircase can be done independently in a short time, but it is necessary to carefully select the wood for the structure to prevent cracking and release of resin over time. Reliable material and competent calculations make it possible to install the staircase for a long time, while none of the parts will let the owner down in terms of service life. Railings and platforms, flights of stairs to any floor must be secured with balusters, so the installation of this element is especially important.

You can fasten balusters on stairs that have a bowstring at their base anywhere, since the fastening is done not on a step, but on a beam. Typically, the installation of racks is done from the outside in the sidewall of the supporting beam. In this case, screws are used, which are screwed into the grooves and covered with decorative dowels. A baluster is attached to the lamella over the edge through a board the size of which is larger than the bowstring. Such a baluster has a groove at the bottom that fits onto the bowstring. The racks are screwed on top of this structure using self-tapping screws.

Experts recommend fastening the structure when attaching it to the bowstring with wood glue (joining them), and fastening it with clamps. Balusters are placed on the beam using dowels and round tenons for fastening. It is necessary to first make a hole in the rack for them, avoiding any backlash. The dowels are inserted tightly into the racks and fixed with an adhesive solution. The string and the railing are connected by the lower parts of the dowels.

How to attach the stands to the bowstring?

The racks must be secured to the surface of the support beam with studs. This will require regular drill and a miter saw. The materials you will need are the bowstring itself, fencing posts, galvanized studs with a thread of at least M6, and PVA glue in a tube. Typical work sequence:

It is necessary to mark the places for attaching the railings in the form of racks. If selected complex design, it is recommended that the project be checked by professionals;
It is recommended to securely fasten the stand and cut off its lower corners, maintaining the angle of the inclined beam;
Make holes with a diameter of 12 mm for a length of 80 mm;
Sink the studs into adhesive composition and insert into the holes, leaving 7 centimeters outside;
Make holes in the bowstring; to do this, the drill bit needs to be secured to 14 mm. Work depth – 10cm;
The balusters are inserted with pins, and the fixation process starts from the outer pillars.

The step is attached to the string of the staircase by insertion or mounting on supporting parts. These include special bars that are attached to the beam using screws on the tread. The tread itself is attached to the supports with the same screws.

Some experts recommend merging the step. In this case, short bars are used for gluing, which makes the surface not solid, but with longitudinal and transverse seams. You can join them in a checkerboard pattern, which is reminiscent of parquet joining.

The option of arranging a staircase with steps embedded in the bowstring with grooves 2 cm deep is allowed. It is necessary to first mark them, retreating from the edge of the edge, and then insert a tread with a riser inside. The most in a simple way is screwing the board from the end with a screw.

The staircase and its string will be reliable and safe if the strings are joined on the balusters. In this case, the beam has several sections, the fastening of which is made in the baluster grooves.

The entire incoming load from the top of the stairs is transferred to the fence posts, so during operation the entire structure becomes a single system. The balusters, step and string will be interconnected. The choice of step type does not affect the strength of the structure, but if the steps are joined together, the surface characteristics will be significantly improved.

Methods for attaching steps to a string ladder

Mortise mount

You can make a mortise-type fastening yourself using a drill and manual frezer, chisel and jigsaw, screwdriver. It is also worth preparing screws, plywood, wood slats, risers and treads.

The string needs to be marked with a plywood template, in which the tread is cut with or without a riser to the size of the march;
Draw a reference line indented from the edge of the edge by 50mm;
Make a fastening for guide rails that slide along the top of the board. The template is moved along the material so that the tops of the zigzag steps are located along the reference line;
Grooves are made in the bowstring, with the obligatory observance of the angle to the location of the fibers of the material. A reliable way to make the correct groove is to use a stencil with a hole in the plywood. In this case, you can do it with a jigsaw and drill right size holes;
The beam is placed on the trestles, a stencil is placed on top of it so that the tread matches, and a fastening is made;
Using a router in a clockwise direction, cut a groove 20 cm deep, after which the corners are processed with a chisel;
Having made the required number of grooves, the staircase is assembled, each step in the groove is coated with glue;
The risers and treads must be secured with a screw, each step from the outside is attached with screws to the string. A decorative plug is installed on top of the fastener.

Fastening with supports

Fastening steps using metal supports does not require milling. The only tools you will need are a hammer and a drill, nails, screws and metal corners. You need to mark the tread according to a plywood template, then fasten the support block with nails. The metal corners are secured with screws using prepared holes. Each step is connected to the supporting element with a screw.

A staircase with a one-sided string, when the function of the second is performed by the wall, is made as a fastening for steps and balusters. To do this, you need to make a bowstring in which to cut mortise grooves with a router. Treads and risers are assembled into steps. The bottom of the step is attached to a groove on the support beam on one side, and to the baluster on the other.

The lower racks are secured to the floor with bolts, connecting the base of the lower step to them with screws. The second stage is installed, fixed to the fence post (handrail). The back of the bottom step is needed to support the front of the next step, and the middle is fixed to the posts. This principle works for all steps in the ladder.

Wooden steps should be attached to a concrete staircase in such a way that the created structure ensures safe movement along it. At the same time, the structure itself should not be knocked out of existing interior, but fit harmoniously into it. Let's figure out how to achieve this.

Wooden steps - we will improve the concrete staircase>

Concrete staircase structures are rightfully considered to be the most durable and reliable. Such structures last for many decades and can withstand heavy loads without problems. You can build them yourself by building them using publicly available and inexpensive Construction Materials– sand, cement, crushed stone. The disadvantage of any concrete staircase is that it does not look the best from the outside. This problem can be easily solved. You can decorate the building with any decorative material, starting from natural stone and tiles, and ending with fibreboards or natural wood.

Wooden staircase

Owners of private houses most often use solid wood for cladding staircase structures made of concrete. It's not cheap. But also the results finishing works, made using this material, turn out amazing without the slightest exaggeration. The use of wood allows you to create a special atmosphere of luxury and chic in your home. Finishing the stairs with solid wood also has a number of important advantages. Natural material:

perfectly protects the structure from operational damage (concrete spalling):
makes it possible to mask base defects;
accumulates heat;
causes pleasant tactile sensations (wood is very pleasant to the touch).

Caring for wooden steps is quite simple. Moreover, their service life is estimated at many years. True, for this you will have to take care of the material in advance - treat it with special impregnations that protect the products from the sun and moisture.

Choosing the type of wood for finishing - what are the options?

You can refine a concrete staircase different wood. The cheapest option is solid pine. Such products are easy to process with your own hands, they are light in weight, which facilitates the process of installing steps. But you need to understand that pine boards in terms of strength properties they are not ideal in operation. With intensive use of stairs, they quickly fail and lose their attractive appearance. The durability of pine structures is also negatively affected by the variable indoor microclimate. Boards dry out and become loose with temperature changes, and also lose their initial properties under the influence of moisture.

Wood for arranging steps

For these reasons, steps are most often made of walnut, oak, maple, larch, beech and birch. If your budget for finishing the stairs is unlimited, you can choose more expensive types of wood - iroko, lapacha, merbau, wenge, teak. Their exotic appearance is complemented by excellent performance characteristics. The most durable products are made from beech. Steps made from this wood are built to last for centuries.. But processing beech wood is very difficult. It is almost impossible to cope with this material on your own. You may have a lot of problems when installing steps from it.

It's easier to work with oak boards. In terms of strength, they are not much inferior to beech wood, but they are much easier to process.

There is also a problem here - the high cost of solid oak. Not everyone can afford to purchase such material for finishing concrete stairs. There is an exit! Instead of oak products, you can use those made from larch. They are cheaper in price, and in most respects they are identical to solid oak. Choose the material for cladding structures taking into account your financial capabilities and personal preferences, and then you can get a staircase in your home that is impeccable in all respects. It will decorate the interior of your home and give you a feeling of comfort.

Installation of steps - start with a concrete base and substrate

The first step is preparing the concrete base. If the staircase was built by professionals, there will, of course, be no significant defects on its surface. In this case, you just need to level the base using easy-to-use. If there are noticeable differences in height on the surface of the structure, you will have to do additional work on the stairs. You will have to install a special underlay under each step. It is made from plywood. Such a substrate and concrete base will be able to properly level and, in addition, will protect the structure from mechanical loads, acting as a shock absorber.

Installation of steps

You need to purchase 1–1.5 cm thick plywood sheets, cut out substrates from them, focusing on the size of the steps. Then prime the surface of the stairs well, apply to pieces of plywood (with reverse side) wood glue and mount them in the intended place. Be sure to check the correct position of the substrates on the staircase structure building level. The plywood should be additionally secured. Adhesive for reliable fixation of substrates to concrete steps won't be enough. Fastening plywood products is usually done with dowels. They are installed on both sides of the steps. Decide for yourself the number of hardware required, remembering that the plywood must adhere firmly to the base.

Installation and fastening of “clothing” for the stairs - we do it together

Now cut the treads and risers from your chosen wood, focusing on the dimensions of the staircase. Installation wooden products always starts from the bottom of the structure according to the following scheme:

Drill three holes at the bottom of the riser (at the end). Their depth is taken to be about 1.5 cm, their cross-section is no more than 0.5 cm. The holes should be located in the middle of the riser and on both sides.
Screw 6mm diameter bolts into the holes made. They will play the role of anchors. Their ends must protrude above the structure by about 7–8 mm.
Bite off (cut off with a grinder) the bolt heads.
Place the riser to the first step (to its end), mark on the floor the places where the anchors fall, and drill holes in the marked areas. Then you need to fill the resulting “holes” with resin (epoxy).
Mount the riser in the designated place. This element should be secured to the plywood substrate using liquid nails. Coat a piece of plywood with this adhesive, and then carefully place the riser on it (the screwed-in anchor bolts must be inserted into the holes that were made on the floor).

Arrangement of wooden steps

Some craftsmen fasten risers and plywood with universal self-tapping screws or suitable sized nails. This option can also be used. But such work should be carried out as carefully as possible so as not to damage the wood and fairly thin plywood products. The next step is installing the tread. To do this, you need to cut a special groove in it. It will be located at the joining point of the end (upper) of the already mounted riser and the installed tread.

Now everything is easier. Attach the next riser to the second end of the mounted tread (it must be secured with self-tapping screws). Then coat the groove and plywood backing with adhesive and install the first stage. To ensure that it grips well, it is advisable to place something heavy on it. The remaining steps are installed in a similar manner. After installing the wooden steps, be sure to fill any gaps and sand them. After sanding, you can treat the wood with stain. When it dries, apply varnish to the steps. The latter is usually used three times. Varnish the steps once, wait for the composition to dry, then repeat the procedure twice.

As you can see, there are no serious difficulties with the process of finishing a concrete staircase with wood. The main thing is to adhere to the described recommendations and correctly attach the steps using liquid nails and other hardware (nails, screws, dowels). The result of your work will be a chicly designed concrete staircase.