A staircase in a house or country house is in many cases an irreplaceable piece of furniture. It adds style and beauty to the home, and is also quite a functional design.
Not everyone will be able to build a concrete or metal structure on their own, since it is necessary to carry out quite labor-intensive welding work or working with cement mortar. A much simpler option is a DIY wooden staircase. In most cases, the only materials needed to make a staircase are a saw, a hammer, and nails.
Of course, there is an option to invite a team of builders who will build you a staircase to the second floor in the shortest possible time, but this will be quite expensive, and it is not always possible to make adjustments to the design of ready-made branded projects.
Therefore, a homemade wooden staircase is the best choice for many.
Types of stairs for home and garden
To build a high-quality structure, it is best to take hardwood. They have a long service life and better aesthetic properties, but they are also more expensive. If you need an economical option, then the stairs can be made of larch or soft wood.
After determining the rock from which you want to build a staircase, you need to decide on the design in order to calculate required amount materials.
There are a large number of designs of wooden stairs that are suitable for a cottage or home.
The safest design is considered to be the one with the so-called “golden step”. In such structures, the sum of the width and height of the step should be 46 cm. Ideal option The following dimensions are considered: 29 cm – step width; 17 cm – riser height. At the same time, a staircase with a “golden step” can be of almost any shape, both straight and curved.
More common options are wooden structures on stringers (inclined beams) or bowstrings (beams with grooves), which are the load-bearing elements of the entire structure. Both bowstrings and stringers can be located both at the edges of the structure and in the middle of it. In the straight version, the stringers and bowstrings are made of solid wood, but if the structure has turns, then the load-bearing elements are made composite, supported by pillars or racks.
Another, more designer option is ladders on metal rods or bolts. With this design, the entire load goes on the rods themselves, so there is no need to create risers. Due to the lack of risers, the entire staircase seems weightless and airy.
At the same time, if the design of the room allows, the material of the steps can be replaced with glass or triplex with a thickness of 8-12 mm. Despite their apparent fragility, they can withstand quite significant loads and are usually covered with a special anti-slip coating.
If the premises do not allow for placement large structure, then it will do spiral staircase. It consists of one or two spans, separated by an intermediate platform, or without it. The screw elements are located in the corner of the room. The steps are strung on metal or wooden post, which is rigidly fixed at the top and bottom.
If the room into which the stairs lead is not used very often, then a folding structure may be an option. This type of design does not clutter the interior. Special system allows you to close and open the staircase. When folded, it looks like a manhole cover, finished in the same way as the ceiling of the room.
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Choosing a location for the stairs
The location for the construction is selected at the initial stage of designing the house in a place convenient for use. However, as practice shows, best place its location is a hall or hallway, in which you can place a wide comfortable staircase. In addition, it can be used to place clothes and shoes.
Straight stairs are quite bulky and take up a lot of space. If the area of the room or hall does not allow placing a large structure, then it is necessary to use a wall staircase with narrow flights, which is located in the corner of the room. In this case, it is best to build a rotating structure of several spans. This option will save space in almost any layout.
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How to determine the dimensions of a staircase
Rice. 1. Angles of inclination of stairs.
Before you do, it’s worth considering its structure and calculating dimensions all elements.
First of all, you should decide on the slope of the flights of stairs. To determine the optimal slope, refer to Figure 1.
As can be seen from the figure, the most convenient options are those with an angle of inclination from 23 to 37 °. Increasing the angle of inclination saves space in the room, but worsens its operating conditions. Steep stairs are more difficult to climb and carry heavy objects. If the angle of inclination is less than 23 °, then it makes sense to make an inclined ramp.
The width of the ladder is determined based on bandwidth. It is necessary to estimate the number of people who will use it. For example, if the staircase is located in a residential building, then its width should be from 0.9-1 m to 1.5 m, but the optimal width will be 1.2-1.4 m. If the staircase is located in garden house, where there are not a large number of people, then its width can be reduced to 0.8 m, provided it is placed near the wall.
Building a staircase in a house is not an easy process, but it is doable. The main difficulty lies in calculating the angle of inclination and span parameters, because not only the ease of use, but also the durability of the structure depends on this. A durable and beautiful staircase to the second floor with your own hands is an opportunity to test your strength and gain experience for further home improvement.
First you need to decide on the type of staircase in order to make the calculations correctly. The most commonly used stairs in the house are wood, concrete and metal; According to the configuration, they are straight, rotary and screw. There are also combined designs of varying complexity.
Concrete products require a very strong base and a lot of time to manufacture, but they are the strongest and most durable. Installation of metal structures will not be difficult for those who know how to use welding, and a wooden staircase can be made by anyone who is familiar with the technology of this process in detail.
A straight flight of stairs to the second floor is considered the easiest to install; it consists of a small number of parts, takes up little space, and does not require complex calculations. Screw structures are used where there is little free space; They look very elegant, but are not always easy to use. Lifting something large and heavy up such steps will be problematic. Multi-span structures are more difficult to build, but they are ideal for houses where long distance between floors.
Simple wooden staircase
A single-flight staircase consists of stringers, railings, treads and risers. The tread is the horizontal part of the step, the riser is the vertical part. Stringers are load-bearing structural elements that have special cutouts along the upper edge for attaching steps. Instead of stringers, bowstrings are often used - load-bearing beams with grooves for steps. Risers and railings are not mandatory elements, but for convenience and safety it is better when they are present.
The height of the stairs is equal to the distance between floors plus the thickness of the floors. To simplify the calculation of the length of the span and base, you first need to determine the parameters of the steps. If the house is inhabited by elderly people and children, the optimal step height is 15 cm; for others, a height of 20 cm will be more convenient. Making the riser even higher is not recommended, since the rise will be too steep and less comfortable.
The width of the step is 20-30 cm, and here a lot depends on how much space can be allocated under the stairs. The wider the steps, the more space the structure takes up. When suitable dimensions have been selected, the number of steps and the length of the base can be calculated. To do this, divide the height of the stairs by the height of the riser, round the resulting value to a whole number, and then multiply by the depth of the tread. For example, if the total height is 3 m and the riser height is 20 cm, 15 steps will be required:
3000:200=15
With a step width of 25 cm, the length of the base is 15x250=3750 mm.
Manufacturing technology
When the calculations have been made, you can begin to manufacture the staircase elements. Stringers require very dense solid wood, because they must support not only the weight of the structure, but also people. A template is cut out of thick cardboard, on which the cutouts correspond to the size of the steps, and the slope is equal to the angle of inclination of the stairs. At the ends of the stringers, grooves are cut for attachment to the base and upper ceilings, after which markings are made according to the template.
For further work you will need:
- jigsaw;
- sander;
- building level;
- anchor bolts;
- drill;
- hammer.
Using a jigsaw, protrusions are made on the stringers according to the markings, then they are processed on both sides with a grinder. Holes for fasteners are cut out in the floor beams or metal supports are installed. A support beam is installed on the floor of the first floor along the line of the lower step and secured anchor bolts. After this, the stringers are installed, making sure to check the angle of inclination using a level. The stringers are secured at the bottom and top with anchor bolts.
The next step is making the steps. To do this, take dry boards with a thickness of 36 mm or more; their width should be equal to the width of the steps or be slightly larger. For risers, you can use boards with a thickness of 20 mm or more. The length of the blanks must correspond to the width of the stairs - from 80 cm to 1.2 m.
After trimming, each workpiece must be sanded to remove sharp cuts and irregularities. The process of installing the steps is very simple: the lower cutouts of the stringers are coated with wood glue and risers are applied, aligning them along the edges. They are secured with self-tapping screws and laid on top of the steps. Glue is needed so that under load wooden elements didn't creak.
Having laid all the steps one by one, they begin to install the railings. Railings consist of balusters and handrails; timber is used to make balusters square section or figured wood blanks. Balusters are installed either on each step or every other step, depending on the slope and length of the span. Self-tapping screws are used as fasteners, which are often closed with special plugs for beauty. If the staircase to the second floor is located in the center of the room, railings can be installed on both sides.
The finished structure is sanded again and treated with an antiseptic primer. After this, you need to cover the wood with varnish, paint or other composition that does not form an overly smooth surface. If the steps are rough, this will increase their safety for household members. The coating is applied in 2 or 3 layers, with each layer being completely dry before applying the next.
In a spacious house with concrete floors the second floor can be made of concrete stairs. Most often, two types of structures are installed in houses - monolithic and combined, in which only the stringer is concrete. The second option looks more attractive and elegant. For the manufacture of concrete stairs Formwork is definitely needed and very solid foundation.
During the work you will need:
- edged board covered with film or waterproof plywood;
- durable timber 100x100 mm;
- knitting wire and fittings;
- self-tapping screws;
- concrete solution.
Boards for formwork are chosen with a thickness of 3 cm, the thickness of plywood should not be less than 18 mm. All dimensions are calculated in the same way as for a wooden staircase, but the base must be as strong as possible. They start by assembling the formwork: boards or plywood are knocked down according to the drawing, observing the angle of inclination and preventing the formation of cracks.
The finished formwork is installed between floors and secured with wooden blocks. After this, reinforcement is laid out inside the frame, tying the transverse rods with wire. Wooden plugs are fixed at the places where the railings are installed, and then the formwork is filled with the prepared solution. The frame must be filled immediately, otherwise the solidity of the base will be broken.
When the concrete has set well, the formwork is removed, and the surface of the steps is periodically moistened to avoid cracking. You can begin finishing only after the concrete has completely dried and hardened. To make a combined staircase, pouring the stringer is done in exactly the same way, but the formwork is made much narrower and takes into account the installation of steps.
For finishing monolithic design use wood, stone, tiles and other materials. When facing, the weight of the material should be taken into account, because tiles and stone place a greater load on the base than wooden panels. Any steps can be attached to a concrete stringer; such a base combines especially well with wood.
For the manufacture and installation of straight metal stairs for the second floor you will need:
- steel channel No. 10;
- metal corners;
- welding machine;
- sheet iron;
- file and grinder with a grinding attachment.
The channel is cut into pieces and a frame is assembled from them according to the size of the stairs. Corners are welded to the side edges of the frame at regular intervals equal to the height of the step. All corners should be parallel to each other. To make it easier to install the structure, the steps are welded after installation and fastening of the frame.
The upper ends of the frame are securely fixed with anchor bolts to the ceiling of the second floor, the lower ends are fixed to the floor. Next, the steps are welded from sheet iron and the railings are attached. Upon completion of assembly, the joints are ground with a nozzle or treated with a file, and then covered with an anti-corrosion primer.
This design takes up little space and looks more decorative. With a height of 2.5 m, you will need to make approximately 15-17 steps; the base diameter will be about 2 m. The most common way to install spiral staircases is to string trapezoidal or triangular steps onto the central axis. The narrow part is 15 cm wide, the wide part is 30-35 cm.
To make a spiral staircase yourself, you will need:
- steel pipe with a diameter of 50 mm;
- pipe with a diameter of 55 mm;
- wooden slats for the template;
- corners for steps;
- welding machine;
- file;
- primer.
The smaller diameter pipe is the central post, so its length should correspond to the distance between the first and second floors. For greater stability of the structure, it is recommended to concrete the stand at the base, first aligning it vertically. pipe larger diameter cut into cylinders about 25 cm long. The cuts must be made strictly perpendicular, otherwise the steps will not be aligned horizontally.
It is very important that the cylinders fit tightly onto the central pipe and do not form any backlash. If a tight connection does not occur, sealing rings will be required.
To make steps, it is convenient to use a template made from slats. Wood slats glued together so that the corners inserted into the frame form a step of the given parameters.
Each stage is welded to its own cylinder and carefully ground. After all the elements have been manufactured, you can begin assembling the structure. The steps are placed on the axle pipe, the angle is set and tightly welded to the axle.
The final stage is attaching the railings and finishing. Railings can consist of fittings, chrome-plated tubes, thin profiles; Forged railings look very elegant. All metal surfaces must be sanded, primed and painted.
In a similar way, a spiral staircase to the second floor is assembled from wooden steps. Wood blanks are made in the form of a trapezoid, in the narrow part of which a hole with a diameter of 50 mm is drilled. With the help of special seals, the steps strung on the axle are fixed on B-pillar. Next, the railings are installed, the wood is primed and painted, and decorated with decor.
Video - How to make a staircase to the second floor
Video - Do-it-yourself wooden staircase
Due to their compactness and relatively low cost, multi-level houses have gained remarkable popularity in modern suburban construction. Naturally, moving people between floors requires the construction of a reliable and functional staircase. Moreover, it can be not only a constructive necessity, but also a real decoration of the interior, as well as the entire architecture of the cottage, if its external design is chosen.
As construction technologies in general improve, staircases are increasingly striking in their design novelty and diversity, which depends on the layout and architecture of the building, the skill of the builders, and the materials from which they are made. The most widespread are structures made of wood, as a material with unsurpassed technological and performance characteristics which Nature itself gives us.
Optimal Constructive decisions in the manufacture of stairs, ensuring safety, durability and ease of use have long been known; they have been developed by craftsmen around the world for centuries.
Choosing the type and location for the stairs
Undoubtedly, the best place is an entrance hall or a spacious hall, where a large interfloor opening located in the middle will allow you to arrange a large, comfortable staircase with wide flights and landings. More often, you have to deal with the limit of free space on the lower floor, the presence of a relatively narrow opening between floors, and difficulties in unobstructed access to the stairs.
Reality forces us to resort to installing a compact “wall-mounted” structure with narrow flights, located in the corner of the room. As a rule, the safest and easiest to build - straight (in the direction of the center line) stairs are very difficult to use, since they take up too much usable area, being long enough with a slight slope. The solution is to build a right or left turning staircase, which significantly saves usable space and is suitable for almost any layout.
Swivel staircase saves usable space
In the design of a turning staircase, intermediate platforms or winder steps can be used, which have inner side narrower than the outside. The width of such steps in a narrow place should not be less than 100 mm, and in the middle - 200 mm.
The most compact is a spiral staircase, consisting only of winder steps. It is the least convenient and is used extremely rarely, in places with low traffic intensity. However, sometimes this is the only possible option.
Construction external staircase for entering the upper levels can also be considered a solution to the problem of limited space, although it is also not without some drawbacks.
One way or another, the type of staircase is selected individually in each specific case, observing traditional requirements for safety and functionality.
Calculation of a flight of stairs
The flight of stairs is, in fact, the main element of the staircase, depending on its parameters and determines how convenient it will be to use the staircase. The main factors influencing the functionality of the structure include the type of staircase, the height of the rise, the steepness, the occupied area, as well as the width, height and number of steps.
When designing a staircase, you should first of all pay attention to the problematic “squeezed” parameters; they will be decisive for other indicators and the choice of design as a whole. All these parameters are interconnected, and you cannot choose them arbitrarily.
For comfortable movement on stairs, it is necessary to maintain an adequate ratio between the height to which a person ascends or descends and the distance he moves forward. The slope (steepness) of the stairs is, in fact, determined by this ratio. A slope of 30 degrees is considered optimal; this is the ratio of the height and horizontal projection of the stairs 1:2 or 1:1.75.
2b + a = 570 – 640 mm (average human step)
In numbers optimal sizes can be characterized as 150 - 180 mm for the riser height and about 270 - 320 mm for the tread width.
It is very important that the vertical distance from any step or landing there was at least 2 meters to the ceiling and other protruding elements, in the most extreme case 1.8 meters. If the opening between the floors is too small and there is no possibility of making the staircase flat enough, then the only option would be to increase its steepness to 45 degrees, which will increase the distance from the ceiling to the steps.
In accordance with building regulations, the width of the flight of stairs must be made at least 900 mm; if the staircase is in the center of the room and there are no enclosing walls, a width of 800 mm is allowed.
Construction of an interfloor opening
The construction of the staircase begins with the organization of the opening. Its location and size largely determine the main parameters of the flights of stairs, and it in turn depends on the layout of the floors and the purpose of the staircase. The length of the interfloor opening should allow a person moving along the stairs to pass freely without touching his head to the ceiling.
As for the width, it depends on the expected width of the march. As a rule, you have to cut one or more ceiling beams. Between them, transverse bars of the same cross-section as the floor beams are installed. The bars are attached to the load-bearing beams using galvanized corner brackets and inserted into the main wall at least 100 mm, after which they are sealed with mortar.
It is important that the ceiling does not lose its load-bearing capacity after cutting/shaping the opening. Sometimes with impressive spans of flooring and large quantities cut beams may require installation of a supporting column.
Marking steps, preparing beams
According to the type of design, stairs come with bowstrings, stringers and a central post for screw version. The bowstring is the load-bearing beam to which the steps are butted on the side, and the stringer is the one on which the step is placed on top.
The material for the beams is a dry, flat board with a thickness of 50 mm. The width of the string or beam with stringers depends on the length of the flight of stairs and its slope; in any case, it is better not to use a board less than 200 mm, especially when cutting stringers. During operation, the staircase should not have any deflections, which can lead to serious deformations of the entire structure, so you cannot save money here, but it is better to have some reserve section.
Correct marking of steps on load-bearing beams is required condition to obtain good quality and beautiful stairs. Having cut the string or string to length, use a template to mark out all the steps. The template is a right triangle, where the legs indicate the height of the riser and the width of the tread, and the hypotenuse indicates the slope of the supporting beam.
If the staircase is made on stringers, then triangular sections are cut out on the beam for attaching steps and risers, or triangles - “fillies” – are mounted on top of it for the same purposes. Using fillets, there is no need to cut anything on the beam, so it does not weaken.
Having made one beam with stringers, you should try it on at the installation site, and then use it to mark the rest as a template. There may be more than two, depending on the width of the marches.
Assembling marches
It is advisable to assemble not very wide flights with two beams on a horizontal surface, and only after, in finished form, mount it in place. The steps for wide, heavy flights are assembled after installing bowstrings and stringers to the ceiling.
For the steps of an inexpensive staircase, you can use a dry (humidity no more than 12%) board made of pine, larch or spruce with a thickness of 30 mm or more. Glued boards have very good strength indicators. It can be of almost any width, although finding a board of the right size from an array can sometimes be difficult. The risers are made from the same wood, with a thickness of 20 mm. All lumber for steps must be planed and sanded to the rough (front side) before installation.
First of all, risers are attached to the stringers, starting from the bottom step. This procedure is carried out using self-tapping screws with a countersunk “through the body”, after which the heads are sealed with wooden plugs or wood putty. If the front side is needed with an ideal texture, then you will have to use various corners, brackets, and ties from inside the structure. The choice of connection type depends on the requirements for appearance and structural strength.
Sometimes stairs are made “open”, without risers. They are somewhat more comfortable on narrow steps (the leg does not rest against). However, the design is deprived of an important element that ensures the rigidity and reliability of fastening the tread, which is the riser.
All wooden parts stairs should be carefully adjusted; in the places where they are joined together, carpentry glue and liquid nails should be used. Treads and risers must be positioned strictly horizontally and vertically, respectively, with the exception of external stairs, where the steps are made with a slight slope of the leading edge to remove atmospheric moisture.
We install an intermediate interfloor platform
Before installing stringers or finished flights, if the design involves dividing the stairs with intermediate platforms, they must be mounted in advance. Such a platform, as a rule, is made of lumber of the same cross-section as the floor. It must be very securely attached to load-bearing wall by linking to embedded elements. Usually, to install an intermediate platform, support pillars are used, one or more, if it is not possible to secure it to the wall.
The frame of the landing is covered either with a board made of boards, the same one used to make treads, or with several layers sheet materials(OSB, plywood, furniture board...), if it is covered with tiles, parquet or other coverings.
The width of the platform must be no less than the width of the marches. It does not necessarily have to divide the staircase into equal parts. The installation location of the landing is determined based on the convenience of placing the flights. Sometimes there may be only a few steps leading up to it, and then a long straight flight of stairs begins.
We mount marches
Ready flights of stairs bottom attached to subfloor or intermediate site. Sometimes a transverse support beam is used for fastening to the floor or a solid base is arranged with various embedded elements. The upper part of the marches using anchors or bolted connection attached to the ceiling.
If the ladder is located against a wall, then the nearest stringer or bowstring should be attached to it with anchors. In the presence of support pillar(racks) the external stringer must be fixed to it through brackets or corners.
When mounting the supporting beams of the stairs to the ceiling before installing the steps, you should take into account the thickness of the tread and the finishing flooring. This is necessary so that the top one is the same height as the rest.
Fencing
Almost any interfloor staircase will require the installation of railings. At the bottom and top of each flight, as well as at the turns of the fence, balusters are mounted, between which, one or two per step, intermediate railing posts are attached. Balusters are installed either using a groove connection or using metal studs from above or to the end of the steps with special fastenings. The outermost fencing posts of the interfloor opening are fixed to the main wall with anchors.
The installed balusters are cut at an angle corresponding to the slope of the stairs and covered with a handrail, which is attached from below.
The cross-section of the racks can be square, rectangular and round. Balusters are often made by turning wood, and rectangular posts are decorated with carvings.
The height of the stair railing is regulated by building codes - it is from 900 to 1100 mm. The main thing is that the railings are strong and reliable.
Toning and varnishing
When the railings are in place, the staircase can be said to be ready. All that remains is to wait until the dirty work in the house is completed, fill up cracks, scratches and other irregularities, and then, after the putty has completely dried, carefully sand the outer surfaces and thoroughly clean them of dust.
Now the entire structure can be treated with stain, which will emphasize the texture of the wood, sometimes imitating valuable species. The color of the staircase impregnation is often chosen to match the color of the windows or doors of the room.
It is better to varnish the stairs with alkyd-urethane parquet varnishes, matte or semi-matte by spraying. Each layer of varnish, except the last one, after final drying, is carefully sanded with abrasive materials with very fine grains - from No. 220.
To ensure uniform coverage under some compositions, manufacturers recommend using a wood primer. Before starting work, do a test painting in a hidden place to ensure compatibility of compositions and compliance real color coverage as desired.
To avoid unwanted surprises, it is advisable to purchase the entire complex paint and varnish materials for stairs from one manufacturer.
Anton Turishchev, rmnt.ru
Recently construction country house very often it is not limited to one floor. In order to expand the space, a second one is built or insulated and made suitable for comfortable stay state attic room. This means that you can’t do without a staircase in the interior of the first floor.
The staircase to the second floor can easily be assembled from ready-made kit, which can be purchased from companies specialized in the development and production of this interior functional element. In the catalogs offered, you can choose a staircase that will ideally fit into the decor of both floors, and will be comfortable and safe for all family members to ascend and descend.
You can try to build a staircase yourself, but in this case it is necessary to do so, since if the design is not well thought out, a familiar element of the house may well become a traumatic “simulator”.
In addition, you need to decide what role the staircase will play in the interior. It may be completely invisible and not be decorative decoration room, or can become the center of the composition around which the entire design of the room will be built.
Therefore, to choose a suitable instance, it is better though would schematically draw the staircase you wanted would see in your home, but you can already find ready-made option and adapt it to a specific room.
Before choosing a staircase model, you need to know how it is designed and how to calculate its correct parameters.
The main components of the stairs
The design of a staircase has many components, some of them are mandatory, while others may not be included in the design of some types of this structure.
So, a staircase cannot do without steps and the supports that support them - these are the main elements of the simplest designs of interfloor stairs.
- The step itself consists of two parts - vertical and horizontal. The first of them is called riser, and the second is called gait. The riser is a support for the step, but sometimes they do without it.
- Supports can be of two types:
— the bowstring is a beam that supports the steps from their ends;
- stringer - a beam supporting the steps from below.
- Railings are also important element stairs, although it is not present in all types. But if there are children or elderly people in the house, then there is no way to do without them.
- Balusters are vertically installed supports for railings, which most often become not only a functional part of the staircase, but also its decorative decoration. This element can be made from different materials and have different forms.
Since there are different types of stairs, each of them may have parts that are necessary specifically for a particular design.
- Stand - this element is used to construct a spiral staircase. Steps of a special shape are attached to the rack with a certain pitch, which form a spiral rising from the first to the second floor.
- Bolts are special bolts, which are also elements supporting the steps; they are attached to the wall and directly to the steps themselves. They do not apply to everyone, but only to individual species stairs
Types of stairs
Having found out what elements the stairs consist of, you need to understand in more detail what each type of these structures looks like, installed between floors.
Marching staircase
This type of staircase is popular for any type of private home. It consists of one or more straight flights, equipped with evenly spaced steps. It is convenient to go down and up, but the disadvantage of this model is that it requires a lot of space in the room.
The most common - marching stairs
If the staircase consists of several flights, then each of them must have at least 3 ÷ 4 and no more than 15 steps. Failure to comply with this standard may make climbing stairs uncomfortable. Typically, the number of steps in each flight is 8 ÷ 11 pieces, and special platforms are installed between the flights. Their sizes are multiples of the average step length.
- Marching stairs can be closed or open. The first of them have risers in the design of the steps, and the second are installed without them. Open option convenient in cases where the steps are not wide enough.
- Marching stairs can have steps attached to stringers or bowstrings. For these parts, boards with a thickness of at least 45 ÷ 50, and better even 60 ÷ 70 mm, are selected.
- If a straight staircase without turns has more than 8-9 steps, then for strength it is also recommended to divide it with a platform.
- In the case when the staircase is built with a slight turn, it is called a turning one, and sometimes in this area, instead of a landing, steps are installed, which are called winders.
Winder steps quarter reversible staircase - In addition to the above types, flight stairs can be:
— quarter turn– the angle of which when turning is 90 degrees, and they are located mainly at the junction of two walls;
- half-turn - their rotation has an angle of 180 degrees;
- circular models - marches successively form a 360-degree turn.
Design of staircases on rails
The name of these bolt ladders comes from the German word “bolzen”, which means bolt. So it's a bolted ladder. In fact, it is a fastener in the form of a pin with threads at its ends. With their help, steps and fences are fastened together and mounted in the wall. Thanks to these devices, the design looks light and airy. The absence of risers also contributes to this.
In addition, such a model can be stretched over a certain section of the wall, or it can look quite compact. Despite the apparent lightness, the design is reliable and durable, it can withstand hundreds of kilograms, which is why ladders on bolts are becoming increasingly popular.
Despite the “airy” appearance, the ladder on the rails is very reliable Naturally, such a structure cannot be located in the middle of the room, since it must be attached to the wall; the main condition for installation is the strength of the material from which it is built.
It is quite difficult to calculate a staircase with rails on your own, but you can purchase it as a kit or order it from professionals to make it, depending on the specific conditions of the house.
Video: installation of a wooden staircase on rails
The installation of this structure is quite complicated, and it is better to entrust it to qualified craftsmen who can assess the possibility of its installation. Therefore, before purchasing a kit, it is best to first consult with specialists.
Spiral interfloor staircase
This design is more difficult to install, but has the advantage that it occupies the smallest area of all. existing options, therefore ideal for rooms with small area. In addition, such a staircase can be installed in any convenient place in the room and, if desired, made it the center of the interior composition, since the design has a fairly aesthetic appearance.
Spiral staircase - saves space, but is not always convenient for carrying large objects There may be different types, but for two-story house A model consisting of a stand and wedge-shaped steps is best suited. For the rack, choose a metal pipe or a wooden support.
- The rack itself is fixed to the floor of the first floor and in the interfloor or attic ceiling.
- The steps are attached to it with the narrow side and rotated so that the overall structure resembles a spiral.
- Balusters are installed on the wide side of the steps, top part which are fixed in the handrail, repeating the spiral direction of the entire structure.
Video: installation of a spiral staircase
What is inconvenient about such a model is the fact that it will be difficult to lift or lower down some massive piece of furniture. In addition, when choosing such a model for installation, you need to know that the smaller the opening for it in interfloor covering, the steeper and more inconvenient the stairs will be.
It is not difficult to calculate the screw structure. To do this, determine the area in the room where it will be installed, and calculate its center - this will be the location where the rack will be installed. Next, the distance from the post to the border is measured - this will be the span width, i.e. length of steps.
For comfortable walking on such stairs, the size of the middle step should be at least 200 mm, and the widest part should be no more than 400 ÷ 420 mm.
It is quite possible to make and assemble such a structure yourself, if you have skills in working with wood and the ability to calculate the loads on the selected material. However, if you do not have confidence in your abilities, then it is better to entrust the work to a specialist, since an incorrectly constructed structure is very dangerous.
Requirements for the design of stairs
Before you begin, you need to know the requirements for the staircase design.
Safety is perhaps the most important thing important condition. In order for it to be fully implemented, it is very important to accurately calculate all the parameters:
— the angle of inclination, the width and height of the steps, the method of fastening the first and last of them are calculated;
- if the staircase is not located between two walls, a fence must be installed, and its height must be at least 800 ÷ 850 mm;
- if there are small children in the house, the balusters supporting the handrail of the fence should not be located further from each other than 100 ÷ 120 mm;
— the width of the steps should be 200 ÷ 300 mm;
- the ladder must withstand quite heavy loads - for residential buildings they are 300 ÷ 350 kg/m²;
- the steps must not be slippery - the texture of their outer covering must be carefully thought out;
— the entire structure must be securely and rigidly fixed between floors;
— it is undesirable to install the structure at an elevation angle of more than 45 degrees;
— the width of the spans cannot be made less than 850 mm, but the optimal option is 1000 ÷ 1200 mm;
- the staircase will be less dangerous if it is divided into two or three parts by platforms;
— fastenings for structural elements must be made of quality material, so you can’t save on them;
- if wooden parts are processed independently, then you need to bring them to perfect evenness and compliance with the dimensions established by the drawing or patterns.
Video: mistakes in the design and construction of stairs
Calculation of staircase parameters and production of parts
Since for self-made and installation, a marching design with steps laid on a stringer is the most affordable, as well as convenient and safe to use, so it is worth considering.
The first thing to do is to calculate the location, number and size of steps, as well as the width of the staircase span.
Calculation of staircase parameters
The calculation of the design of the flight of stairs is carried out as follows:
- The height of the room and the length of all or part of the wall - the space allocated for installing the stairs - are taken as a basis. Having reduced these values to scale, draw a right triangle, in which the staircase itself will be the hypotenuse, and the legs will be the height of the rise and the floor.
An angle of 45 degrees is considered ideal for installing a staircase, but it can be changed depending on the wishes of the home owner and the area of the room.
- A comfortable tread width should be at least 200 mm, so the leg of the floor, based on its natural length, is divided by this value. The resulting number of steps is marked on the drawing.
- The height of the risers, convenient for movement, should not exceed 100 ÷ 120 mm. To calculate them, you need to divide the height of the total rise by the selected height of the risers and also transfer it to the drawing.
- Thus, you can calculate the dimensions of the stringer for laying the steps.
- The width of the stairs will depend on the preferences of the residents and the size of the room.
Video: example of calculating a mid-flight staircase
Manufacturing of staircase parts
In order to correctly manufacture parts, you need to accurately transfer the dimensions from the drawing made to the material and select high-quality, well-dried wood.
- The most difficult thing is to cut the stringers perfectly evenly, since the reliability and strength, as well as the aesthetics of the structure, will depend on this. For these load-bearing elements, choose a solid board without cracks and numerous large knots, with a thickness of at least 45 ÷ 50 mm.
- The width of the treads can be 1.5-2 cm greater than the space provided for them on the stringers, plus the thickness of the risers. The steps should be perfectly smooth with neat rounded edges, and this is also very important to take into account. For them, a board with a thickness of 30 ÷ 35 mm is selected.
- If it was planned to make the staircase closed, with risers, then they must also be done carefully. For these elements, you do not need to take a board of great thickness, since basically the entire load will fall on the stringers, and the risers will play a role supporting the structure. A thickness of 15 ÷ 20 mm is sufficient.
- It would be better to purchase balusters and handrails ready-made along with fastenings. If there are children in the house, then, for safety reasons, it is worth installing two balusters on each step. In the case when the children have already grown up, then one element supporting the handrail is enough.
Prices for various types of staircase elements
Elements of stairs
Installation of stairs
Installation of the stairs is the most crucial moment after the manufacture of all structural elements, and it must be approached with the utmost responsibility.
- The stringers are installed first according to pre-established marks. On the floor they are fixed to a support beam fixed in the right place, and in the upper part they are installed in the cut-out gaps in the floor beam. Sometimes, to secure the upper part of the stringers, metal supports are used, mounted on a beam covering the ceiling. The fastenings for these load-bearing elements are anchor bolts.
To ensure that the parts are installed perfectly evenly, during the installation process they are constantly aligned with a plumb line and the building level.
- If risers are provided, then they are screwed before laying down the tread surface.
- Then the tread panels are secured on top of the stringers and risers with self-tapping screws.
The fastening of risers and steps occurs in a complex, and proceeds down up.
- Then, when the steps are ready, you can proceed to installing the balusters.
On both sides, that is, on the floor of the first floor and at the top of the stairs, support posts are installed, which will become the boundary for the overall structure of the handrail (railing). They will also play both a supporting and decorative role.
Balusters can be different sizes, and are made from various materials, so they can be attached in different ways. Some of them are simply installed in drilled holes in steps and handrails, others are screwed with self-tapping screws, and the mounting points are closed with decorative plugs.
- , they are covered on top with handrails, which are fixed to the supporting outer posts. If necessary, another support post can be installed in the middle of the stairs.
- If three or even four posts are installed, then instead of balusters, two or three can serve as a reliable fence smooth boards(slats) fixed parallel to the course of the stairs.
- When the entire structure is assembled, you can proceed to surface treatment using a grinder and sandpaper. Preparation is carried out before applying protective and decorative paint coatings.
- The first layer that is applied to the wood is antiseptic compounds. They will protect the wood from rotting, mold or mildew, and from domestic insects. After this, the structure is allowed to dry completely.
- Next, the staircase can be varnished in several layers (preferably on water based) hot wax or paint.
- If it is necessary to darken the wood, it is first coated with stain or other tinting compounds, and then, after drying, a varnish coating is applied on top of them.
After drying paint coating, the staircase will be ready for use.
Photo instructions for creating a wooden staircase
Step 1 - drawing of the future design 
Video: another interesting option for installing stairs to the second floor
If you need to install it in your house, you need to carefully calculate every step of your work and approach it with all responsibility and accuracy.
A country house can be one-story or have 2-3 floors - much here is determined by the financial situation of the owners. Usually, if there are enough funds, people prefer to build two-storey house– there is more usable area, and it takes up as much space on the site as a one-story building or a little more. The construction of any two-story house will not be complete without a staircase. Wood is one of the most suitable materials for its manufacture. A wooden staircase will suit any interior and become its decoration. Today, wooden stairs for a summer residence can be ordered from specialized companies or made independently.
The main types of stairs are, of course, marching and turning. Straight stairs are marching structures, they are the easiest to assemble, but they take up a lot of space, so this option is more suitable for a large house.
A flight of stairs with risers and interesting railings made of timber, mesh and metal rungs. There is little use of side supports; their deficiency is compensated by the use of a mesh. The hall on the first floor is spacious, the use of a flight of stairs is quite appropriate here
The rotary staircase is compact; it can be spiral or marching. Installing a rotating staircase allows you to save space, especially screw designs, but the disadvantage is that it is not easy to make them yourself.
Spiral staircases look much more original than marching staircases; such a staircase itself is a central detail of the interior, but for its manufacture you need to attract specialists
The main stages of staircase construction
Work on creating a staircase begins with the choice of material. Pine, beech, birch, ash, oak are the wood species that are best suited for this - they look beautiful in the interior and are durable in use. An oak staircase is the most expensive and durable, but pine is a relatively inexpensive material with good characteristics.
Stage #2 – carrying out calculations and drawing up drawings
Before you start designing, you will need to calculate the dimensions of the staircase and make a drawing of it. For your home, you can make a stringer staircase with risers, balusters and railings. We will look at how to build a staircase without turns with a single-flight climb.
First you need to prepare the installation site. If you neglect this point, the ladder may be installed incorrectly, and over time, creaking and gaps will appear. Uneven floors and walls lead to incorrect load distribution, which leads to deformation of the structure.
Knowledge of basic standards is necessary to make the necessary calculations. The ideal angle of elevation of the march is 45 degrees, but if there is not enough space, it can be reduced to 30-40 degrees.
Scheme of construction of a wooden flight of stairs with risers. Simple design can be used both inside the house and outside when building a porch
Then you need to calculate the length of the stairs. Here you will have to remember the school geometry course. The formula for calculating the hypotenuse will help you right triangle: c = √(a2 + b2). Here c will be the length of the side bases, a will be the height from the floor to the second floor, b will be the distance between the point where it is planned to place the first step to the second floor mark, which will need to be projected onto the floor.
Depending on the height and internal structure At home, the staircase can be single-flight or double-flight. The height of the risers is 290 mm. The width of the steps is no more than 25 cm, 3 cm goes to the ledge. If the steps are high, or the number of steps in a march exceeds 18, you can make a small platform (700/1000mm). The width of the march should not be less than 80cm, ideally it should be a meter wide.
According to established standards, the height of the railing is from 90 cm to a meter. It will be much easier to work if everything necessary calculations you will indicate on the drawing of the future staircase.
Stage #3 – preparation of tools and organization of work
Tools and materials that will be needed for the work: a meter, a pencil for marking, a hammer, a square for marking stringers, a hacksaw, boards for steps, risers, stringers, screws, nails, timber for railings and balusters.
First, the side bases are made. We measure the angle of contact with the floor from the bottom edge of the board, draw a horizontal line. From the line, use a square to measure the width and height for each step to the top, then measure the angle of contact with the 2nd base. We mark the second board in the same way. We cut out the patterns with a hacksaw and fix them in the right place with screws.
The next stage is cutting out and nailing the risers to the base. They should fit perfectly against the stringers without distortion. After the base is completed, the steps can be installed.
The steps can be made from a solid board or you can use two narrow boards 15 cm wide. What you choose is up to you, but the tree must lie firmly and evenly. The boards are fixed with screws and nails
Stage #4 (optional) – installation of railings and fences
Railings are an important part of any staircase; they make ascent and descent safe, and serve a decorative function, adding completeness to the staircase structure. A simple option that will look good is a railing made of timber. We cut out meter-long balusters. Two balusters will be straight supports, the rest need to be sawed and shortened by 5-10 cm at an angle of 45 degrees. The side supports are nailed to the steps, and grooves can be cut into them. A beam is placed on top, serving as a handrail.
Options for summer cottage stairs: 1 – marching with risers, 2 – without risers, 3 – rotating design, 4 – light wooden staircase, 5 – light spiral staircase made of wood and metal, 6 – spiral staircase with steps along the support pillar
If you want to create an original staircase, the railings can be made from a different material - order forged railings, metal or even tempered glass for a wooden staircase. Carved details will also give the staircase an attractive look.
Rotary staircase made of wood and metal. Forged railings and metal supports go perfectly with wooden steps
Marching staircase with a small platform. The platform will be convenient with a large number of steps. A staircase without classic risers looks lighter. The design looks aesthetically pleasing, despite its simplicity
The staircase may not have railings, but this option is rare - it is dangerous for children to walk on such stairs or to carry bulky objects up.
If you wish, you can make a staircase without railings - for example, like this staircase-cabinet, where the space under the stairs is used for business purposes - in such a unique cabinet you can place dishes and other small things, and the design as a whole looks very original
This is the simple staircase you will get if you follow these instructions. The design is ready, and if you coat it with varnish and skillfully select the decor, then it will look attractive and aesthetically pleasing, despite its simplicity.