In the article we will talk about how to build a staircase with your own hands and what you need for this. When designing a staircase, attention must be paid not only to the functionality and reliability of the structure, but also to the appearance. Before starting production, it is necessary to take into account all the factors on which both the design and dimensions depend.
Factors affecting staircase design
Factors that directly or indirectly affect the choice of stairs include:
- The available area of the room in which the installation is planned.
- The height of the room.
- Convenience of use.
- The load that the staircase should be designed for.
But how to build a staircase with your own hands correctly? There are a large number of options, so you need to approach the choice thoroughly. Next, we will consider the choice of design and methods for making stairs with your own hands.
How to build a staircase?
There are spiral and flight stairs. The design of the latter is quite simple, it is the most attractive, especially if you are going to do it yourself. But in order to make a normal slope and the height of the step, a large area is required. Such a ladder is very convenient to operate, it is able to withstand heavy loads. But on it you will not be able to easily lift furniture and other objects to the second floor in the future. It is also very safe, so it will be the best solution if elderly people or children live in the house.
As for the design of the spiral staircase, it is more complex. But it can be used in conditions if you are limited in space. Usually it is installed if there is not enough space to ensure a safe slope of the flight of stairs. The main disadvantage is usually not very convenient design, it makes it difficult to lift large items. But if you perform a beautiful and high-quality staircase, then it will have high strength, as well as an aesthetic appearance. But let's look at how to build a staircase to the second floor with your own hands.
Before proceeding with the manufacture of the stairs, you need to make sure that it is as safe as possible. Firstly, it should be ergonomic and comfortable. In this case, you need to pay great attention to the height of the stairs, the slope of the stairs, as well as the shape and location of the railing. Secondly, the entire structure must withstand any load. It must be borne in mind that the steps should be non-slip, and the gap between the balusters should be selected so that the child cannot squeeze through them and fall down.
Features of the designs of stairs
Now let's talk about how to build a staircase to the second floor. Depending on how the steps are attached, the marching structures can be as follows:
- On the bowstrings. They have two side beams, steps are attached to them. These beams are called bowstrings, made of wood or metal. Their fasteners are carried out to the wall or to the supports, which provide structural strength. Before you build a wooden staircase, you need to make the correct calculation so that it has maximum strength and reliability.
- On the skewers. Kosoura are fixed to the beams located below. They accurately repeat the geometric size of the entire structure. These beams can be curved or straight. Straight braces are usually made in the form of gears; steps are mounted on the teeth.
- The bolt joint is the most durable, therefore, such designs will not require additional supports. They can be installed at just two points. The steps are mounted and fastened to each other with the help of special bolts - metal rods. As a result, it is possible to exclude the creak, which is caused by the friction of wooden elements. If you are going to build a staircase in the house on the second floor, be sure to consider the fact that it can creak when people move along it. And this is not very nice.
Material selection
In order to make a ladder, coniferous wood is usually used. There are a lot of reasons for choosing just such a material, among the main ones it is the cost and ease of processing. As for the oak staircase, it will be durable, but the price of the structure will be several times higher. And you need to pay attention to the fact that processing oak is much more difficult than conifers.
You will need not only the availability of special tools, but also a wealth of experience. As you know, building a staircase in the country with your own hands is much easier than making a similar design for use inside the house.
The main stages of work
Now we will begin to consider the main stages of manufacturing stairs on kosoura. Before you start designing structures, you need to understand for yourself that even small inaccuracies and errors in the calculations will lead to the fact that during installation there will be problems, and very serious ones. Take all steps as carefully as possible.
And now about how to build a staircase to the 2nd floor. The staircase construction will consist of three elements:
- Kosourov.
- Handrail.
- Steps.
First you need to make a thorough calculation.
How to calculate the height and width of steps
Most of the masters use the same formula when calculating the size of steps. The sum of the height of the step and the double value of the width should be 64 cm. Usually, the height of the steps is assumed to be from 14 to 17 cm. For example, in our calculations we will use the value of 16 cm. First you need to measure the total height of the stairs and divide it by 16. For example , your total height is 240 cm. To do this, you need to divide 240 by 16. As a result, you will get 15. Therefore, the entire structure will consist of 15 steps.
Pay attention to the fact that a non-integer number can turn out, in which case it needs to be rounded up. Knowing the height of the steps, you can find the width. Using the formula above, we can find out that the width will be equal to half the difference: (64 - 16) / 2 = 24 (cm). But this is not all you need to know before you build a staircase in the house.
The part of the step that hangs over the riser is called the protrusion and should not be more than 4 cm. It is optimal to make the width of the steps so that it matches the average shoe size of the residents (this is about the 42nd size - about 30 cm).
At the same time, you need to consider the distance between the steps and the objects that are located above them. For example, over beams, ceiling, balcony. This distance should be at least 2 m. The horizontal staircase should have the following dimensions: multiply the width of the steps by their number. In this case, consider that the first step is the floor, so the calculation will look like this: 13 x 24 = 312 (cm).
Therefore, the size of the stairs should be 312 cm. If the height of the structure comes out very large, you can make a platform. They are installed every 7-8 steps. If you need to design a staircase with a given number of steps, you can reduce their height a little to mount a platform between the floors.
How to make kosour
In order to make kosour, a pine board is used with a width of at least 40 mm. First you need to make a pattern that will accurately repeat the size of the profile of the steps. Then you need to mark the boards. Then it is necessary to cut the teeth with a hacksaw, but it is much more convenient to use an electric jigsaw. Where the kosour will dock with the step, you need to trim the corner.
When one kosour will be ready, it can be taken as a sample for the manufacture of steel. In essence, it will be a template. Please note that both safety and strength, durability of the entire staircase depend on the kosour. Therefore, you do not need to save on their number.
Also, you can not save on the quality of the material from which they are made. The use of boards with knots or signs of vital activity of harmful insects is not allowed. It is imperative to think in advance how to mount the kosour. In order to achieve the desired strength, it is necessary to use 3-4 kosour for the entire structure.
How to mount steps and rails
Steps can be fastened both with braids and with the help of additional wood elements called filly. First, it is necessary to note and cut out the required number of risers and steps from wood. Be sure to consider the ledge. The fixture of the step is carried out using nails or self-tapping screws.
The most reliable design is one in which triangular filly is used. They are attached with dowels, for them you need to make grooves in advance. The strongest construction will be one in which fillets of complex shapes are used. At the same time, special cuts must be made on the skewers.
Elements must be connected and fixed with self-tapping screws and adhesives. As soon as the steps are ready, balusters and railings can be attached to them. To protect the wood from the influence of various harmful factors, such as mold, insects, dampness, varnish is applied.
As you can see, making a wooden staircase yourself is not very difficult. All you need is good wood as well as a tool. Before starting work, it is necessary to carefully consider all the nuances that relate to the future design. Be sure to double-check all the calculations that you performed in the first stage.
Spiral staircases
We list the advantages and disadvantages of a spiral staircase. After all, the design of the flight of stairs is not suitable for everyone. The main advantage of the screw is that it is very compact. If the flight of stairs is several meters long, then it will take up a significant part of the room, you will lose useful space. As for the spiral staircase, it will occupy an area of not more than 2 m 2 . In this case, you will make the necessary slope and the height of the steps. And the whole design will be as safe and convenient as possible.
And the second advantage of this design is that it is very cheap. For the manufacture of a spiral staircase, you will spend much less material than for a marching one. And if you do all the work yourself, then save a lot of money. In addition, the design of the spiral staircase has an attractive appearance, therefore, in addition to being used for its intended purpose, it can become a good decoration for the home. If you perform a skillfully staircase, it will give the interior of the room individuality and uniqueness.
Disadvantages of a spiral staircase
But this design also has drawbacks. And the main thing is that it is not as convenient during operation as marching. And if you have such a staircase, you are unlikely to be able to drag a sofa or cupboard to the second floor or attic, as well as any heavy furniture.
In addition, ascending or descending in a spiral is somewhat more difficult than in a straight line. And therefore, if such a design will be the main staircase, you need to think about its ergonomics. Be sure to think about how wide the steps will be, and also calculate their number. Be sure such stairs should have comfortable and reliable railings.
The main types of structures
Depending on how the spiral staircase is located, it can be mounted on a vertical stand or on the wall. The latter usually have a polygonal shape that repeats the configuration of the walls. The steps are connected with a bowstring among themselves. The railing can be either spiral or straight.
You can also stack the steps on the kosour or fasten with the help of bolts. Such a ladder can be made without the presence of additional supports, to make a part of the supporting structure of the railing. They will be able to give the necessary rigidity to the stairs.
Materials for the manufacture of stairs
Often, steps for use on spiral staircases are made of wood such as maple, beech or oak. These hard rocks are very reliable, but harder to process. You can also use tempered glass, metal, plastic. For the manufacture of outdoor stairs, you can use marble, artificial granite, ceramics. A bowstring and railings are usually made of metal or glued wood.
In the event that you are going to make your own spiral staircase around a horizontal support, you need to make a wooden, metal or stone central pillar. In this case, the most suitable option is to use a steel pipe, since it has high strength, and it will also make it quite easy to fix steps on it.
How to make a staircase with your own hands
First you need to make calculations. The optimal width of the spiral staircase is about 0.8-0.9 m. Suppose you need to make a staircase with a width of 0.85 m and a height of 2.7 m. The metal pillar in the center has a diameter of 20 cm. First, you need to determine the total the diameter of the entire structure, it will be equal to the value of the width of the stairs and the thickness of the pillar of the support. Therefore, you need 0.85 x 2 and add 0.2 to this value. As a result, you get 1.9 m.
Next, enter the second into this circle. It is along it in the future that a person who climbs the stairs will move. This circle has a radius equal to half the width and radius of the center pillar. Calculating this, we get a value of 0.475 m. And the most optimal value for the width of the steps is 20 cm, but in our case it increases with distance from the center of the structure. For the manufacture of our stairs you need to use the average values of the width of the stairs 20 cm.
In order to determine the number of steps that occur per revolution, it is necessary to divide the length of the inscribed circle by the width of the steps. You will get a value of 14.9. If you round it to the whole, get 15 steps. This is the number of steps per turn of the stairs, now you need to calculate their height.
To do this, divide the circle into 15 identical parts using radial lines. For convenient lifting, it is necessary that the height of the step is about 14 cm. Knowing this, you can calculate the total number of steps. To do this, divide the height of the stairs by a similar step size. Therefore, you need to divide 2.7 m by 0.14 m. By rounding, you will get the number of steps - 20 pieces.
How to make stairs and railings
For the manufacture of steps of a spiral staircase, you can use oak or beech. But it will be easier to take the finished steps, and then make them into blanks of the necessary shape. There are a large number of steps made of wood on the market, and their thickness can be different. Width, however, too. All the steps can be cut diagonally on their own, and you will get two blanks in the form of a trapezoid.
But how to build a staircase to the floor (second or attic) so that it fits perfectly into the interior. Everything needs to be done as attractively as possible, so all corners should be rounded, and the edges must be processed using a grinding machine, or with sandpaper. Finished products must be varnished. It is also necessary to fix bushings to all steps, with the help of which they will be fixed on the central rack.
Balusters can be made of metal or wooden rods. Handrails, as a rule, are made of glued beam or plastic. The design of the railing may include several bars - straight or curved. It is much more difficult to realize the curvilinear shape, but such a railing looks very attractive. It is necessary to strut the steps on the rack, after which it is mounted in a previously prepared place and fixed on the floor and floor.
In advance, you need to think about the options for mounting the rack and make sure that it is reliable. It is necessary that the steps overlap each other by about 5 cm. And the steps are fixed with the help of bolts. Balusters are screwed to a wide part of the steps. And already to the balusters, railings are fastened. It is necessary that at the first step the baluster is slightly longer, since it needs to be fixed on the floor. This will increase the strength of the structure. Now you know how to build a staircase and what you need to know to do this.