A terrace is a great place to relax, enjoy meals together, and socialize. It is worth taking care not only that such a space is functional and easily accessible. That’s why solid stairs for the terrace are so necessary. We suggest how and from what to make them.
The sight of a terrace next to a house is common in Poland. Many of them are also found in gardens. The trend of building terraces is getting stronger – because such a space has many advantages. Your own terrace will work wonderfully both in hot and rainy days. For the latter, of course, a covered terrace is useful.
Terraces are built with a variety of materials. Often it is, for example paving blocks, terrace slabs, and less often – wood. There are small and large terraces, decorated ascetically, minimalist, but also terraces brimming with splendor. In most cases, they have one thing in common: the presence of terrace stairs. This is because not all terraces are located so low that you can enter them easily and comfortably from the level of the sidewalk or grass. Stairs to a terrace are no less challenging than the terrace itself. You need to make sure they are functional, sturdy, durable, but also aesthetically pleasing.
How to measure the stairs?
The stairs to the terrace must be comfortable, but care must also be taken to ensure that they are safe. With their help we will enter the terrace, but they can also provide a passage from the terrace to the garden. In this way, you can connect the house and the garden, using the terrace as a passageway. The terrace often requires the construction of stairs. Before we focus on the material to use for this, a few words should be devoted to the design of the stairs. It is slightly different to approach the situation when it comes to making a staircase from a high terrace, and from a low terrace. Before starting work, it is necessary to determine how many steps our stairs will have, as well as the height and width of each step. It is assumed that the height of a single step should be about 10 cm, but if it’s a terrace with high stairs, the stair step should be 15 cm high. The depth of each stair is also important.
It must be large enough so that the foot of an adult can easily fit there. The most common assumption is that the depth should be between 30 and 50 cm – according to specialists, this is the optimal way to make a staircase. The depth of the staircase may also need to be adjusted according to the material used, which we will return to when discussing outdoor stairs made of paving stones. Of course, you need to remember that each step should have the same dimensions, then they will not only be functional, but also aesthetically pleasing. Also do not forget about the slope of the stairs. It must not be too large, so as not to demolish the aesthetics of the whole structure, so it should not be greater than 1%. On top of that, it is important to remember that a tall staircase will need proper ground and foundation preparation so that it does not settle.
Wood stairs vs. concrete alternative
If the terrace is made of wood, it is also worth considering an option such as wooden terrace stairs. However, this will not be as durable as with other materials. However, it should be remembered that the stairs should not have a smooth surface, as this can risk slipping. It is for this reason that wooden steps for a terrace should not be made of smooth-hewn wood. Especially dangerous are boards that are wet, after rain or sprinkled with morning dew. To avoid risks, steps are made of grooved elements.
Concrete blocks imitating the natural beauty of raw wood are a unique proposal for all those who appreciate the look of wood. Garden beam stair blocks will look beautiful as elements connecting different levels in the garden in close proximity to the lawn, harmonizing with its luscious greenery. Efficient installation and exceptional durability of the material will quickly make us the owners of beautiful and durable stairs compared to the actual wooden planks.
Lining steps - application
Frequent damage to ceramic stair tiles is the reason for renovation and replacement of stair cladding. The best solution in such cases is to use cladding steps.
Concrete stair elements with a thickness of 4 cm create a durable and elegant finish for the entrance area of the house or terrace. Separate elements (tread and tread) allow you to achieve a distinctive spline, thanks to the possibility of moving the top plate of the tread in relation to the tread.
This makes it possible to make larger and comfortable stair treads on the same surface. The color scheme of the cladding system’s treads and treads allows for interesting visual compositions. They can be juxtaposed with each other in contrast or matched with matching shades.
These stairs look just as good indoors as they do outdoors – they find their use at doorways and in garden and terrace developments. No matter where they are located, they exude nobility combined with exceptional solidity of workmanship.
Block steps - solidly and quickly
Another practical solution for the construction of terrace stairs are stair treads. These are ready-made elements that allow you to make a durable and, in addition, very aesthetic staircase. A big advantage of block steps is also that from such elements stairs are built very quickly and they are extremely solid. Block steps are built directly on the ground, without the need for a reinforced concrete structure for the stairs.
You can use for their construction uniform angular or arched block steps, which are available in our offer. An interesting solution or combination will also be platform plates, which allow you to build original, unconventional stairs with interesting shapes. Such stairs will become a real decoration not only of the terrace, but also of the entire surroundings of the house.
How to make a staircase from pavers or patio slabs?
It is common to come across a terrace made of paving stones, even more often terrace slabs are used. Nothing prevents you from also making stairs from paving blocks. This is a material that will work well not only for paving driveways or paths, but also as a patio paving, as it is durable, resistant to dirt, and allows for an elegant, aesthetic finish. It will perform its function especially well on steep and sloping terrain.
How to make terrace stairs from cubes? You should start by preparing the ground and making a foundation for the stairs. To do this, you need to select the top layer of soil (humus). Stairs can be laid only on firm, clayey soil. First, we lay a cellular geo-grid, which will protect the soil from sliding. On top of the geo-grid is placed the first layer of substructure with a thickness of about 15 cm. This can be a sand-cement mixture. This layer should be compacted.
In the next stage, the substructure for the stairs is laid. The layer is made of sand-cement backfill, which needs to be compacted in such a way as to get the right slope for the stairs. It is necessary to make another layer of substructure – this again is sand-cement backfill. It too should be compacted.
Before we start laying paving stones, it is necessary to embed edging or palisades in the ground so that the structure gains more stability. These elements are placed in a foundation of semi-dry concrete. Then we start laying the paving blocks. The individual elements are leveled with a rubber mallet. Finally, it is enough to fill the joints between the pavers. Most often sand is used for this, and recently resin gro ut or Granofuga is becoming more and more popular.
In this way we will get a staircase for the terrace that is durable, aesthetically pleasing, which will serve for many years and will also become an ornament of our plot.
The wide variety of available materials means that today stairs for the terrace can be made in different styles. However, it is worth betting first of all on durable materials that will make it possible to use the stairs safely for many years, and the level of their aesthetics will not be significantly reduced.
