Concrete Stairs
Tips & Advice to help you make your decision on Concrete Stairs
Concrete stairs are a standard in many commercial buildings. They are durable and will stand up to the rigorous foot traffic of the many workers that use them on a daily basis.
If you are looking to repair existing concrete stairs in your building, get a quote from a few different contractors in the area. Cracks and pits can pose a safety hazard. Do not wait for an accident to happen before consulting a professional to fix them. The time spent closing down that staircase and rerouting your workers is nothing compared to what you could lose if someone falls because of your negligence.
If you are looking to incorporate concrete stairs into a new building design, the advancements in the overall appearance of them may surprise you. You can always go with a standard industrial look if you want to keep things uniform and simple throughout your building. Colored concretes are available to use as well. To brighten up the mood of a room, color your stairs to coordinate with your walls. Designs are now possible through stamping techniques as well. For example, place the shape of your company's logo on every tread.
Learn more about the design and maintenance of concrete stairs through the resource links found on this Business.com page.
Concrete Stairs
How to buy, build and sell concrete stairsBy Emmet McMahan Manufacturers combine cement with other materials such as gravel, sand and water to create a concrete stair. They place the mixed concrete into a mold called a form that will provide the stair its shape. The cement stairs harden in a chemical process called hydration.
Knowledge of specific terminology is necessary when building concrete steps. The riser is the vertical part of the stairs, which are called "open stairs" when the risers are missing. The tread is the horizontal portion of the stairs and generally must meet the same specifications as the floor. The nosing is any part of the tread that protrudes over the riser beneath it.
Cement stairs are commonly measured in several ways. They are:
- The rise height is the distance from the surface of one riser to the surface of the next.
- The tread depth is the distance from the edge of the tread (including the nosing, if any) and the riser.
- The slope of the cement stairs is the ratio given by the total height of the stairs divided by the total length of the stairs. This is sometimes expressed as the pitch angle, which is given by the inverse tangent of the slope of the stairs.
Build concrete stairs
Many specific factors determine a stair's proportions but as a general rule the riser height should be between 4 and 7.5 inches. The tread depth generally becomes longer as the risers become shorter. The tread depth should be at least 10 inches long with 7.5-inch risers and increase to 19 inches for 4-inch risers.
Try:
Build concrete steps according to the basic design guide at Concrete Network. You can use EZ Stairs, which allows for a precise level of adjustment of the risers and treads.
Buy precast concrete steps
It is possible to order precast concrete stairs in the desired configuration. They are hollow and much less likely to settle than solid concrete steps. Additionally, precast concrete stairs are cast in one piece and therefore have no joints or gaps.
Try:
Find more than 100 different configurations of precast concrete steps at Shea Concrete. You can find a photo gallery of stairs made to order with a stair-forming machine at Durlach Industries.
List your concrete stair building business with a contractor locator service
Advertise your services while comparing your prices with other contractors in your area. Many referral services also offer affiliate programs.
Try:
Best Contractors has a well-known locator service for finding contractors with experience in building concrete stairs and is actively promoted in many markets. It also offers a comprehensive affiliate program for building suppliers that can be a cost-effective means of marketing for small businesses.
- The variance in riser height should be low when building concrete stairs. Many building codes require no more than 1/4 inch difference between the shortest and tallest riser because people become accustomed to the risers being at a certain height.
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