ass..cnstrction 1

8/12/2019 Ass..Cnstrction 1

1/16


2/16

1Calculate the Stairs' Dimensions Stairs consist of a riser, the vertical face, and

the tread, the part you step on. Calculate the elevation, the height of one floor to theother. This number is the total rise to the stairs. Measure the horizontal distance thestaircase will span. Measure the width of each step from left to right in the area wherethe staircase will go. Divide the elevation by 7.25 to see how many steps you'll need.This height is typical for step risers. To get it to come out evenly, you may have to go a

little above or a little below 7.25 inches. Just make sure, when building concrete steps,that if you go much above 7.25 inches that you don't violate your local building codes.

Use an Online Stair Calculator to do the math and create a diagram Let's say you intend to build concrete steps up from a sunken living room. An overall

vertical height of 15 inches would result in two risers at 7.5 inches each. The horizontal

length of the stairs can be varied a little more. Treads should be 11 inches or greater toaccommodate the average foot comfortably.The number of treads you need is alwaysone less than the number of risers you need. In the case of the above theoreticalstaircase, you would need one 11-inch tread.

Ad
http://www.blocklayer.com/stairs/stairseng.aspxhttp://www.blocklayer.com/stairs/stairseng.aspxhttp://www.blocklayer.com/stairs/stairseng.aspxhttp://www.blocklayer.com/stairs/stairseng.aspx


3/16

2.

2Determine the Dimensions of the Staircase's Foundation When building concrete

steps, you will need a foundation: a slab of concrete poured to a depth of several

inches below the grade level (check local building codes). The dimensions are equal to

that of the footprint of the stairs. To calculate your necessary footprint, take the total runfor length of the slab, and total width of the stairs for the width of the slab.
http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Build-Concrete-Steps-Step-2.jpg


4/16

3.

3Build the Form The form can be made with plywood or framing lumber. It can bemade from scrap or low-grade lumber. The first step is to cut the side forms according

to the tread and riser calculations. This should look like the view of a staircase from the

side. They must be securely adhered to the building's foundation. You want the newstairs to bond to the foundation seamlessly. Add wooden stakes as bracing against the

outward movement of the poured concrete every 12 inches along the outside surface ofthe form. Next, install the boards that will form the face of the risers. These should havea width equal to the height of the riser. Depending on the width of the stairs, you might


5/16

have to add bracing to the center of each riser. Make sure that the forms are plumb andlevel before proceeding further.

4.

4Mix the Concrete For a staircase, you can mix the concrete by hand, or you canuse a portable cement mixer. If you decide to mix it by hand you should understand at

the outset that building concrete steps in your home is hard physical labor and likely nota one person job. If you enlist in a friend's help, be prepared to owe him or her a favor -big time! If the staircase is any larger than the short sunken living room staircase


6/16

described earlier. You can use ready-mixed concrete that only requires water, or youcan obtain the ingredients individually. Typically, with concrete you'll calculate 6 gallons

of water per bag of cement.

5.

5Pour the Concrete Though it requires the least direction from me (since you arenot a DIY concrete beginner if you've gotten this far). .. this is the real meat of theproject. Start at the bottom, and pour one step at a time. Once you pour it, it should bespread evenly. Use a spade or a rod to remove trapped air bubbles.


7/16

6.

6Add the Finishing Touches There are any number of finishing methods you can

use to get a smooth surface while building concrete steps. .. A screed board is a

piece of lumber somewhat longer than the width of the staircase that you'll gently work

front to back and side to side to get the excess concrete off the treads. You can use a 2x 4 for a simple screed board. Use a wood float to level the surface. A wood float is a

small piece of flat lumber with a handle on one of the faces. To provide a finer finish,use a steel trowel, which is very much like a wood float, only the finishing surface is verysmooth steel which creates a smoother and less bubbly finish.


8/16

7.

7Wait and Dampen Once you have the surfaces smoothed, keep the concrete wet

or damp for up to one week while it cures. You can do this by covering the stairs with

burlap and keeping the burlap wet, or you can cover it tightly with plastic. Additionally,

spray the stairs with curing compound. This step is essential. Left open to theatmosphere, the relative humidity of the concrete will drop rapidly. If it drops below 80%,

the curing hydration reaction can stop. If this happens, the concrete may only achieve afraction of its potential strength. After a week, the concrete will have attained its finalshape, and you can remove the form lumber. Curing will continue to take place over a


9/16

period of months. If after you've completed building concrete steps you plan on stainingthem (a popular procedure these days), it is important that you allow the concrete to

cure for at least 30 days so that the staining will take properly.

Concrete Stairs

Precast concrete stairs and landings are the ideal solution for fast track high quality concrete staircase construction.

Together with ACPs beam and block o r precast concrete floors f orming complete suspended concrete floor systems

Precast Concrete Stairs - Advantages

Precast stairs are particularly suitable to the construction of high traffic stairwells such as commercial and industrial

developments. The high quality finish gives a durable concrete staircase for long maintenance free life.

Concrete stairs are ideal for the construction of high quality private and residential stairways. The dense precast concrete

gives excellent acoustic properties addressing sound transfer issues associated with steel and wooden staircases.

Precast concrete stairs are the obvious choice for fire escape stairs.
http://www.acp-concrete.co.uk/products/floors-and-stairs/beam-and-block/http://www.acp-concrete.co.uk/precast-concrete-products/floors-and-stairs/wideslab-floors/http://www.acp-concrete.co.uk/downloads/sound%20attenuation.pdfhttp://www.acp-concrete.co.uk/downloads/sound%20attenuation.pdfhttp://www.acp-concrete.co.uk/precast-concrete-products/floors-and-stairs/wideslab-floors/http://www.acp-concrete.co.uk/products/floors-and-stairs/beam-and-block/


10/16

Maintenance free service and excellent durability are the inherent benefits of precast concrete stair construction.

Precast concrete stairs offer significant benefits during the construction phase of a project providing rapid installation and

early safe access to subsequent floors for trades and materials.

Precast Stairs and LandingsDesign

Every precast concrete stair flight is designed in accordance

with BS8110 & to suit the application. ACPs precast concrete

stairs are available in various configurations from a single stair

flight to a complete precast stair well with landings.

Precast concrete landings can be designed as individual units

or can be manufactured as complete precast stair flight and

attached landing.

Precast landings can be attached to the top or bottom of the precast stair flight, or supplied with both top and bottom

landings.

ACPs concrete stair head detail ensures rapid, safe connection between the stair and landing. (see diagrams)

Stair foot details are designed to suit precast stairs seated onto insitu or precast floor slabs, or connection onto intermediate

precast landings.

ACP Concrete offers a full design service for precast stairs and concrete landings.

Each precast concrete stair project comes with a full design and drawing package suitable for building control approval.

Manufacture

All ACP precast concrete stairs are manufactured in accordance with BS8110. High quality concrete stair construction

requires specialist equipment and techniques.

ACPs casting systems enable the majority of precast stairs to be produced from multi adjustable steel mould s giving high

quality surface finish to all stair faces.

The special casting system ensures the concrete steps are produced from the steel mould face giving a uniform, smooth

surface finish.

Adjustable casting moulds enable concrete stairs to be precast with rising and going profiles to suit each application.

Rapid steel mould adjustment without costly timber shuttering minimizes down time, maximizing production and cutting costs

to deliver high quality concrete stairs at excellent prices.
http://www.acp-concrete.co.uk/downloads/Stairs%20Landings.pdfhttp://www.acp-concrete.co.uk/downloads/Stairs%20Landings.pdf


11/16

Des ign and Bui ld

ACP Concrete offer a full design and build package for precast stairs including site installation service designed to delivery

high quality concrete stairs and landings to suit every application.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/ho

w-to-plans/woodworking/4224738


12/16

timber staircase construction

Building a staircase, even a short one, isn't simple. It requires precise measurements and some careful calculations.

From a technical standpoint, there's nothing particularly difficult about building stairs for a deck, porch or

shed. Anyone with basic carpentry skills can make the necessary cuts and assemble the parts. And yet, stair buildingis arguably the most challenging task do-it-yourselfers will ever attempt.

Stairs must satisfy strict building codes meant to ensure safety and climbing comfort. We're so used to uniform,professionally built staircases that the slightest discrepancy between steps creates a tripping hazard. Tall steps makeclimbing hard. Shallow steps are uncomfortable and dangerous. Since there's so little room for error, building stairsrequires careful layout and some potentially tricky calculations. Start by consulting your building codes office for localguidelines. Then, follow the procedure laid out on these pages--taking plenty of time to plan correctly. We used stepsleading to a backyard deck as an example.

Basic Stair AnatomyThere are three main components in a typical staircase: stringers, treads and risers. Stringers, typically cut from 2 x12s, are the sloped boards that support the other components and carry the weight of people walking on the stairs.They're typically spaced 16 in. on center. When determining the staircase width, remember that wider is better. "Widestaircases are more comfortable and safer to walk on," says remodeling contractor Paul Mantoni, of Exteriors Plus inTerryville, Conn. "I seldom build one less than 4 ft. wide, and prefer them a bit wider."


13/16

Treads form the top surface of each step, and risers are installed directly under the front lip of each tread. Somestairs don't have risers, but that's a mistake, according to many builders. "Risers protect the exposed endgrain of the

notched stringers from the weather," explains award-winning deck builder Scott Padgett, of Idyllwild, Calif. "Withoutrisers, stringers will crack or split much sooner."


14/16

Step 1: Calcu lat ing Rise and Run The first step in building stairs for a deck is finding the total rise or overall vertical height the stairs have to cover. Laya straight board on top of the deck, extend it from the edge, then measure down to the landing location. Let's say thetotal rise is 57 in. The next job is to find the rise of each step. Divide 57 by 7 in. (the typical rise per step) to get 8.14.Round down to get the steps: eight. To then determine the actual rise, divide the 57 in. by the eight steps to get 7 1/8in. per step.

You can use that information to find the total run of the staircase--or how much horizontal distance it will cover as itclimbs. Multiply the number of steps by the run, or horizontal depth, of each step. The optimum run of each step is noless than 10 in., which is enough space to accept two 2 x 6 treads. In our example, the staircase has eight steps, sothe total run is 80 in.

There is one wrinkle in the math, however: If you are working with a tall deck, it's a good idea to break up thestaircase with intermediate landings. "As a practical matter you're limited to about 14 steps because that's the most

you can cut [in a stringer made] from a 16-ft.-long 2 x 12," says Andy Engel, author of Building Stairs (Taunton), "but Iprefer adding a landing after every seven or eight risers."


15/16

Step 2: Cut t ing S t r ingers Before laying out the steps on a 2 x 12, decide how the stringers will join the deck. They're either attached directly tothe rim joist so the top step is flush with the deck top, or to the framing under the deck, which is the way we did it (seedrawing on previous page). When mounted under the deck, the stringers are either attached to the joists or toblocking placed between joists, and the stringer ends are cut long to reach the framing.

Mark the tread notches using a framing square fitted with stair gauges. These small brass fixtures clamp onto thesquare, providing an accurate way to mark several identical notches. Clamp one stair gauge on the square's tonguedirectly at the rise dimension. Attach the other gauge to the body of the square at the run dimension. Then, lay thesquare on the 2 x 12 with the gauges pressed against the board's edge and mark the tread and riser. Slide thesquare down, align it with the previously drawn notch, and add the next one.

Cut the notches using a circular saw, being careful not to go beyond the lines. Finish the cuts with a jigsaw or ahandsaw.

Next, trim the bottom of the stringer an amount equal to the tread thickness. For example, if you're installing 2 x 6treads, cut 1 1/2 in. from the bottom of the stringer. Use the first stringer as a template to mark the remainingstringers.

We screwed each stringer to the deck-frame blocking, which was spaced 16 in. on center. With the stringers in place,


16/16

check that each step is level, and use a block plane to shave down high spots.

Step 3: Instal l ing Treads and Risers Cut the risers to length and fasten them to the stringers with 2 1/2-in. trim-head decking screws. Note that we cut therisers and treads to overhang the outer stringer by 1 1/4 in. Later, a 1 x 12 cedar trim board will be nailed to thestringer, giving the staircase a more finished look. This detail isn't always necessary.

After installing the risers, fasten the treads with screws. Leave a 1/8- to 1/4-in. space between the treads. Continueinstalling treads, working your way up the staircase. The 4 x 4 posts used to support the stair rail are typically boltedto the stringers before installing the treads. However, we completed the stairs first, and then attached the posts andbuilt the handrail that codes usually require.

ass..cnstrction 1

Documents