Staircase covers: types of cladding and carpeting materials

Service Description

Staircase covers: types of cladding and carpeting materials

The stairs made of concrete need, in the case of residential houses, but not only, cladding. There is also the possibility of wanting to change their appearance at a certain time, due to wear or even if you only want a change of decoration. Whether they are in interior or exterior, from the entrance of the house, they can be aesthetically and utilitarian transformed by using some coatings. All floor coverings can be used also on the stairs steps. The ceramic tiles cladding, decks, but also the rubber claddings are equally suited, offering a great resistance to wear and traffic.

The variant: the step can be wood-clad, and the riser is finished with other material.

The staircases, like halls, are the most intensive circulated crossing points in a house, so the criteria for choosing the types of coverage are the resistance to wear and traffic. Also, their maintenance should be easy, so they can be raked (or aspired) and washed with a mop, because this operation will be quite common. The resistance to smearing and watering, but especially the anti-skidding qualities are important in order to avoid slipping on them (especially in the case of external stairs, more exposed to humidity, rains and snow).

The same material can be used both for stairs and risers, the joining and covering of edges requiring additional solutions, for example profiles and skirting boards for steps. The result will be unitary. But only the steps can be tiled, the risers are only finished and painted or blanched. The fixing of these profiles is made after cladding, with screws and dowels or with adhesive, depending on the type of cladding.

They are available in various models, depending on the types of coverings, and can be made of metal or PVC, with relief design, anti-skid marks, inserts, etc. It is good for a specialist to make the installation because this type of covering requires special measurements, depending on the situation, and the support should be checked for resistance and reinforced if it is necessary. An extra cost is involved by the circular stairs, where there are losses of cladding material.

Ceramic tiles, various tiles. Preferred for stairs at the entrance, to ensure a unit with the exterior finishes of the house, but also practical for interiors, the ceramic tiles must be primarily anti-slip. Tiles made of other materials, from marble, granite, travertine, concrete, stone etc. can be used for this purpose, their prices and place vary depending on the situation. The most elegant are the marble stairs, a series of residential houses opting for this material for the stairs at the entrance or a luxurious hall, especially as the marble as a material has a high resistance to water absorption.

The carpet. Easy to use and, of course, only applicable on the interior stairs, is a slightly more expensive option than the hardwood flooring, but those who choose it prefer it for the unity with the style of the house and for the extra heat (which it brings from the thermal point of view, better insulating, but also aesthetically pleasing).

The staircases with carpet or various textiles covers offer an additional sound and thermal insulation.

Hardwood flooring. Also in the interior, the most various types of hardwood flooring can be used to create a unity between the aspect of the stairs and the rest of the house. The laminate wood flooring can be placed on stairs, just like any other type of hardwood flooring, but it is glossy, which increases the risk of slipping, and it can be scratched more easily, therefore it requires an increased protection if the stairs are often required. The hardwood flooring can be installed only with adhesive, but also with dowels.

Plank, wood. There are a number of other variations of wood coverings (plank, wood of different essences), which are installed with dowels and screws. For an aesthetically pleasing look, they can be baited. There are also prefabricated steps made of massive wood, more expensive, but which have the advantage that they come with full edge (nose).

Rubber. They are bought as strips, not plates, which can be cut according to the width of the steps. On the edges of the steps, for the installation of the covering to ensure the continuity of the entire covering, the metal or PVC profiles are used to stabilize them. Similar profiles can also be used to join the steps. The rubber coverings are elastic and on the surface they can present reliefs for a better slip protection.

The agglomerated cork. It is in the form of floorboards, but is also found in rolls, easier to use for this use. It also offers sound protection, with the purpose of tight insulating foot. As the rubber, it offers more heat than other types of coverings. It can also be used as an insulating layer to install slabs over it.

PVC, vinyl. A less practiced coverage in the residential houses and more in public spaces (teaching or sanitary institutions), however, they are resistant to high traffic in the interiors exposed to wear. The linoleum for stairs is anti-slip. It is cheap and easy to install, but it can be found in prints that look like any type of cover (wood, marble, natural stone aspect etc.), thus harmonizing at no big cost with the rest of the interior.

Other textile coverings. Some staircases can be protected with textile coverings such as carpets, which can be installed to cover the entire step, or so as to cover only the portion used for traffic, leaving the sides of the steps visible when the material they are made to be worth seeing. Also, the carpets are fixed with the help of the profiles.