Stone stairs

Today, as you know, the stairs can be quite made not only from the "traditional"  wood. Thus, the stairs can be made of metal, stone, and even glass. In turn, we would like to draw your attention on such material as stone.
 Immediately, we note that the stairs, which are lined with natural stone look very expensive, monumental and elitist. A kind of monumentality is stressed by the fact that their bearing construction in most cases are made of reinforced concrete (sometimes metal). We will select, perhaps, the most popular embodiments of stairs that are reveted with natural stone.

And the first of them is the product, the base of which is completely poured of concrete. Stone risers and treads are mounted to the base with cement (or special glue). Sides of such stairs are plastered and then painted, or (in the case of very expensive products) simply revet with certain molded stone workpieces.

Please note that in the place of connection to the wall plinth, usually installed stair from the same stone. Riser and stairs are polished after the edge of this plinth, and the side and front edges. The joints between the plates are often filled with grout, polyester glue or they are cement-based (they can be of different colors).

The second variant of stairs made ​​of stone, will differ from the first only by that will be applied concrete segments that are performed on special templates, this segments will replace a single construction, which is filled with concrete.

The third construct is fairly common concrete foundation on which solid stone stairs rather than thin stone treads are stacked.

Oh, and finally, a fourth variant - "hanging" concrete beam, undeveloped by the same transverse "hanging" panels, which are reveted with stone. Itself beam is "dressed" in stone, or just painted.

What types of stone can be used for the stairs revet?

First of all - marble and granite. The first and the second material are very durable. Note, however, that for exterior stairs it's best to use granite, which has in its composition quartz, with excellent hardness (6 - by Mohs scale). Marble is also less durable (3 - by Mohs scale). And considering the fact that we always have sand on the soles (which is the same quartz), then it will be relatively easy to scratch such stone. But it is worth noting that this risk is absolutely not terrible to the internal staircase, made ​​of marble.

In the case of external stairs (in addition to other technical features) the type of surface of their stone stairs remains the very important moment, because moving on them in the winter should be as secure as possible.

Polished stone, of course, is excluded on the street (you will slip). Version with grinding is also not a good solution. And this is explained by the fact that typical for polished stone drop on the plane, which is not more than 0.2 mm, just does not give you the desired effect.

But roughening stone with its interesting rough surface will be absolutely suitable (due to mechanical special handling). On the other hand, this stone gets dirty very quickly, this means that it will have to be cleaned regularly. Very often roughen only any separate anti-slip band on the outer edge of stair (or some such bands).

Heat-treated surface would be the best option, when the top layer of granite definitely burned with fire, after what we get slightly rough surface, what will "save" you from possible falls from stairs (but on the other hand, it "attracts" excess dirt to itself).