The use of natural stone in home decoration has recently become increasingly popular. A marble staircase in a house speaks of the owner’s success, wealth and serious attitude towards life. The use of stone in the interior is not at all a new technique in decoration - natural marble was used for decoration by the ancient Greeks and Romans.

At all times, people who have achieved success have preferred natural stone for its uniqueness and, oddly enough, practicality. Let's figure out why you should choose marble stairs for your home, where else the stone is used and what interior styles it can be used with. natural material.

Finishing natural stone stairs or floors, is a way of creating unique interior. Nature does not create the same things. Even stones from the same quarry differ in pattern and shade. Marble steps for stairs are a decorative element that no one can repeat.

A staircase with marble steps in a private house will delight more than one generation of residents with its beauty and grace.

Note! Natural marble is slightly softer than granite, which is why it is mainly used in interior decoration.

Advantages of stone finishing

What other properties does natural material have that make its use in staircases, steps and floors so attractive:

• Absolutely environmentally friendly and safe.
• High degree of practicality: marble is resistant to moisture, temperature changes, and mechanical stress. The service life of stone finishing is several decades.
• Marble is easy to care for. It is enough to wash the stone with plain water and sometimes rub it with polish to add shine.
• Excellent compatibility natural stone with other finishing materials such as iron casting, forging or wood carving. This organic nature makes it possible to implement bold and interesting interior solutions.
• Natural aesthetics. Material created by nature itself is difficult to spoil. Color palette natural marble allows you to create mosaic floors or flights of stairs with a combination of different shades: from bluish-snowy to blue-black.

All these qualities make making a marble staircase in your home an excellent financial investment and a unique interior solution. But still, the main advantage of natural stone is its extreme strength.

The video in this article will tell you how to choose the right quality stone for steps and what to pay attention to.

Certain disadvantages

No material is perfect - marble is no exception. If the decision is made to implement interior decoration made of marble, you should forget about saving. The price of natural stone is always high.

• This is due to the complexity and labor-intensive nature of stone extraction, and often the cost of transporting the material.
• Wanting to buy marble a certain color and texture, you may encounter the fact that the quarries for its extraction are located far from your region, and delivery will cost almost more than the stone itself.

• Processing natural stone is also a very labor-intensive process. Therefore, perhaps, you should refuse to build a stone staircase yourself, and entrust this matter to professionals.
• One more possible disadvantage when constructing a stone staircase, its excessive monumentality may appear. The stone is not visually light. Wide marble stairs can look very heavy, massive and visually take up too much space.

Note! To add some airiness to the structure, use wrought iron railings for marble staircases in houses.

Marble steps

Even though marble is a very expensive material, you can still cut costs when using it. It is not at all necessary to make marble steps for the stairs for your home.

You can use various options marble finishing:

• thin overlays on the steps made of solid natural marble;
• facing marble tiles;
• tiles from decorative concrete using pressed marble chips;
• artificial marble.

Note! Regardless of which finishing method is chosen, you should purchase and use packages of material from only one batch. Always purchase tiles with beating in mind. If you still don’t meet the volume, buy additional material from the same manufacturer, from the same batch.

Marble overlays

Marble steps for stairs have excellent performance characteristics, but are very expensive in cost. A more budget-friendly option that retains all the strength of natural stone is the construction method flight of stairs tiles with marble overlays.

This type of finishing will require less money and will reduce the cost of purchasing material. At the same time, these will be natural stone steps.

If the tile laying work is carried out professionally, the adhesive composition will not show through the overlay and at the same time will very reliably and firmly fix the tile to the base of the tread or riser.

Marble chips

You can buy such tiles for cladding steps, or you can make them yourself by mixing the crumbs in concrete mortar. Marble chips are ideal for creating a mosaic floor in a room adjacent to such a staircase.

To do this, prepare a solution:

• Mix stone flour, cement, and marble chips of large, small and medium fractions in equal parts.
• After mixing the 5 parts, you can add pigment if necessary.
• The dry components of the solution are thoroughly mixed, then water is gradually added.
• The finished composition should have the consistency of a hard, sedentary mass.

The finished mass is distributed over the floor in accordance with the marked pattern and leveled. This floor should dry under the film for a week. After drying, the surface is sanded.

To construct a staircase with marble chips, you will need something like formwork that limits the size of the treads. This method of forming flights of stairs will take quite a lot of time, but at the same time, steps with marble chips will fit perfectly into interior styles such as hi-tech or loft.

Concrete-based artificial marble

This material is gaining more and more popularity, because it is visually difficult to distinguish high-quality artificial material from natural stone. At the same time, concrete marble is much cheaper than natural stone.

Ready-made concrete-based marble steps can be purchased at a hardware store. You can further reduce costs by making artificial stone treads of the required size and shape with your own hands.

At the same time, the time required for laying treads and forming a flight of stairs is also significantly reduced. Marble concrete can be of any color and fit any interior style.

Note! By molding artificial stone based on concrete, you can make balusters for a marble staircase.

Marble in interior styles

Marble interfloor stairs, the production of which is very expensive, will not fit into any space. Both the floor and steps made of natural stone require compliance with certain spatial conditions when implementing a design solution.

But otherwise, natural stone is very democratic and can be implemented in any style. Let's look at photos of the most successful examples of interiors in which marble steps for stairs have become a real decoration.

An undying classic

A style that embodies pragmatism and consistency. Laying marble steps in classic interior will emphasize the naturalness and simplicity of forms. This style is characterized by a minimum of decorative forms.

Victorian style

Such an interior requires a staircase with carved balusters. Moreover, when registering stair railings It is better to use spherical shapes.

Artificial marble is a modern finishing material that is suitable for interior and exterior work. It differs from others in its aesthetic appearance and affordable cost. In addition, thanks to the simplicity of manufacturing technology and the low cost of materials, you can make it yourself at home.

Artificial marble - what is it?

Artificial marble is a modern finishing material that is suitable for interior and exterior work.

Artificial marble is a building material that imitates natural stone. It can be produced in three ways:

• made of concrete;
• gypsum;
• polyester resins.

Fillers, hardeners and dyes are added to them, which, when mixed correctly, create streaks, spots and veins that repeat the pattern of natural marble and give it unique properties:

• strength;
• heat resistance - such marble does not burn and does not conduct electricity;
• environmental friendliness - it is non-toxic even when heated;
• resistance to chemicals, acids, alkalis, solvents, acetone and gasoline;
• moisture resistance - the material does not rot or delaminate;
• impact resistance;
• heat resistance.

To the benefits artificial marble include:

• waste-free production;
• ease of care;
• low cost compared to natural stone;
• wide range of colors and shapes.

All of them significantly expand the scope of its application. Today, artificial marble products decorate not only residential buildings, apartments and offices, but also schools, medical institutions, including canteens and maternity hospitals. It is used to make window sills, countertops, bar counters, bathtubs, stairs, vases, sculptures, fountains and sinks. It is used to finish ovens, ovens, heating radiators and electrical appliances. Some varieties of marble are used in industry.

Cast marble sink

Species

There are 4 types of artificial marble:

• casting is the most popular. It is a mixture of polyester resins and marble chips or quartz sand, which are poured into special molds to harden. Thanks to this composition, it can perfectly imitate not only natural marble, but also jasper, onyx, malachite or granite.
• liquid - a material made from marble chips and acrylic polymers. It has been used in construction not long ago, but has many advantages, including low specific weight, flexibility and environmental friendliness. It can be easily cut with a knife or scissors, replaces wallpaper and allows you to create a perfectly flat, seamless surface. Thanks to this, liquid marble is used in the process of finishing rooms of irregular shape.
• Oselkovy - is a gypsum mass painted and polished to a mirror finish with hardeners. Spectacular appearance allows it to imitate not only marble, but also malachite or lapis lazuli. It differs from other types in its special properties: lightness and high strength, thanks to which it is successfully used in construction. various designs. Often used in residential buildings and apartments to improve the microclimate, as it has unique properties absorption or release of excess moisture.
• microcalcite, or ground - it is produced by grinding white marble. The resulting powdery substance is gray or white used in the production of plastic products, linoleum, paper, cleaning products, and paint and varnish products.

Preparatory work

Molds for making artificial marble can be either purchased or made yourself.

The easiest way to make artificial marble is from cement and sand. If the technology is followed, in this case the products retain all their properties. The main thing is not to make slabs that are too thin or thick. The former turn out to be fragile, while the latter are heavy.

To make artificial marble you will need:

• fine sand;
• cement grade 500;
• plasticizer S-3 (it improves technical specifications concrete);
• pigment - an inorganic dye that does not dissolve in water, for example, oil paint;
• filler - quartz sand, marble chips, dolomite, limestone or pebbles;
• polyethylene film;
• water.

To work, you need to prepare in advance:

• container for preparing the solution;
• construction mixer with an attachment or a hammer drill with a mixing attachment;
• polymer form - you can purchase it or make it yourself from polyurethane, gypsum or plastic. You can replace them wooden frame, at the bottom of which glass is placed;

When choosing a mold, it is important to ensure that its surface is even and smooth, and that it itself is detachable. In this case, you can easily get the finished product.

• vibrating table - it is indispensable in the production of artificial marble in large quantities. Regardless of the type of vibration - horizontal or vertical, it helps remove air bubbles from the solution and compact it. In the absence of such a design, you can simply shake the form vigorously constantly;
• brushes for greasing the mold;
• gelcoat sprayer;
• grinding machine with diamond disc cups for processing the finished slab.

Manufacturing technology

The process of preparing a solution for artificial marble is simple. However, it requires accuracy in proportions, adherence to certain rules and the presence of minimal skills. It’s better to start with manufacturing simple designs, gradually making the task more difficult.

Preparation of the solution

To prepare the solution you need:

• Pour cement into a clean, dry container and river sand in a ratio of 1:2. After thoroughly mixing these materials, marble chips or pebbles are dropped into the resulting mixture. Its quantity is determined individually and affects the size of the fractions finished product.
• Following the filler, dye is added to the mixture. Its amount should not be more than 1% per total weight mixtures.

At this stage, it is important to carefully mix the composition in order to maintain uneven coloring. This will allow you to replicate the pattern of natural stone as much as possible.

• Afterwards, you need to shake the resulting mixture well several times or place it on a vibration table to remove air.
• Then you can pour in water. It should be 0.2 parts, but this must be done in 2 steps. The first time, 80% of the total volume is added, and after mixing in the plasticizer (1% by weight of cement) and thoroughly mixing the mixture, the remaining 20%. After another stirring and vigorous shaking, the solution is ready.

Preparing and filling out the form

The resulting mass can only be poured into dry and clean molds placed in a strictly horizontal position. They are pre-treated with anti-adhesion material and gelcoat and left to harden. Ideally even slabs are obtained if the solution is poured in small portions, making sure that it evenly fills the container. Periodically, the molds should be shaken vigorously or placed on a vibration table to remove air.

You can increase the strength of finished marble slabs using reinforcement. To do this, it is enough to place a strong, painted wire into the mass.

Filled mold with solution

After removing excess solution and leveling it, cover the mold plastic film and leave in a place protected from precipitation to harden for at least a day. In some cases, this process may take several days. There is no point in additionally moistening the surface of the concrete or interfering with it in any way.

Thick slabs of artificial marble may break down later due to the presence of internal voids. This can be prevented by a vibrating table or a special solution preparation technique. According to it, the mixer should not be removed from the mass while mixing it. This way you can avoid the appearance of air bubbles.

Finished slab processing

After hardening, the product is turned over and removed from the mold, removing it like a cover. Then it is advisable to let it lie for a while outdoors and start sanding. This can be done using a grinding machine.

Due to the high strength of the finished products, they can subsequently be cut only with diamond wheels.

Video: DIY artificial marble

Making artificial marble products with your own hands at home is not a problem. This is once again proven by the author of this video, demonstrating all the stages of the main work:

Technology for making marble from gypsum

The technology for manufacturing artificial marble from gypsum is simple and accessible

This technology is popular and consists of several stages:

• Preparation of working solution. To do this, put dry plaster into a container and add water, wood glue and resin, previously melted in a hot bath. After thorough mixing, pigments or acrylic dyes are poured into the mass and stirred again until veins form.

White artificial marble can be obtained by adding to the solution a mixture of 200 g of white humilax, 50 g of dry gypsum and 1 liter of industrial alcohol. Brown is formed by mixing orange humilax, and black is formed by aniline dye.

• Placing the finished mass into the mold. Excess water is easily removed with dry plaster, which is sprinkled on top. The hardening process of the finished product can take 8-10 hours, after which it can be removed.
• To form a waterproof layer on top of gypsum marble, its front surface is treated with potassium silicate and polished with soft felt.

How to make marble from polyester resins

Artificial marble made from polyester resins is incredibly durable

In this way you can get cast marble with a unique texture, which, moreover, will be incredibly resistant to mechanical and chemical damage. To do this, it is necessary to prepare polymer concrete from polyester resin and filler, mixing them in a ratio of 25:75. The latter would be quartz sand or another mineral crushed into crumbs.

Replace polyester resin can be a mixture of butacryl and AST-T (technical acrylate), taken in equal quantities. The same amount of quartz sand or crushed stone and acrylic-based pigments are added to them.

The resulting composition is laid out in a mold, where it is left until completely hardened. You can increase its strength using chipboard boards. Its dimensions should be 5 cm smaller than the dimensions of the mold. By pressing into the mass, it subsequently improves the technical characteristics of the finished product. After hardening and hardening, the latter is removed from the mold and sanded.

Despite the high strength and excellent technical characteristics of artificial marble, it still requires some care.

You can provide care by following simple rules:

• Do not use cleaning agents that contain drying oil;
• It is undesirable to use detergents with silicone;
• It is better to use a soft cloth to remove dirt;
• It is undesirable to use brushes, sponges and other devices that can scratch the finishing layer;
• It is better to replace abrasive cleaning products for the care of countertops with gel ones;
• Regular cleaning of artificial marble products is best done with detergent or soap;
• You can maintain the glossy shine of surfaces by wiping them with special solutions (1 cap for 3 liters of water liquid soap from natural ingredients) and rubbing with a dry towel.

Self-made artificial marble can be an alternative to ceramic tiles. It can be used to decorate kitchens and decorate fireplaces. It can be used as flooring showing to guests good taste and extraordinary abilities.

A marble staircase is an expressive decorative element, a sign of the refined taste and well-being of the owner of the house. The color richness of marble and its plasticity allow you to create unique designs. Marble stairs have proven their durability and ability to be easily restored.

Features of marble stairs

Marble is a durable material that is used for finishing stairs. Let's consider a number of its advantages:

1. Marble is a durable material. Its service life is over 100 years.
2. Easy to care for. Marble does not require special care and is resistant to thermal shocks and mechanical damage. It is also easy to polish and restores the original color.
3. The versatility of marble is ensured by its range of colors and ease of production of pieces of various shapes.
4. Aesthetics and beauty of products from the breed. Thanks to the variety of shapes and colors, marble stairs fit into the interior of any home.
5. Easy to polish.

The disadvantages of marble finishing of stairs include:

• high cost of material,
• slipperiness

The first of which is justified by the durability of the stone. And, secondly, through special tricks, which we will consider in the tips section.

Types of marble

The marble rock consists of carbonate, calcite and other impurities. The latter of which determine the color and pattern of the marble after processing.

Assortment of marble according to physical properties can be divided into three categories. Namely:

• white,
• gray,
• colored materials.

White marble group exposed to external environment, often turns yellow and becomes spotted. This material is used for interior work around the house.

Gray marble is used for both external and internal cladding.

Colored marble is the most resistant to temperature and mechanical influences. Colors allow you to create unique ensembles marble stairs in the interior. The most valuable type is considered to be blue marble.

When decorating stairs, it is better to use fine-grained types of marble, which are distinguished by their elasticity and strength. Coarse-grained marble is used for wet areas, swimming pools and bathrooms.

When choosing a stone, you need to check its quality certificate. Which indicates the hardness of marble on the Mohs scale from 2.5 to 3, its density and chemical composition.

Spain, Italy and Türkiye are the main producers of marble. They are famous high quality products for home interiors.

Calculation of the dimensions of an interfloor staircase

When installing a staircase, we will initially draw up a plan for it. To do this, we determine its size, shape, angle of elevation, height and number of steps.

Let's consider the parameters for safe operation stairs:

1. The steepness of the stairs is considered safe from 25 to 35 degrees of inclination.
2. The safe depth of the step is from 25 to 30 cm. In this case, the heel of the foot will rest on the stair step.
3. The height of the step is considered optimal in the range of 15-18 cm.
4. Determining the width of the stairs depends on the availability of space under it and future loads on it. Typically, internal flights are made a meter wide or more. Stairs country houses they are already doing up to 0.8 m.
5. It is safe to make the clearance of the passage between the stairs and the ceiling at a height of 1.9 m.

In order to correctly install the staircase, we will draw up a plan. To do this, we determine the height of the future marble staircase, its angle of inclination, the number of steps and the type of construction:

1. We determine the height of the stairs by summing two parameters. The first of them is the height from the floor of one floor to the floor of the second, taking into account finishing coating. The amount of overlap between floors is added to this value. For example, the height of the planned staircase is 4 m.
2. We calculate the number of marble steps for the stairs. To do this, divide the height of the stairs by the height of the rise. Subtract one step from the result obtained. Since half of the second floor will be this step. For example, the rise height is 16 cm. Then the number of steps of the marble staircase = 400/16-1 = 24 pcs.
3. Determine the size of the tread. We multiply the number of steps by the step depth. For example, the size of the tread = 24*30=720 cm.
4. We calculate the angle of inclination. Calculate using the formula 2a + b, where a is the height of the proposed riser, and b is the depth of the step. Divide the resulting amount by the number of steps. By playing with indicators a and b, we achieve the optimal angle of the stairs, according to safety indicators. In our case: tilt angle = (16*2+ 30)/24 = 25.8°.
5. We make a drawing of the staircase based on the space allocated for it and the calculated indicators. We draw the balusters and supporting pillars of the stairs conditionally in the diagram.

First stage: preparatory work

Marble stairs are monolithic structures lined with marble slabs. Therefore, the production of marble stairs begins with the installation of a base underneath. Let's consider the option of creating a concrete structure for a marble staircase.

Let's assemble the formwork for concrete structure. That is, temporary flooring to give concrete a certain shape.

For formwork we will need the following material:

• waterproof plywood 18-20 mm wide,
• board 25-30 mm wide,
• construction timber 10 by 10 cm for connecting the formwork,
• wood screws with a diameter of 3.5 mm,
• steel angles for formwork assembly,
• fittings with a diameter of 12 mm.

To assemble the formwork for a marble staircase, you will need the proper tools:

• screwdrivers and screwdriver,
• plumb and level,
• hacksaw and jigsaw,
• hammer,
• welding machine.

Let's consider the order of formwork construction:

1. Using a jigsaw, we cut the formwork materials into the required sizes. The necessary elements of a marble staircase are presented in the photo below:

• beams for attaching the formwork to each other and to the walls (1),
• segments wooden beam for fastening the boards that form the steps (2),
• formwork 3 cm thick to form steps (3),
• end formwork made of plywood 2.5-3 cm (4) according to the size and shape of the steps.

2. To assemble the formwork, we use wood screws. Screw them in with a screwdriver.

3. We fasten the formwork with inside with the help steel corners 2-2.5 mm thick. After assembling the formwork, we reinforce it to give it greater strength.

4. We attach reinforcement with a diameter of 12 mm along the load-bearing edges. For strength, we connect it into a mesh using a welding machine.

5. We fix the reinforcement into the wall along the entire length of the stairs. To do this, drill holes in it and hammer in the pins from the mesh with a hammer. This will provide additional strength to the marble staircase.

After this, we begin concreting the structure. To do this you will need the following tools and materials:

• cement 10 parts,
• crushed stone size 10-20 mm 30 parts,
• sand mass 20 parts,
• water 7 parts,
• trowel for leveling the concrete surface,
• shovel for mixing concrete ingredients,
• polyethylene film for covering the concrete after concreting is completed,
• container for mixture and bucket,
• protective clothing, shoes and gloves.

To mix concrete, it is good to use a special concrete mixer. The cost of renting it is not high. Renting such a mechanism will save time and allow you to maintain the concrete mixture in a viscous state.

You can also do the process of preparing a concrete mixture yourself. Let's look at the second method step by step:

1. Pour 9 parts of water into the container.
2. Pour 12 parts of cement into the water.
3. Mix with a shovel until a uniform solution is obtained.
4. Add 20 parts of sand evenly to the mixture. Mix the consistency well.
5. Pour 30 pieces of crushed stone into each layer and mix until a homogeneous concrete composition is obtained. The proportions of the material should be changed until a uniform viscous mixture is obtained.
6. We pour concrete into the formwork, starting from the top.
7. We tamp and level the concrete using a special trowel.
8. Cover the concrete with polyethylene and leave to dry. The average drying time for concrete is 3-4 weeks. After which you can begin finishing the stairs with marble.

Marble cladding of stairs

We begin facing the stairs with marble from the bottom of the stairs. With this method, installation errors are not so noticeable.

To cover the stairs with marble we will need:

• marble in the shape of steps and risers,
• grinding machine for preparing the concrete surface for cladding,
• broom, rags for cleaning concrete,
• primer for marble and plaster,
• 2-component adhesive for stone and sand concrete,
• rubber mallet for pressing marble.

Let's look at the process of cladding the stairs with marble step by step:

1. We remove the stair formwork using a screwdriver and a hammer.
2. Using a grinding machine we level the surface of the concrete.
3. We clean the steps from dirt and dust.
4. We prime the steps of the future marble staircase.
5. We place the finishing floor level under the first step so that in the future the floor can be adjusted to fit under the stairs.
6. We lay the marble tightly together, starting from the bottom up. We alternately place a riser and a marble step for the stairs. If the material has a pattern, we save it during assembly.
7. Glue the fitted pieces of marble together two-component glue for stone.
8. Next, we fix the marble with plaster, and fill the free space with a solution of sand concrete and glue in a ratio of 4 to 1.

A correctly laid riser will be higher concrete base by 10 millimeters. Correctly laid steps of a marble staircase hang equally over the stepper. And they have minimum slope towards the riser so that water drains from them, which is especially important for external stairs.

1. We adjust the steps using a rubber mallet.
2. We rub the joints of the marble slabs with plaster of a suitable color.

The marble cladding of the stairs has been completed.

Decorating a marble staircase

The marble staircase is beautifully complemented by balusters and marble railings. More economical option is the choice of metal analogues.

A variety of architectural elements allow you to combine beauty and practicality. Their durability is the same as that of marble stairs.

Posts and cabinets, railings and balusters are made to order in all regions of our country.

You can complete the ensemble of a marble staircase with lighting. The light will add warmth and comfort to the room, and will play well on the flat surface marble. Alternatively, light bulbs can be mounted in railings. Or build lamps into the wall, following the curves of the marble staircase.

Tips for installing and operating marble stairs:

1. When facing the stairs with marble, it is advisable to pre-treat the concrete with concrete contact.

2. Optimal thickness adhesive layer between marble and concrete 10 mm. If there are any unevenness on the concrete base, the adhesive layer can be increased to 40 mm.

3. The problem of increased slipperiness of marble can be solved in several ways:

• lay a carpet on the marble steps for the stairs;
• paste aluminum profile in the steps of a marble staircase;
• purchase marble with a relief shape. The convex shape of the steps ensures safety due to friction;
• fastening dot overlays and silicone stickers. But such elements are dangerous if your heel clings to them.

4. You can avoid yellowing of marble by using stainless steel elements for fastening it.
5. When caring for a marble staircase, it is necessary to wipe the surface of its steps with a soft velvet cloth. From detergents Both special pastes for stone and neutral ones are suitable. Do not use acidic products when caring for marble. Before using a cleaning product, read the instructions for it.

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It's no secret that a marble staircase should not only be durable, but also comfortable. Whether or not the staircase will be comfortable largely depends on how well the staircase is made. It is generally accepted that the manufacture of stairs and its finishing with marble should only be done by professionals.

This statement is partly true. Without certain skills, availability necessary materials and tools, making a staircase and finishing it with marble with your own hands will not be easy, and the finished result will be far from ideal. Although, even if you do not have professional skills, but know the basics of using tools, tiling the stairs with marble yourself will not be difficult.

The main element of any staircase is its horizontal part, the step. Steps are characterized by such indicators as length, height and width. The average width of comfortable steps corresponds to 250-300 millimeters. The length of the steps determines the width of the stairs; the average width is from 800 to 1200 mm. The height of the steps can be from 35 to 50 mm.

Another essential element of the steps is the riser, that vertical part of the staircase that serves as support for the steps. In order for the staircase to be comfortable, it is important to choose risers, the height of which should be in the range from 150 to 200 mm.

Materials and tools for finishing stairs with marble

• marble slabs;
• primer;
• glue on cement based or cement mortar;
• spatula;
• brush;
• grinding machine;
• cutter or nippers, glass cutter;
• ruler;
• abrasive wheel;
• rail.

Do-it-yourself marble staircase cladding technology

Before proceeding, produced preparatory work, during which the surface of the staircase base is leveled. When preparing the surface, all cracks are eliminated, bulges are smoothed out, if necessary, protrusions are knocked down, defects are covered with cement mortar. Next, the surface is cleaned and a primer is applied to it. Today you can purchase ready-made primer compositions, but also regular glue PVA copes with the task no worse. The primer is applied to the surface of the base using a brush; the layer thickness should be medium.

In order for all the marble steps to fit perfectly together, before attaching them with glue or cement mortar, they need to be laid out on the surface of the base, and, if necessary, using a glass cutter and wire cutters, adjusted to the required size. Sanding machine will allow you to process the edges of the steps. After this, you can begin laying the marble steps. The process of cladding the stairs with marble is carried out from the bottom up; this method of work will make it easy to eliminate any defects that may arise.

First, a horizontal step is laid. In this case, the layer of applied glue should not exceed 10mm. After this, a marble riser is installed. It is important to fill all the resulting voids under the overhang. If the gaps are large enough, they are filled with mortar and only after it has dried can the riser be installed. And finally, the final stage is grouting the joints.

When compared with any other finishing and building material, marble as a cladding solution has many different advantages. Among them we can note such important points as: strength, durability, the presence of a unique pattern, an impressive range of color options.

Marble stairs are becoming more common today. Also, this material is actively used for cladding fireplaces, outdoor and interior walls. Its use results in a very worthy ensemble that will present your home in an exceptionally favorable light. Any specialist will confirm this.

Decorating a staircase with marble with your own hands is possible

Since today marble is available in the most different colors, you can safely use it to decorate any elements in the house.

For example, today it is actively used:

• To decorate walls, decorate countertops. Of course, marble cladding of stairs is also done - the material is excellent for this;
• In general, finishing the stairs in a house with marble is a very important touch, a unique business card any rich housing. This is the best evidence that the owners have excellent taste;
• When people use marble finishing in their home, they take into account not only the aesthetic appeal of the material. Its strength plays an important role here. In addition, marble can be used for a very long time - this is also very convenient;
• Cladding stairs with marble is very good decision. In this way, you can create an impressive interior element that will be in perfect harmony with all other details, including those created from other building materials. That is why marble stairs fit well into the style of a wide variety of rooms;
• Needless to say, marble stairs will fill your home with natural energy and its forces. And such a noble material as stone will once again emphasize the impeccable style of the owners and their desire for individuality.

To lay marble slabs on the stairs, there are different ways.

The most popular are these:

1. Staircases are decorated with plates of various sizes;
2. Seamless tiles are used for finishing;
3. The master puts mosaic panels or something else.

Marble tiles have the following characteristics:

• If you pay attention to the description technical indicators marble tiles, you will find that the material can be used for both interior finishing works(for example, for cladding stairs), and outside the house - that is, in external conditions;
• Marble tiles, which were chosen carefully and correctly, are resistant to less than favorable natural influences. This refers to both the climatic factor and various mechanical influences (including strong ones).

Please note: marble stairs are considered very functional. They are usually performed in different color solutions– there are a lot of patterns and textures in this material. That is, marble tiles can be used in any interior of a wide variety of styles.

This is often practiced nowadays.

Stairs made of stone and concrete, finished with marble tiles

Finishing can be done as natural materials(you can use stone - granite, marble), and ceramic tiles. In certain situations, the surface of the stairs is simply decorated with different mosaic coverings. Moreover, mosaics can be used both to cover the steps themselves and to decorate staircases.

Today, special decorative composition, which includes white cement, as well as a special filler (usually marble chips).

What you should know about it:

• Pigments are added to the solution - different substances, thanks to which its color changes to the desired one. So you don’t have to worry about the seams standing out against the background of the masonry;
• This design move is becoming very popular in recent years. Its secret is that the gaps between the tiles are filled with a solution (or grout is used for this), the color of which differs from the shade of the tiles;
• The original design of the staircase is guaranteed if you decide to use copper, brass inclusions (and in certain cases even glass). In this situation, patterns and designs will be visible on the structure. To do this, the material to create inclusions is cut thin stripes(if you have to work with metal). If it is non-metal, the material simply crumbles into elements required sizes(for example, this is how they work with glass);
• The length of one strip should be the same as the length of the step (or its height). This dimension also largely depends on what kind of drawing (or picture) you want to depict on your stairs;
• It is important that the width of the strips is not greater than the thickness of your mortar.

The plate is fastened at the edge - onto a pre-applied gypsum or cement mortar. This is how it is customary to work with such material.

It is also worth noting the following steps - they are mandatory, if you want to get a marble staircase:

1. The space between the plates is filled with the prepared solution;
2. The screed is completely screeded over the entire surface of the step;
3. It is customary to leave the solution for several days - so that it dries thoroughly, this is very important;
4. It is customary to grind the surface with abrasive wheels so that the staircase is leveled over the entire surface;
5. Copper, brass or glass plates that are built into cement screed, against the background of the same color of the solution stand out sharply - due to this, the drawing can be seen without any difficulties.

Mosaic covering can be of several types:

1. Veined;
2. Interspersed;
3. Plain.

The very first option suggests that you simply need to make a cement screed, which is filled with marble chips. And when everything hardens, the surface is polished - due to which it turns out very smooth. The cost of all the materials that will be required for such work is not high - so this option will be very economical. Even a modest budget can be completely accommodated.

Installing marble slabs on the stairs

The finishing of stairs with marble is done by the most different people– both professionals and novice self-taught craftsmen. To fix the marble, tile adhesive or cement mortar is used.

The solution can be obtained by mixing cement and sand in a ratio of one to three. This adds required quantity water – you can’t live without it.

Let's look at the finishing process in detail:

• In the construction and finishing materials plenty today different adhesives, which can be used for certain materials and types of surfaces. And the stove is no exception here;
• You will find these products in dry form in stores. That is, you will need to do very little - calculate how much water is needed and add it. Despite the fact that all proportions are marked on the glue package. There you will find detailed instructions. Of course, before starting work, you should also determine what kind of glue is required for your surface;
• It is important that the quality level adhesive composition corresponds to the current ones international standards– taking into account the instructions from the manufacturer. The cost of glue depends directly on what qualities it has.

That's right - the more reliable the composition you choose for your work, the higher its cost will be.

• When everyone's buying necessary materials completed and the tools are prepared, you need to get down to tiling the stairs with marble slabs - after all, marble stairs are very beautiful. Constructions of this kind speak quite eloquently about social status the owner of the house;
• First of all, the surface of the stairs must be thoroughly cleaned. All dust is removed from here. After this, glue can be applied to the steps. This is done with a simple spatula - such a tool is quite sufficient to complete this part of the work;
• It is important that the adhesive layer is not too thick - otherwise it may simply crack. If this happens, the marble tiles will chip off gradually - and you will have to re-finish;
• To ensure that the masonry is perfectly level, be sure to use a building level in your work. A cord is pulled at each step. Small gaps are left between the tiles - no more than two to three millimeters;
• A neat and even result is only possible when you use plastic crosses. It is these elements (which many people forget about during work) that ensure the required distance;
• It is enough to wait a day for the solution to dry. It is at this time that you should not use your staircase (you should not climb or descend on it). When the work aimed at laying the tiles is completed, the marble slabs can be thoroughly washed. If you don’t do this, the glue will simply dry out and then you’ll have to tear it off (it won’t be possible to wash it off with a soft sponge).

The final touch could be filling the joints with grout between the tiles. This substance protects the structure from a variety of influences (for example, it reliably protects against moisture).

• In addition, this product makes marble stairs even more beautiful (like any other). Today, grout can be any color - and designers are trying to take advantage of this.

Work with grout is carried out as follows:

• First of all, you need to dilute the powder in water. Grouts are sold in powder form. There are instructions on the package - there you will find out in what proportions you need to mix the ingredients of the purchased grout;
• When the composition is thoroughly mixed, the grout should be left alone. Fifteen minutes is enough. After this period, the substance is mixed again;
• Only after all the above-described manipulations can you proceed to grouting the joints. It is best to do this work with rubber gloves. In this case, you should also have a rubber spatula on hand. All excess grout that ends up on marble tiles, it is best to remove immediately - using a rag or a simple napkin;
• And to achieve maximum accuracy, you can unstitch the seams ( with a simple pencil, screwdriver);
• Within a couple of hours after work, the stairs can be completely washed.

On at this stage We can safely say that the staircase is completely finished in marble. The structure has been landscaped and can now be used for your own purposes. We also invite you to watch a video about how stairs are covered with marble. The material will be useful if you decide to do this level of cladding yourself.