Modern summer cottages are rarely one-story, mostly they have two or three floors, if the building has only one floor, then it is complemented by an attic.
Need to use stairs
In these cases, there is a need for high-quality movement between floors. The most successful solution would be the manufacture of a wooden staircase, with which it will even be possible to ensure the lifting of heavy pieces of furniture or equipment. Carrying out such work cannot be called a simple process, if it is possible to order a project, then experts advise doing just that. However, if you have carpentry skills and are completely confident in your abilities, then you can start making structures yourself.
Components of a wooden staircase
In order to understand how to make stairs yourself, you must first understand the design features of the product and its main parts. Thus, the kosour is a load-bearing beam, which is designed to support the risers and steps from below. It is this element that bears all the load. The manufacture of spiral wooden stairs involves the use of a bowstring, which is necessary to perform a support-bearing function. This element has recesses into which the steps must be inserted with their end part. The bowstring is not as preferred as the kosour, for the reason that it is not able to withstand heavy loads. Even if the staircase is adjacent to the wall, they still try to make it on stringers. Steps are wooden beams, which are composed of treads and risers. The former are horizontal, while the latter are vertical. A person will step on the surface of the tread with his feet. Whereas the riser is a vertical beam located under the step. It encloses the space and supports the structure. Quite often, stairs are made without the use of a riser, in which case the space will remain free, the leg will not rest, however, the design in this case is not so reliable and durable.
For reference
If you will be manufacturing wooden stairs for the house, then you must take into account the fact that the steps can be radius,rectangular, which looks very nice. Sometimes they are made rotatable at some angle to replace the dividing platform. If you want your staircase to look attractive, then you should choose railings, which are represented by handrails and balusters. Their size and shape can be completely different. As a rule, these components are made to order in the form that the consumer wishes to see.
If the design of the stairs involves more than one flight, then a support post is used in the manufacture, which is sometimes replaced by posts in those places where the stairs turn.
Tread width
Making wooden stairs with your own hands, the drawings of which you can prepare yourself or entrust the work to professionals, provides for the correct determination of the width of the tread. According to the rules, the smallest width of the tread should be 22 centimeters, as for the maximum value, it varies from 37 to 40 centimeters. If this figure turns out to be less, then it will be quite problematic to descend, if more, then the step will go astray.
Design selection
Manufacture of wooden stairs should begin with the choice of design features of the product. It is important to consider how much free space you have. Aesthetic considerations must be taken into account. Speaking conditionally, then all stairs canbe divided into marching and screw, the latter variety is used quite rarely, mainly in cases where free space is extremely limited in the room. Among other things, spiral staircases are of little use. If there is a need to bring heavy furniture, then this will be extremely difficult. It can be used solely for the ascent or descent of one person.
What a master needs to know
To carry out manufacturing manipulations, it will be necessary to carry out rather complex calculations, since the support will occur on one pillar, or rather, a support. The manufacture of a wooden staircase can be carried out on the basis of a mid-flight design, which is the most common. The composition includes flights of stairs, steps and platforms, which are separated by a march.
Material preparation
Making a wooden staircase should start with the purchase of lumber. For the manufacture of stringers or bowstrings, you will need a bar with a cross section of 50 x 250 millimeters. The minimum width is 150 millimeters, which is correct when the design allows.
For the manufacture of risers, beams should be purchased, the minimum thickness of which should be 25 millimeters, and more massive material can be used. For treads, beams from 30 to 40 millimeters are best suited. Manufacturing technology of wooden stairsrequires compliance with certain rules. Thus, you can order balusters and handrails from the manufacturer or purchase them ready-made. Some specialists make them on their own, but this is quite difficult, for this you need to have certain equipment and experience.
Installation of stringers and bowstrings
If you will be manufacturing a wooden staircase, then the beam purchased for the stringers must be cut from the bottom and top so that the desired length of the stairs is obtained. After that, the thickness of one tread should be cut from the bottom, which will be 5 centimeters. When calculating the number of treads, you can not take into account the thickness of the steps. It is not so important for the structure, with the exception of the first step, its height must be increased by the thickness of the tread. Wooden stairs, which you can make yourself, provide for cutting an opening in the stringer for the steps. On the construction square, it is necessary to mark the height of the riser, and after that - the width of the tread, 4 centimeters must be subtracted from this value. Now with a pencil you should transfer the markings to the inner base of the beam. The master should saw off the excess, for which it is best to use a saw or an electric jigsaw. However, if such tools are not available, then a hand saw can be used. If you decide to make a wooden staircase with your own hands, then you need to put a kosour on the place where the staircase will be located. Its upper edge should rest against the ceiling, and the lower one against the floor of the first floor. The next step is to analyze howcuts for steps are horizontally located.
Nuances of the work
Kosourov will need two, however, depending on the loads that the staircase will have to endure, there may be more of them. In this case, you will need to prepare the rest, using the first one as a template. The entire surface must be sanded. If necessary, the outer edges must be processed with a router, making them rounded, so the design will look more aesthetically pleasing.
Above and below the stringers must be connected with a beam to each other. Why should you cut them a quarter from the top and bottom. Fastening to a thick beam should be made using anchor bolts. If possible, the stringers should be fixed to the walls, and anchors will also need to be used. When using a single bowstring, it should be cut in such a way that it acquires the desired length. After inside, you need to make a drink using a cutter, making holes that will become recesses for installing steps. The bowstring is fixed to the surface of the wall with anchors. The master must analyze how correctly the kosour and the bowstring are located on the other side, they must be on the same level, only in this way it will be possible to eliminate the slope of the steps.
Installing the riser and step
Wooden stairs, the manufacture, installation of which you can do yourself, require a tight fixation of the stringers, as soon as these manipulations have been carried out, you can begin to install the riser. To do this, the beam must be sawn into the required number of risers.desired length. These elements should be leveled relative to each other, and then sanded. Fastening should be carried out to the stringer using self-tapping screws, installing them from the front side. After that, the holes can be puttied or hidden with the help of decorative elements. Some experts use special glue for this. When the risers are installed, it will be possible to proceed to the steps. To do this, you need to cut the beam into the number of steps that you need. After that, the blanks are milled. Then these elements are installed on top of the risers and fixed with screws, which are sometimes replaced with self-tapping screws. If you will be using the bowstring on one side, the treads will need to be inserted into the groove that is cut into the bowstring. The edge of the step will first need to be smeared, as well as the holes in the bowstring.
Recommendations from experts
Manufacturing and installation of wooden stairs can be done by any home craftsman, but you should be guided by technology. Balusters should be installed on the steps, and after fixed with a hairpin of 100 mm length, the thickness of the fastener should be 8 millimeters. From above, railings are installed and fixed with self-tapping screws. On this we can assume that the work is completed, it remains only to paint the stairs. This will preserve the wood, emphasizing its natural beauty. Quite often, experts use transparent varnish coatings. So the product will look more natural. If the interior suggests the presence of appropriate items, then the staircase willfit harmoniously into the space.
