Do-it-yourself Attic Staircase. Installation And Installation Of Attic Stairs

2023 Author: Philip Bishop | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 07:54

• General guidelines for installing an attic staircase
• Making an attic staircase yourself

Making an attic staircase yourself

If the apartment is located on two levels, stairs are very important. It is important to choose the right place for the stairs. The appearance of the stairs is also of great importance.

The staircase can be located inside the house or on an external wall, that is, outside. However, the method of internal arrangement of the stairs is more convenient, because the stairs are supposed to be used in the cold season as well. An outdoor staircase is suitable if there is a separate apartment upstairs.

The beginning of the stairs can be in the hallway or in any other place equipped for this. It is very important that the location of the stairs does not interfere with anyone living in the apartment. Therefore, it would hardly be advisable to install a staircase in the living room, kitchen or room.

It is advisable to choose a corridor or hallway for this. Moreover, the size of the room should be sufficient to make it comfortable in addition to the stairs.

The staircase can be beautiful and original. In this case, the height and width of the steps should be such that it is convenient to walk on them. Some types of stairs, for all their beauty, are not always functional. For example, a spiral staircase can be difficult for older people to climb. It is desirable to have a handrail to make the staircase safer. This is very important if small children live in the house.

It will not be superfluous to think over the interior that opens up and down from the stairs so that the most favorable impression of the decoration of the apartment is created. Lighting on the stairs is also of great importance. It is necessary to install lighting devices so that in the dark, climbing and descending the stairs is not fraught with difficulties.

A staircase can lead to a gallery in front of the room. The gallery can look beautiful. But keep in mind that if the rooms overlook the gallery, it creates a panoramic effect. Then it will not be possible to achieve privacy, and this may not please someone living in the apartment. The gallery is an open space. Accordingly, when installing it, you need to think about an additional ventilation and heating system. After all, warm air will rise from the first floor. This means that it will always be too hot in the gallery and the rooms that open onto it. And it will always be cool on the first floor.

General guidelines for installing an attic staircase

It is most convenient if the internal staircase leads to a corridor or hallway. A valid option can also be considered if the staircase leads to the living room, but here it is better to equip a special area that can be closed. If the upper floor (attic) will not be used intensively, then the staircase can be placed in the living room. In this case, it will be more like an interior element than a functional detail. But if the upper floor is supposed to be used intensively, then the stairs in the living room will not be particularly convenient. After all, one of the family members will go up or down, thereby interfering with those who are in the living room. Therefore, some autonomy of the stairs is still necessary. From the point of view of functionality, it is advisable to locate the lower and upper landing in a separate corridor.

Which ladder to give preference to: one-march, two-march or three-march? It all depends on individual preferences and the size of the space. A single-flight staircase is the simplest option. It is usually used if the difference between floors does not exceed 3 m. However, the simplicity in this case does not at all negate the possibility of an original solution. A single-flight staircase can be arched, in which case it looks much more interesting. The steps of a single-flight staircase can also be made in the form of rays that diverge. This will create a unique and original interior. You can make a spiral staircase.

A march is a series of steps without an intermediate platform. The width of the flight of stairs should not be less than 0.8 m. The width of the flight in the staircase should not be less than 1.1 m. It should be noted that the doors must not open to the staircase.

The minimum width of the landing should not be less than the width of the staircase that is adjacent to it. The size of one step should be such that it is convenient for an adult to climb. It is advisable to make steps 63-65 cm in size. You can calculate the width of the upper panel of the step as follows - the width of the upper panel will be equal to the length of the projection axis of its horizontal plane. In this case, the height of the step will be equal to the distance between the two horizontal planes of the step.

Ladders are most often made of wood, steel, glass, reinforced concrete. Combinations of these materials are possible. The steps can be covered with artificial or natural stone, carpet, linoleum, rubber and other materials. The choice of materials for the construction and decoration of the stairs depends on a number of factors - the general decoration of the apartment; finishing materials; host preferences; material possibilities, etc. The space under the stairs can be used by equipping there a small storage room or other utility room.

An interesting design solution is an offset mezzanine. It affects the aesthetics of the entire room. Therefore, you should make sure that it looks as beautiful as possible. In this case, the appearance of the stairs and railings is also of particular importance, because the eye falls on these interior elements.

Stairs are an integral part of a modern home. They are foldable, the advantage of which is their compactness, and stationary.

Making an attic staircase yourself

Installation of folding ladders involves the use of wood - oak, pine, etc. The basis of the ladders is a metal frame on which wooden steps are attached. The disadvantage of folding ladders is the impossibility of adjusting their size. In order to adjust the size (length) of such a staircase to the height of the attic, the lower steps are usually removed (or cut off) or additional steps are added. Thus, it is possible to achieve an exact match of the size of the stairs to the size of the attic. Another type of ladder is the so-called "accordion". Their functional feature is the ability to fold them. This type of ladder is made of metal.

Installation of all types of stairs requires the need to accurately determine the dimensions of the opening in the ceiling (entrance to the attic). This opening is a hole in the ceiling for access to the attic. When assembling and installing a ladder, you need to know its exact height.

The installation of stairs involves the use of the following tools: boards, frame, screws, saw, hammer, nails. To assemble the stairs, it is necessary to make (if necessary) a hole in the ceiling (exit to the attic). In the next step, the height of the stairs is measured. The third stage of work is to assemble the staircase itself. To do this, you can use wooden boards that are nailed to the base (you can screw it down). It is necessary that the steps of the stairs are parallel to the floor surface. Otherwise, it will be difficult and dangerous to climb it. The location of the stairs should not be perpendicular to the floor surface, but at some angle relative to it. The optimal staircase is inclined at an angle of approximately 20-25 °. It is possible that when assembling the ladder, it will turn out to be slightly longer than previously thought. To eliminate this problem, you can cut off the lower or upper steps until they fully match the height with the room. After the final assembly of the stairs, varnishes can be applied to smooth the surface of the steps.

In order to raise or lower the stairs to the attic, a spring mechanism is usually used. A control mechanism is used to use such a mechanism. It consists of a ring, pulling on which the ladder smoothly descends.

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