Stairs without supports or hanging stairs. Calculation of stair steps with ceiling mounting About cantilever stairs

Stairs without supports or hanging stairs.  Calculation of stair steps with ceiling mounting About cantilever stairs
Stairs without supports or hanging stairs. Calculation of stair steps with ceiling mounting About cantilever stairs

Visual simplicity and airiness of space have remained a leading trend in interior design for many years. As a result, massive wooden and concrete stairs are gradually becoming irrelevant. They are being replaced by modern cantilever structures that delight the eye with elegance, lightness, and sophistication. A striking example this is achieved by staircases on suspensions, the peculiarity of which is the absence of visible load-bearing frame. Its role is played by metal strings connecting the step and the ceiling. Due to this, the rise to the second floor does not clutter up the space, does not obscure the room and looks truly weightless.

Interested? We invite you to familiarize yourself with the photos of suspended stairs presented on this page, as well as in the section with examples of work. You can order any of them for country house or a two-story apartment. Moreover, if desired, we will develop for you individual project, and then we will manufacture the staircase on turnkey suspensions. Many years of experience allows our designers and architects to find solutions that fully comply not only with the wishes of the customer, but also with the overall concept of interior design.

Description and advantages of suspended stairs

A distinctive feature of suspended stairs is the absence of a bowstring. If installation is carried out near a wall, bolt fasteners can be used on one side. When the ladder is in a free position, all steps are attached to hanging elements, which are commonly called strings. As a rule, they are a rod made of polished stainless steel with a diameter of 20 mm. If the technology is followed, the design turns out to be quite rigid, durable and absolutely safe.

Other benefits:

  • Independence from the presence of load-bearing elements. Structures with vertical suspension are attached to the ceiling. This allows you to install them anywhere in the hall. Moreover, such models can be used if the walls are finished lightweight materials, unable to withstand the load.
  • Stylish appearance. The absence of a bowstring gives the staircase visual lightness. Moreover, depending on general style to decorate the room, you can use wood of various species for production.
  • Variety of design solutions. A suspended staircase can be straight, rotary or spiral. Selection subject to availability free space, features of the premises, wishes of the customer.

Ecology of consumption. Estate: There are no more spectacular staircases than cantilever ones. Their main difference from all other types of stairs is their special appeal in any interior style.

There are no staircases more spectacular than cantilever ones. Their main difference from all other types of stairs is their special appeal in any interior style. The airiness and floating of cantilever staircases is just an illusion: these systems are strong and reliable, and therefore their designs are very complex - all the fasteners and load-bearing elements are skillfully hidden in the structures of the walls, ceilings and in the details of the staircases themselves.

Classic stairs with quality load-bearing element kosour or bowstring, have the advantage of safe operation, in addition, these stairs are presentable, solid and solid. But modern interiors tend towards lightness and minimalism, as much air and space as possible - this is somewhat contrary to the idea of ​​​​a proper massive staircase, limiting the field of view and “eating up” the volume of the room. The cantilever staircase for small lobbies becomes a good decision thanks to the compact design and special fasteners - directly into the wall.

Types of fastening cantilever stairs to walls:

  • The steps cut into the load-bearing wall to a depth of 200 - 400 mm. The insertion depth depends on the width of the cantilever flight and on the material and strength properties of the wall.
  • The steps are supported by special brackets, steel plates, channel or angle parts, bolts, anchor bolts or decorative supports.
  • In cases where the wall cannot provide load-bearing capacity, the cantilever steps are supported on adjacent frames located as close to the wall as possible and as inconspicuous as possible. Fix frame supports made of channel or angle profiles onto the floors.
  • As additional fasteners, systems of ceiling strands are used, which simultaneously perform a second function - fencing. Handrails in such systems usually go along the wall to which the steps are attached.
  • “Hanging” steps recessed in the wall, the absence of handrails, railings and balusters of any kind, as well as ceiling strands and mesh fences - exclusively interesting solution and radical design. But this option is exclusive not only in the context of interior design, but also part increased danger, and it is possible to use such extreme stunt simulators in an ordinary home if special conditions- as a second decorative staircase. If there are small children and elderly people in the house, this staircase option is categorically unacceptable.


Stairs with steps of the same fastening system and the same design can be made of various materials, and this radically changes the appearance of the staircase. There are quite a lot of options, and the main thing in the choice is the preferences of the owners and their imagination. A very common option is a metal frame attached to the wall, decorated with MDV panels or wood. Steps made of cast concrete or polymer concrete are effective and durable. A special place is occupied by glass stairs - weightless and transparent, but characterized by enviable strength.

Pros of cantilever stairs:

  • Lightweight and compact designs that do not interfere with air circulation and light flow in rooms
  • Spectacular in appearance, a real highlight of the interior
  • The lightness of the design leads to savings in the consumption of basic materials
  • Saving usable area and the volume of the room, which is very important for small houses

Disadvantages of cantilever structures for stairs:

  • In the absence of guardrails, moving along a cantilever staircase is by no means safe, and in any case, such a staircase in a house is a risk factor and an area of ​​increased injury. Classical marching staircase with a fence, designed according to safety formulas compared to a cantilever design - an example of safety.
  • Cantilever stairs are often inconvenient to climb and descend.
  • The design and calculations of cantilever staircases are more complicated than classic marching stairs, and installation is also complicated. Independent calculations without experience and special knowledge are hardly justified. Do-it-yourself installation is possible if there are calculations made by specialists based on the initial data - materials and design of load-bearing walls and ceilings, etc.
  • Load bearing capacity There should be plenty of wall space. Another option is an attached frame, and in both options the reliability of the fasteners must be ensured.

Cantilever staircases are designed at the first stages. It is important to decide which enclosing structures the staircase will be attached to, taking into account the mass of the steps themselves. Wooden and glass steps do not require additional wall reinforcement, but cast concrete steps require very strong support and additional local reinforcement if the load-bearing wall is designed from monolithic reinforced concrete.


Console with additional element at the free end will increase the load on the entire staircase system, so such solutions are usually avoided. The main mistakes when constructing cantilever stairs are associated with the wrong choice of fastening, the use of insufficiently reliable components and parts, and erroneous distribution of loads. These errors can lead to the ladder being dangerous to use.

Ready to install cantilever staircase - rare and standard option. For individual houses, the design of such a staircase is made to order, according to the initial design data of the supporting wall or ceiling and the dimensions of the room. Even if it is possible to complete the factory with fasteners and frames and select a model from the catalog, changes are required for specific premises. Cantilever stairs are classified as non-standard and piece products.

No one doubts that the stairs in the house must rest on something, because ground floor not a circus arena and our home not aerialists! However, there are designs of hanging capital staircases that do not rest on the floors of the underlying floor; their steps seem to float in the air, creating the effect of lightness and openwork. There are no special stairs for these stairs. supporting elements: inclined load-bearing beams (stringers, bowstrings) or vertical racks(see article “ General information about stairs").

Stairs without supports can be arranged according to two design schemes:

1. Unsupported stairs on vertical suspensions, in which the steps are attached to the load-bearing structures ceilings of the overlying floor;

2. Unsupported stairs with steps with consoles, in which the steps are attached to the enclosing wall flight of stairs like a console.

Combinations of these two are also possible design diagrams unsupported stairs, when on one side the steps are embedded in the wall, and on the other they are suspended from the upper ceilings.




More photos of unsupported stairs can be viewed in a special photo album.


Cantilever staircases, this representative of the family of interfloor staircases, are the most spectacular. Sometimes it seems as if her steps are floating in the air. But this is just an illusion; in fact, it is a painstakingly thought out engineering design.

Traditional wooden staircase on bowstrings or stringers, with its massive pillars, obligatory risers, turned balusters and wide handrails, creates a feeling of solidity, but at the same time blocks the light flux and limits the field of view. In other words, it requires a lot of free space. Modern interior styles do not tolerate such extravagance: designs should be light and transparent, lines should be simple, sweeping.


1. The main support of this unusual staircase- cantilever brackets, auxiliary support - ceiling ties. The design has retained its visual lightness, despite the fact that its steps are quite massive, and thanks to the handrail running along the wall and the rope fence, it is very convenient and safe to move along it

In response to requests from designers, new types of staircases appeared - cantilever, suspended (on cords), bolted, spinal (on a central stringer) and combined. Probably, the dream of fans of minimalism and high-tech style is fully embodied by console models, in which there are no unnecessary parts - only steps, and attached to a support (wall, pillar, column) with just one end, while the other “floats” freely in the air. They try to make the fencing of such stairs as inconspicuous as possible, and in radical versions they do without railings at all. But it should still be noted that such extremes are rare and are intended more for demonstration than for practical use. And the console steps themselves pure form you don’t see it often - usually this mount is combined with other support units.

As a rule, cantilever staircases are not sold ready-made; they are made according to the dimensions of a specific room and taking into account the requirements of the home owner. European companies When carrying out such orders, they take one of their catalog models as a basis and use factory components, making a minimum of changes to the design (thanks to this, their products are consistently different high quality). Domestic firms produce mainly piece goods.



1-4. The cantilever principle is widely used in the manufacture of spiral staircases. Their attachment to the pole can be done so that the step does not require any additional support. The pillar will have to be made more massive, but then neither a bowstring nor a stringer will be required.
5. Typically, the steps are strung on a central post placed spaced between the floors and clamped using spacer bushings.
6. Bolts and miniature wall brackets are used to impart rigidity to the structure.

IN SEARCH OF A FOUNDATION POINT


Building a cantilever staircase is a complex and time-consuming task. Its foundation must be laid at the stage of erecting the walls of the building (or at least before interior decoration), because each step must withstand a load of at least 150 kgf applied to its suspended, that is, not supported by anything end (and this is in addition to the weight of the railing!). Such high strength can be achieved in different ways.

Sealing the steps. During the construction of the wall, the ends of the steps are embedded into it to a length of at least 200 mm (with a maximum flight width of 800 mm). This is only feasible if the masonry is made of bricks or fairly heavy (for example, solid expanded clay concrete) blocks, and it is necessary that each step be pressed down by at least ten rows of masonry. When using porous ceramic and hollow expanded clay concrete blocks, as well as slotted bricks, the depth of embedding must be increased to 300-400 mm, which is not always possible with the thickness of the wall.

When building with aerated concrete, you will have to strengthen the embedding site of each step with embedded elements from heavy concrete. Not just any steps are suitable either, but only those made from very hard and elastic materials, such as reinforced concrete. However, they are quite easy to decorate with the help of wood overlays, laminated panels, natural or artificial stone. Or you can leave the steps in their original form - you can’t find anything better for a loft-style interior. Sealing the brackets. Sections are embedded into the wall to a depth of 250-300 mm profile pipe up to 1 m long, leaving outlets equal to approximately 2/3 of the length of the step. At the same time, the requirements for the wall are not reduced at all, but the steps can be made of engineered solid wood, as well as materials based on wood composite(chipboard, MOR). The fact is that in this design they are no longer self-supporting, but are supported by steel brackets. Metal parts are usually hidden in grooves or holes milled (drilled) in the steps.



7, 8. Multilayer fencing tempered glass(7) has a significant mass, so it is almost never supported on steps, but attached to the floors. Such railings can become additional support for the march, and the main load is taken by steel brackets attached with anchors to the wall (8)

Please note that to implement projects with pinched and embedded consoles, you should contact only leading construction companies, and architectural supervision is a prerequisite for success. Fastening with anchors. The method is applicable after completion of the main construction, but will require welded brackets with support platforms. Each such element is secured to the wall with four or more anchor bolts with a length of at least 150 mm and a diameter of 10 mm. The requirements for the material of the enclosing structure in this case are very strict: neither a porous block nor a slotted brick will hold the anchors (or, in order to reduce the force of pulling out, the supporting platforms will have to be greatly increased).


9. Creating more and more original architectural forms is becoming an excellent way for manufacturing companies to demonstrate the skill of their engineers.

DO NOT DEPEND ON WALLS


If the wall does not have the necessary strength, this is a serious obstacle to the construction of a cantilever staircase. But still surmountable. We will describe a method for attaching steps, which can be implemented in almost any building before starting finishing works. Its essence is the use of a powerful welded metal frame made from a channel or profile pipe. The structure is made up to the ceiling, the entire length of the flight, placed close to the wall and tied to the upper and lower ceilings. Cantilever supports for the steps are welded (or bolted) to the racks. The frame is then hidden using plasterboard sheathing or masonry made of light blocks.


Most complex type cantilever staircase - with brackets welded (screwed) to a single steel string, which is attached to the ceilings using powerful support platforms and anchors. To prevent the bowstring from twisting under load, it itself must be a complex welded truss with longitudinal, transverse and diagonal stiffeners (like an arrow tower crane). And yet, even a well-thought-out and well-made console (except for one embedded in the wall) does not allow you to completely get rid of the unsteadiness of the steps. First of all, the stairs should be safe and comfortable, but what kind of comfort can we talk about if you feel deflections and backlashes at every step? We have to look for ways to strengthen the structure.



10-12. High-tech style corresponds to products made of aluminum, glass and plain laminated panels (10.12). Solid wood steps with chrome railings emphasize the eclecticism of the interior (11)

Console help


The engineers' task is to create a not too noticeable, but sufficiently reliable support for the second end of the steps. For example, you can rigidly connect all the treads to each other using supports and thus transfer the load to the floors. Volts are hidden bolts used in conjunction with spacer bushings. In the case of a cantilever structure, each pair of steps is connected with just one such bolt (and not two, like a typical bolt), located at the hanging edge. Since the main load is taken by the wall fastening, the bolts can be made miniature and disguised as fencing parts or hidden inside risers. On the other hand, the use of bolts makes it possible to significantly simplify and reduce the brackets: for each step, a pair of rods with a diameter of 30-40 mm and a length of 400-600 mm, embedded in the wall at 80-160 mm, is quite sufficient.

Fastening the steps to the ceiling with ties is no more difficult than a bolt connection. You just need to purchase cables from of stainless steel 8-10 mm thick and install screw hooks that allow you to select the slack of the strands - lanyards. Stairs with hanging mount they look even more airy than bolts.


15. Glass steps always require bolt support, since they only allow the use of short wall brackets.
16. For design and construction reinforced concrete stairs Only the most experienced specialists are hired.

MISTAKES WHEN CONSTRUCTION OF A CONSOLE STAIRCASE


1. Incorrect choice of method of fastening to the wall - for example, an attempt to firmly attach with anchors to masonry made of slotted bricks, porous or hollow blocks.
2. Unreliable fastening of brackets to the wall - incorrect choice diameter of steel anchors or the use of plastic dowels instead. As a result, over time the steps become loose.
3. Using too thin (less than 3 mm) metal for brackets or frame. This leads to twisting of the load-bearing parts.
4. Installation of steps on brackets (brackets in the wall) without the use of damping pads. The sound of footsteps will be transmitted through the wall to other rooms.
5. Installation of too heavy railings, such as cast or forged, supported on the steps.

Hanging stairs are a “fresh wind” in your home. Indoors they look like light transparent structures, and many designer styles use them as a highlight in the interior.

Stairs are attached to the interfloor ceiling with metal braces, which in turn support the step in a given position. The opposite side of the step is rigidly attached to load-bearing wall.

And although such stairs do not look reliable in appearance, moreover, some people are even afraid to walk on them, hanging staircase at correct installation, quite durable.

Combination of elegant metal pendant rods with warm solids natural wood steps, gives a certain charm to the staircase and opens ample opportunities for the flight of design ideas.

Have you built a house or are you doing major renovation, and you want to add space to the interior? Ordinary wooden or concrete stairs are not suitable here. But a hanging staircase would be a completely acceptable solution.

This article was intended as an instruction and with its help any owner capable of performing basic plumbing and carpentry work will be able to build such a staircase in his home with his own hands.

Before starting construction, watch 2 videos in this article, they discuss common mistakes when building stairs.

Selection of tools and materials

Tool

  • Electric drill with a set of drills
  • Rotary hammer with a set of drills
  • Construction level
  • Plumb
  • A set of keys
  • Grinder with a set of discs
  • Lanyard and tap for thread cutting
  • Welding machine preferred
  • Roulette

Material

  • Metal strip 50x10
  • Metal corner from 50x50
  • Hardwood: oak, beech, ash, etc. For steps
  • Set of anchors, sleeves, nuts
  • Wall-mounted handrails

Calculation of staircase dimensions

Naturally, we start with an accurate calculation of the dimensions of our stairs.

Hanging stairs are calculated according to the same principle as the others.

For example, let's take a small staircase with a height of 144.78 cm

  1. To calculate the number of steps, divide the total height by the standard height
    Steps 144.7: 17.7 = 8.17 round this value to 8.
  2. We calculate the distance between the steps to be 144.7: 8 = 18 cm.
    In total, with a height of 144.78 cm, we will have 8 steps with an interval of 18 cm.

This video in this article will help you perform the calculations.


For ease of calculation, we provide a photo of the table:


Installation

We attach the supports to the wall

  1. It is better to install hanging stairs before finishing work begins..
    The drawing of our staircase is already ready and now we mark the places where the steps are attached on the supporting wall.
    • Next, we cut stops from the corner for each step.
    • We will mount them on the wall. The stops should be somewhat smaller.
    • The width of the step itself, the distance from the edge is around 20 mm.
    • We drill holes on the wing of the stop, the wing is applied to the wall 3 holes.
    • The wing on which the stage 2 holes will lie.
    • All holes can be made of the same diameter, but we start from 10-12 mm.
    • It is better to number the stops.
  1. We apply each stop to the design place where the step is attached and mark with a pencil the places for drilling holes in the wall.
    As we remember, the stops are attached to the wall with 3 anchors.
    Take anchors with a length of at least 200 mm. More is possible.
    We drill holes with a hammer drill and secure the stops with anchors. The cross-section of anchor bolts is from 10-12 mm or more, as convenient for you.

Making a frame

  1. Hanging stairs require a strong frame. We will make the frame from a corner, which we will mount on the inter-ceiling. Most best option weld the frame, because bolting it together takes a long time and is less reliable.
    With a corner, we will tie only the interceiling, both in the upper part and in the lower part. We have a ceiling above and below, resulting in a U-shaped harness. Now both parts should be fastened together.
    We have a 50x50 corner, connecting two corners end-to-end - we get 100 mm, the thickness of the overlap is usually greater. To connect two corners, we cut the strip into sections equal to the thickness of the ceiling and weld the corners together with these sections at intervals of 200-300 mm on the inside.

Important point: Cook each section separately and only when all 3 sections are ready, place them on the ceiling and weld them in the corners.

  1. When the U-shaped frame is welded and installed, it should be fixed. First, connect two opposite parts of the frame bordering the wall with a metal strip. If the thickness of the overlap is large, then connect top harness frame and bottom trim frame in two separate strips.
    We got a closed rectangular frame. There is a corner band around the perimeter of the ceiling, and a strip along the load-bearing wall. Next, the frame should be securely fixed.
    To do this, we drill holes in the strips with which we welded the corner of the upper and lower contours, then use a hammer drill to drill a hole into the depth of the ceiling (we assume that for the ceiling we use reinforced concrete slab) and fix the frame with anchors, and also fix the strip along the load-bearing wall.

We install a suspended structure


  1. The next step will be to install the structure onto which the metal rods will be attached to support the steps and the fence stairwell second floor.
    To do this, we cut corners similar to those used for binding.
    The structure will be mounted only on two sides, on the side opposite the load-bearing wall and on the side opposite the end of the stairs. We weld the corners to the frame in the shape of the letter T so that they form something like an I-beam.
    In the welded corners, having accurately measured them, we drill a number of holes for attaching metal rods from below and fencing from above.
    On the large, load-bearing side, the holes in the upper corner should be strictly opposite the holes in the lower corner. From the side railing, it is enough to drill holes only in the upper corner.
  1. Cooking metal studs . The studs are made from round rolled metal, with threads cut along the entire length. The length is calculated using the formula, thickness interfloor covering plus 100 mm. For the side where only the side guard will be attached, the overlap is plus 50 mm.
    Next, we mount the studs strictly plumb. From the inside, under the corner, firmly fix the studs with nuts. With the expectation that load-bearing beam, there was 50 mm left on both sides. From the side where only the upper fence will be, we fix the stud under the upper corner with a nut, and attach it to the lower corner with welding. Here, naturally, only 50 mm should remain at the top.

Hanging the steps

  1. Naturally, our suspended staircase must be suspended from something..
    The fact is that we plan to use metal, nickel-plated tubes for hanging steps and as stair balusters in the fence. They will greatly facilitate the entire structure. And although their price is much higher, the appearance is worth it.
    We measure the height and cut off the tubes. Cut into tubes on both sides internal thread, to a depth of 50-70 mm. We screw the finished tubes into the remaining 50 mm studs at the top.
    We attach the steps from below. To do this, in the steps prepared in advance, we make holes along the diameter of the tube. We put the step on the tube and fix it from below with specially prepared bolts. You can simply add washers for strength.
    But we recommend cutting metal strips to the size of the corner fixed to the wall, drilling two holes at a distance from the tubes, then using the strip as a washer, fixing both tubes at once.
  2. Afterwards we screw the step to the corner on the wall with two bolts. If you don't like the look of exposed bolts, drill a small hole in the stair tread to fit the head of the bolt, countersink it, cover it with wood furniture plug, cut it and sand it.

Attention: the thickness of the board for steps must be at least 40 mm.
If you are afraid that such a board will break, run a metal strip under the board from the front hanger to the corner on the wall.
It would be enough.

  1. The top fence is mounted in the same way. The tubes are screwed onto studs, railings are mounted on top and fixed to the wall.
    It is better to choose and buy handrails in advance, and attach them to the wall.
    It's simpler and more reliable.

Conclusion

As you can see, a hanging staircase, if desired, is not so difficult to implement.

Every normal man is quite capable of making such beauty with his own hands.

In the video in this article, you will find comprehensive information on the topic we discussed.