The most used components of a house are without a doubt the stairs. Old and broken stairs look unattractive and hide high safety risks. For this reason, renovation work is sometimes unavoidable. If the construction of the component is still intact, it is usually cheaper to improve the old staircase instead of installing a new one. In this article you will learn how and with what materials you can cover an old staircase.
Material selection
If you want to redesign the stairs in your house, you have many options to choose from. If you want to give your apartment or house a warm and natural atmosphere, wood would be the right choice for you. You can design with wood, laminate or parquet to match the furnishings and your taste.
Laying laminate on stairs
If you are handy and don't want to have your stairs redesigned but want to try it out yourself, you can of course achieve professional results. Stairs made of wood, natural stone, concrete, reinforced concrete, stone, as well as screed and metal can in principle be easily equipped with laminate. You can also lay laminate on tiles, as long as it doesn't make the structure too high.
Preparation for laying the laminate
The first thing to do is to choose the durable and easy-care laminate flooring. In principle, any laminate floor is suitable for covering stairs. The laminate panels must be cut to size and stored at room temperature of at least 15 degrees Celsius for 48 hours before installation so that they do not warp after a certain period of time.
Before laying work, all old coverings such as linoleum, old layers of paint, adhesive residue or carpet must be removed from the stairs. Pay attention to the condition of your old staircase: if it has a stair stringer, you must also equip it with cladding in addition to treads and risers.
Instructions for covering stairs
First, the stair stringer is doubled. A custom-cut strip is glued to the cheek with glue and secured with nails. You can make a template for the new cladding from sturdy paper sections, which you can use to transfer the outline onto the cladding material. Use the electric jigsaw to cut the paneling out of the laminate board. It is then attached with glue.
Before you start covering steps, you must also measure the understep precisely so that the stairs do not creak later and possible cracks can be avoided. You should also plan for joints that are one millimeter wide. Glue the trim for the underpass and nail the front.
You can also use a stair template or a stair compass to take measurements for the steps and transfer them to the cladding material. Apply the assembly adhesive parallel to the direction of travel and glue the step in place, aligning it and pressing it firmly. If you want, you can first re-cover every second step so that the stairs are usable. You can then do the rest in the second round.
Now you can glue in the risers using the same procedure. You can stick suitable angle strips between the front edge of the stairs and the riser. You can work your way step by step from top to bottom and cover the stairs with the laminate. Finally, seal all joints with edge sealing.
Cover open stairs
Open stairs, also known as hunter's stairs, have a very special character and give the apartment a relaxed and airy flair. They usually consist of an iron railing and solid wooden steps. If the open stairs in your house cannot be repaired as desired by painting and sanding, you can also redesign or close them.
In addition, temporary replacement steps can be installed for a short period of time to help you get from floor to floor. For open-construction steps, the gap between the individual steps must not be higher than 12 cm for safety reasons. You have to remember that installing risers and thus closing the stairs is usually less complicated than covering them with laminate.
In order to cover your stairs, they don't necessarily have to be in need of renovation. If you have repainted the walls in your apartment, you can also design the stairs to match the wall color. If you just want to refresh the stairwell and give it a new shine, stair cladding would be a great way to do this.
Renovate the stair railing
If you want a modern and refreshed staircase, you must not neglect the railings and design them to match the stairs. Stair railings can also add beautiful accents and blend with stairs and furnishings in a uniform color or material design.
Stair railings can also create contrasts that make successful combinations. The wooden staircase with its warm and homely character contrasts with the modern glass railing and contributes to a bright atmosphere.
Cover the stairs with natural stone
If you want to create a stylish living ambience and have an elegant staircase, you can also cover your old staircase with natural stone. Natural stones are a great alternative to wooden stairs and are characterized by high quality and durability.
Laying granite or marble onto an existing concrete staircase can be done either by specialist staff or by you yourself. Natural stones are now available in all imaginable colors.
Granite is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use and is also very easy to maintain. If you choose a natural stone stair covering, you will not only benefit from the good quality, but also from the unique, luxurious look.
Lay a carpet on the old stairs
If you want to re-cover an old, unsightly staircase and make it attractive, you can also lay a carpet on the stairs. A carpet has a sound-absorbing effect and is very non-slip. With a carpet you definitely add warmth and coziness and visually enhance the stairs.
Regardless of whether you are interested inCarpet or a carpet runnerIf you decide, stair carpets can have a huge impact on the room or staircase design and create great visual accents. For example, a staircase in the apartment can be designed in a bright color as a contrasting element or chosen to match the furniture.
Beautiful patterned carpets with unique elements can be a lovely decoration in your home. There is a suitable color for every living style. If you want to create an elegant and sophisticated look, the dark stair carpets are a good choice. For a glamorous flair, carpets in gold or silver are suitable.
Instructions
Laying old stairs with carpet is different from the traditional laying of carpet in rooms. But once you get the hang of it, it's easy. The most common installation technique is to attach cut pieces of carpet to steps and risers.
Stair runners that are attached to the risers with glue or crossbars are another option. Before you cover the stairs with carpet, you must clean the stairs properly and possibly remove any adhesive residue from the old carpet. As with laying laminate on stairs, it is best to start from top to bottom.
If it's easier for you, you can prepare templates to cut the carpet pieces. It is best to cut the carpet parts to excess size and then cut off the excess parts after gluing. If you are covering a wooden staircase, we recommend fixing harder carpets with small nails.
Even open staircases can be transformed into beautiful masterpieces with the right staircase cladding. Choose a soft carpet that matches the color of the walls in the entrance area and create a homely atmosphere. Whether you just lay the steps with a fluffy carpet or also cover the underside of the stairs is up to you and will undoubtedly look beautiful either way.
Cover the underside of the stairs and create your own creations
The underside of an old staircase often has to be reclad due to visual defects and for good insulation. With the traditional wooden stringer stairs, the soffit was covered with a so-called Rabitz ceiling. The underside of the concrete stairs are now covered with fire-retardant plasterboard.
If you want to make your steps uniform and decorative, you can also spruce up the underside of the stairs with the same stair runner as the treads. With such an elegant stair runner, the open and closed stairs harmonize.
Tips for outdoor stairs
If the outside staircase no longer looks particularly inviting after a few years, new cladding can give the worn surface a new look. You can use the stairs outsideGranite slabsrenovate sustainably or build it with bricks. You can also choose from plastic panels, a stone carpet, steel supports or sheet metal.
Spice up tiled stairs with wood or laminate
Are the tiled stairs too old-fashioned for you or do you simply want to upgrade them? You can also cover a tiled staircase with wood or laminate step panels and create a harmonious overall appearance in your stairwell. The small, blue tiles on the risers harmonize perfectly with the fresh wall color.
Cover stairs with vinyl
You can also achieve an individual staircase design in many colors, decors and designs with vinyl flooring. Since vinyl has a low installation height, it is ideal for stair renovations. It is easy and quick to lay and is available commercially as a roll or like laminate with a click system. Vinyl floor coverings also promise pleasant walking comfort and warmth.
