A Guide To Forming, Pouring And Coloring Concrete Stairs

When it comes to building staircases for house exterior or interior, concrete stair is the most obvious option for us. Those, who are a little fancy, also go for wooden staircases. But, there is no match of concrete stairs against wooden stairs. Wooden stairs will bring a vintage charm for you, but in terms of reliability as well as durability concrete stair will always be the winner. In fact, you have a lot of experimenting options with concrete stairs. To make the stairs elegant, you can use tiles or marbles over the concrete. You can also add color and various decorative effects on the concrete stair.

Forming and Pouring Concrete Steps

Forming and pouring are the two most important steps during the formation of the concrete stair. This is why it is important to know these processes precisely, if you are thinking about building a concrete staircase at your house. Whether you do-it-yourself or you hire a contractor, knowing the process is always beneficial in either case. So, here is the step by step guide for you on forming and pouring concrete stairs:

• Form lumber with saw and finish corners: You need to cut all the bottom step forms at an angle of 45 degrees with the help of a saw. This has to be done till the corner of the step in a uniform manner.
• Attaching step form liners: Some people want textured concrete steps for better look as well as aesthetic values. If you want that stone like texture on the surfaces of concrete steps, you should use polyurethane step form liners. With the finishing nails, attach liners with the wooden forms.
• Support the Forms: You need wooden stakes for supporting the forms in the proper dimensions. Take a close look at the dimension of the wooden stakes so that staircases remain at the dimensions that you would like to have.
• Vibrate Edges of Forms: To remove honeycombs and voids from the surfaces of concrete, it is important as well as essential to vibrate the face of the concrete forms. Tap wood forms with a hammer to create vibrating motion. Alternatively, you can use a palm sander to vibrate the freshly poured concrete.
• Remove Forms and Customize: On the day of pour, you need to remove the forms. Now, with chisel and cement make the stairs to look uniform. If you want to bring decorative effects on them, you can also do that. Customize as you want and then your job is complete for forming and pouring of stairs.

Coloring Options

At the time of pouring the concrete stairs, you can use integral colors to bring special effects on the stairs. When the concrete form is removed, ensure adding that color at the places, where coloring has not been done yet. Carry out the coloring process neatly to gain excellent end results. For step liners, several coloring options are there. Choice of coloring options depends on the final look that you want to achieve or obtain. For forming, pouring and coloring staircases, it is always important to hire good as well as reliable contractors.