The use of valuable woods for staircases in private homes not only emphasizes the status of the owner, but also makes it possible to equip an important element of the interior with durable and beautiful material.
Oak has always been used to decorate rich mansions and expensive houses. This species of wood has a variety of textures and shades. There are more than 10 colors of oak: from almost white or light yellow to dark gray and even greenish. With prolonged use, oak steps for the stairs acquire darker, noble colors.
Oak is characterized by durability and special strength due to the very dense structure of the wood, but with sharp changes in temperature and humidity, the structure is violated. Therefore, before choosing oak steps for stairs, you should take care of creating the optimal temperature and humidity conditions in a country house.
In modern construction, oak steps are used, made of solid wood or in the form of glued products.
Advantages and disadvantages of oak stairs
Oak stairs, due to their strength characteristics, are used not only in individual housing construction, but also for decoration of public buildings. The undoubted advantages of oak products include:
- durability (with proper care, oak stairs will last at least 100 years);
- strength;
- a wide variety of colors and shapes of standard products;
- unique wood structure;
- the use of stains and varnishes allows you to achieve a unique shade of oak wood, which cannot be achieved with other types of wood;
- resistance of oak steps for stairs to mechanical stress.
The disadvantages of oak wooden stairs include the following:
- high cost of products (to minimize costs use natural oak veneer);
- the need for special processing at the time of installation of the product and mandatory support of wood with special materials during operation;
- the need to maintain the recommended values of humidity and temperature in the room.
Oak stairs are an element of the classic style that never goes out of style. Arrangement of an oak staircase to the second floor using oak balusters and railings will become a unique decoration and pride of a rich summer house.
Features of the production of oak stairs
Making stairs from solid oak to the second floor requires a special approach to working with the material. It should be borne in mind that the dense structure of the tree does not allow screws to be screwed in and hammered in nails; special holes will have to be prepared for fasteners. To simplify the work, they often use cheaper material for supporting structures - beech or ash are suitable as a replacement.
In addition to difficulties with the installation of oak elements, there are certain requirements for the processing of work surfaces. Oak steps are usually carefully polished and varnished. It is important to use only suitable types of coatings, which include varnishes on a water or polyurethane basis.
Massive varnished products look more impressive - the structure of the wood is emphasized, and the durability of the material increases.
High-quality drying of the material is an important condition for further maintaining the shape of the product. Even steps with a solid thickness, if not properly prepared, can crack, drying out under natural humidity.
Features installation of oak stairs
To assemble an oak staircase in a summer house with your own hands, certain skills will be required. First of all, you need to stock up on tools. The wizard will need:
- circular;
- grinder;
- milling machine (if it becomes necessary to process the edges);
- electric plane;
- screwdriver.
The next step is to prepare the material:
- solid wood boards or boards from 40 mm thick for steps;
- a string for hanging a ladder or a kosoura with a thickness of at least 50 mm;
- beams for installation of steps from 30 mm thick;
- fencing elements (balusters, handrails);
- stainless fasteners, suitable in size.
To prepare steps of a complex configuration, it is better to make templates from thick cardboard or fiberboard.
Work order
It is necessary to make a design drawing and carry out calculations (you can use our calculators). To simplify the task, on-site contours of the ladder can be applied to the supporting wall. Such a drawing will help to see possible errors and will help in the implementation of work.
At the second stage, the base of the stairs is mounted, the steps are attached and, if necessary, the individual parts of the massive elements are glued together. If it is intended to illuminate the steps using an LED cord, it is recommended that you prepare to mount all the necessary wiring accessories.
Next, a staircase fence is installed. At the final stage, the wooden elements are ground and varnished. To ensure long-term service of the structure, it is necessary to apply 2-3 layers of coating.
After the paintwork completely rises, perform the installation of lighting stairs.
Use and Care Tips
In order for the wooden staircase to serve for a long time, preserving its original qualities and appearance, it is necessary to maintain an optimal operating mode and use special means to care for the surface of structural elements.
The main condition for maintaining the steps for oak stairs in perfect condition is the creation of the optimal temperature and humidity conditions in the room. It is advisable that the temperature does not fall below +10 year-roundoC and did not exceed the mark of +25oC, therefore, in winter, it is necessary to use heating devices, even if no one lives permanently in the house.
An equally important criterion for the preservation of oak elements is humidity. Increased humidity leads to swelling of the wood, resizing the structure and deformation. Too dry air in the room contributes to the occurrence of cracks and the expansion of the connecting seams, as a result of which a creak is heard when the load on the step.
To avoid such unpleasant consequences, it is recommended to purchase special systems that control this parameter. When setting the normal humidity value, the device will automatically either dry the air or increase the humidity level.
In addition to maintaining the optimal temperature and humidity conditions in the room, special means should be used for wooden elements of the stairs:
- immediately after the construction of the flight of stairs and during the next year, only dry and soft cloth (for example, flannel) is used to clean wooden surfaces from dust and dirt;
- if necessary, restore the paintwork, it is recommended to use polishing fluids based on wax;
- for wet cleaning, it is necessary to use special solutions suitable for wooden surfaces.
To remove chips and other damage to the flight of stairs, it is advisable to invite a specialist. Professional restoration of the oak surface will save time and nerves of the owner, while the work will be performed with high quality.