Style directions In interior design, they are increasingly influencing the modification of staircase structures. Thus, cantilever stairs are gaining popularity. Its advantage is that it does not interfere with the spread of light indoors. This design looks quite non-standard, one might even say bizarre. The treads simply hang in the air on consoles lowered from the ceiling. But you shouldn’t be afraid to walk on it, because the design is well thought out. If you have construction experience and desire, you can make a comfortable and unusual cantilever staircase with your own hands.

Design features

Design advantages:

• unusual appearance;
• low material consumption - such stairs do not have risers, and sometimes even railings;
• space saving.

It is important when designing such a structure to take into account the loads perceived by the tread. They must withstand 150 kg. – and this figure does not take into account the weight of the handrails.

Even organizations engaged in the manufacture of cantilever staircases do not have products ready for installation. They have only individual elements from which the march will later be assembled. Each design must be developed individually for the customer, taking into account all conditions.

But making such a staircase is quite difficult. Its installation takes place during the construction stage or before finishing the premises. There are several ways to attach treads:

1. Embedding steps into the wall.
2. Embedding brackets into the enclosing structure, onto which treads will subsequently be attached.
3. Fastening steps using anchors.
4. Ceiling mount.
5. Brackets that are welded or screwed to a steel bowstring.

If the house is made of brick or heavy blocks, good option To install a cantilever staircase, the steps will be sealed during the construction stage. To do this, the ends of the treads must be embedded in the wall at a distance of 1/4 of finished product. So, if you want to make a flight of stairs equal to 80 cm, then you need to lay 20 cm steps. Another requirement for this installation option is that the tread must be pressed down with at least ten rows of masonry.

In case of using lighter building materials, such as porous ceramic, hollow expanded clay concrete blocks or slotted bricks, the depth of laying the treads increases by 1.5-2 times and will be 30-40 cm. This will be difficult to implement if the thickness of the designed wall is less than required.

Aerated concrete buildings also have their own design features for cantilever staircases. In the walls, it will be necessary to strengthen the places where all treads are sealed using embedded elements made of heavy concrete. There is no need to worry about the appearance, because there are decorative overlays, for example, wooden ones. Laminated panels, natural or artificial stone. When using this design in a loft style solution, you can leave everything unchanged.

With this option for installing a cantilever staircase, it is necessary to wall up a profile pipe no more than a meter long into the wall. The depth of the bookmark should be at least 25-30 centimeters. The remaining outlets should correspond to 2/3 of the tread length. The requirements for the walls remain the same, and the possibility of choosing the material for the steps has expanded. For this mounting option, you can use engineered solid wood, as well as materials based on wood composite, such as chipboard, MOR. This happens because the treads no longer act as self-supporting structures. The entire load is transferred to the brackets embedded in the wall. Metal parts can be hidden in grooves or holes that are drilled into the treads.

Fastening with anchors

This method is used when the walls have already been erected and it is not possible to embed them into the finished enclosing structure. fasteners, as in the first two cases. But it also remains important material. Walls made of porous block or slotted brick are unable to hold anchors.

To reduce the possibility of anchors being pulled out if the walls are not made of sufficiently strong material, it is necessary to significantly increase the size of the support areas.

In order to carry out such an installation of a cantilever staircase, you will need welded brackets with support platforms. The finished elements must be attached to the wall at the location of the steps using anchor bolts. Their number must be at least four, and their length must be from 15 cm, while the radius must be chosen more than 10 cm.

Ceiling mount

This method will be an alternative for those whose house has already been built or whose boundary walls are not strong enough to withstand the loads. The steps must be secured before starting finishing works. To briefly describe the essence of this method, it consists in using a powerful welded metal frame made of channel, also suitable profile pipe. This design spans the entire height of the room, because how to attach metal frame will be towards the ceiling.

The metal frame is placed along the entire length of the flight close to the wall. It also needs to be tied to the upper and lower floors. After this, it is necessary to weld the cantilever supports for the treads to the resulting racks; it is possible to use fastening bolts. The resulting frame can be hidden with plasterboard sheathing or masonry made of light blocks.

Steel bowstring

This method of installing a cantilever staircase is perhaps the most difficult.. It uses brackets that are welded or screwed to a steel bowstring. This is the only support. It must be secured to the floors using powerful support platforms and anchors. To prevent the bowstring from twisting under load, it is necessary to create complex design. It will have welded trusses with stiffening ribs, which are located transversely, diagonally and longitudinally. This design is a bit like the booms of a tower crane. You will also have to work hard with the console. It needs to be thought through to avoid the unsteadiness of the steps, provided that it is not embedded in the wall.

Strengthening the structure

If you doubt the safety of operation and reliability of your cantilever staircase, you can use some engineering tricks to strengthen the structure:

• Rigid connection of treads to each other. Loaches are suitable for this. They will transfer the loads to the floor. Bolts are hidden bolts that are used with a spacer sleeve. If we talk about cantilever design, then it is necessary to connect each pair of treads using one such bolt, placing it at the hanging edge. Since all the main loads fall on the wall mount, it becomes possible to use bolts small size. This option for strengthening the structure will make it possible to reduce the brackets. So, for each step it will be sufficient to use one pair of rods, which will have the following parameters: length - 40-60 cm, diameter - 3-4 cm, embedding in the wall - 8-16 cm.

Bolts can be hidden by disguising them as parts of the enclosing structure, and also hidden in the inside of the riser.

• Mounting to the ceiling using ties. For this work you will need cables, the material for which is stainless steel 8-10 mm thick. You will also need to install screw hooks - a lanyard. They will help eliminate slackness of the cords. This option hanging mount will make the structure airy, in contrast to the bolted one.

Possible errors

When installing a cantilever staircase, there is a possibility of missing some features of its structure, which will lead to danger of use. The most common mistakes are:

• Incorrectly chosen method of attachment to the enclosing structure. For example, it would be a mistake to try to tie it to the masonry using anchors if the wall is made of slotted bricks or light blocks.
• Unreliable fastening of brackets to the wall. At wrong choice diameter of the steel anchor or if a plastic dowel is used instead, loosening of the treads may occur.
• Using insufficiently thick metal as a bracket or frame. Selecting an element diameter of less than 3 mm. may cause curling load-bearing elements under load.
• Installation of treads on brackets in the wall without using a special damping gasket. Its use will prevent the transmission of footstep sounds through the building envelope to adjacent rooms.
• Use of fairly heavy material for railings. It is worth abandoning cast or forged fencing, because it will place additional stress on the steps.

Are cantilever staircase structures as convenient as they sometimes want us to believe? In order to understand this issue, you must first understand what cantilever stairs are: the features of their structure. This staircase is considered the most effective among many other one-story staircases. The structure itself is not large, and the steps seem to “float” in the air.

Application

Today, during the construction or improvement of a home, there is a struggle for every square meter free space. Having chosen concrete or wooden stairs on stringers, you can immediately say goodbye to a fairly decent part free space, as seen in the photo. But there are a number of light and transparent stairs that not only will not take up much space, but will also be an excellent design solution, fitting perfectly into the interior of the room.

The cantilever staircase option is most suitable for connoisseurs of minimalism and lovers of high-tech style. Nothing superfluous - this is how this species can be briefly described. These are ordinary steps, attached on one side to a wall or any other support. Of course, you can’t do without a fence, but it can be almost invisible, but at the same time responsible for safety.

Terminology

For those who are not strong in construction, here are some frequently used terms that will help you better understand this article:

• Baluster – posts intended to support railings;
• The console is a tightly fitted shelf system;
• Stringer - a supporting structure used to fasten steps;
• Railing - staircase fence;

• A riser is a plank fixed vertically that covers the space under the step. Equal to the height of the step;
• Handrail - part of the railing necessary for the convenience of ascending or descending steps;
• Prokid - a fencing zone located parallel to the march;
• Tread – a horizontal element of a step;
• Post - the outermost post of the railing resting on the ceiling;
• Bowstring - an inclined structure that supports steps attached to it at the ends;
• Tie rod - a cable necessary for fastening steps to the upper floor.

Cantilever staircases are not provided when assembled. They are made to individual orders. But catalog models often serve as the basis. In this case, it is advisable to make a minimum of changes so that replacement of factory components is not required. Although decent companies, both in Europe and in Russia, replace components exclusively with factory ones.

Making a support

Those who encounter a cantilever staircase for the first time will be a little surprised by its appearance and may even be afraid to climb it. But its structure has a completely engineering explanation, and its construction is painstaking and complex process, as shown in the video. The first thing that is laid in the process of constructing a staircase is a supporting structure for the steps, which can withstand a load of 150 kg, without taking into account the weight of the railings. Moreover, this weight is calculated for the extreme point of the suspended step.

Installation

It is very important to know what the wall is made of, to which the steps of the cantilever staircase will later be attached. It's best if it's brickwork, or other heavy materials. This is necessary because it is in the wall that the ends of the steps are installed with your own hands, buried at least 20 cm with a flight width of 80 cm. The size of the recess must be increased to 30-40 cm if the wall consists of expanded clay concrete blocks or slotted bricks, as seen in the photo.

The cantilever staircase is one of the most widespread types of structures that are popular and new in all markets of the country.

The cantilever version is the most effective, well-thought-out engineering design, which creates a state of weightlessness for the steps. They are located vertically to the wall, where one end of the step lies arbitrarily, and the second crashes into the wall.

The basis of the structure is load-bearing without stringers or bowstrings. In such models there is no support, which does not clutter up the area of ​​the rooms and creates wonderful interior. These unusual systems often attract attention and have a wide field for the designer’s imagination when it comes to decoration and lighting. For designing houses with a small area, cantilever-type stairs are suitable in the best possible way: This will solve the space saving problem and allow sunlight get into the room.

Consoles in design works

The cantilever design makes an indelible impression; it looks light and frozen in space.

At design work it is considered irreplaceable and easily fits into any interior or exterior.

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When compared with other types, console systems are the simplest for installation and de installation work, in terms of design. If it is necessary to replace the steps of a staircase, you can dismantle the damaged steps without removing the entire structure.

He will tell you how to install beacons under plaster.

Nowadays it is becoming popular to decorate country houses, offices with high-tech stairs. This option takes the form of powder-coated metal plates or consists of polished stainless steel.

The steps of the HI-Tech style structures are made of valuable species trees such as oak, ash and beech, or can be replaced with porcelain stoneware material.

A staircase in this style can also be made of metal and concrete in combination with glass, plastic, or various artificial material. These are models open type, they are simple and have a decorative, somewhat sloppy, appearance, since all the fasteners are on the surface, which gives the design an Art Nouveau style.

Before installation staircase design it is necessary to study the installed one.

Disadvantages and advantages of consoles

This system is well suited for installation in offices, country cottages, one-room apartments, when creating two-level interiors. The advantage is that it fits compactly into a room of any size, and also, if the staircase is installed in a residential building, you can safely walk along it barefoot, since the steps do not touch the floor and will not be cold.

It should be noted that the installation of such a structure requires a solid wall made of concrete or brick. If there are doubts about the load-bearing structures of the walls, you should refuse to install consoles.

The disadvantage of cantilever staircases is their high cost: this is preceded by transportation from abroad, taxes and insurance policies. Disadvantages also include the lack of professional installers of consoles, since these models are considered a novelty in the markets, know-how that interior designers, but not builders, know about.

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When installing, it is necessary to carefully calculate the area and perform the installation work exactly. If you properly study all the installation basics, you can install such a system without fear for your safety.

There are several types of unusual cantilever structures:

• Screw options suitable for homes or office buildings with a small area. The screw console is a reliable, safe, screw-shaped design. This model has a stunning look and takes smallest area indoors, as the steps stretch upward in a curved direction. For greater convenience and safety, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with.
• Glass– an almost weightless design due to its transparency, made of durable glass cover. Can also be considered a wonderful decoration element and used in two-story country houses, and it is mounted inside a stone wall and is quite strong.
• Marching– simple to implement, it can be placed either directly along the wall or turned at an angle, depending on the height of the room. If the room is low, you can use one strip; if the building is high, the staircase is connected to each other and installed at the required height and level, it is attached at one end to the wall, and the other is attached to the floor.
• Khrebtovaya- This is an option consisting of several elements interconnected. The spinal model is lined up along the wall and completely repeats all the wall bends. Since steps of this type are sinuous and easily fit into any room, thanks to rotating structures you can create different geometries.
• Pantry– a practical model made of wood, designed for installation in two-story houses with a small area, a staircase with drawers for storing shoes and other things, which is unusual and convenient, and most importantly - you can achieve original way storing little-used items.
• Curved– this design is steep, curved, laid out with plates perpendicular to each other, not very convenient to use and not safe.

You may also be interested in the features.

For external use

If the room has two entrances, then outdoor stairs with connecting elements. You can build in an external staircase during construction or add it later. Stairs for outdoor use quickly lose their quality and become deformed under the influence of weather factors.

External systems are divided into several types:

• entrance;
• located between floors;
• terraced

Installation and maintenance

For installation operations with the console, two methods must be used: The first method is to strengthen the steps when creating a wall, and the second method is used to install a load-bearing base in the form of columns. After installing the steps, cables are added to them, which are attached to the ceiling. With this setting, the view is created individual element a flight of stairs, one side of which is attached to the wall, and the other is supported by suspended cables attached to the ceiling.

For complete safety, it is recommended to install some tension elements to cover cracks and gaps. Railings for consoles are purchased separately and mounted in the wall. During all installation work, the evenness and accuracy of placement of all necessary elements, this can be done using a water level or tensioning a nylon thread, as well as using the most accurate level meter - a laser.

Console installation techniques are not always used suspended structures, and therefore there are independent elements that can support the weight without main fasteners. Their care is individual, depending on the selected material from which the cantilever staircase is made.

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A high-tech staircase is usually made of the following materials: glass, wood, steel, concrete, reinforced with a metal frame, block, laminated panels. But it is installed with your own hands only if the wall is being built from scratch, when the builder plans in advance the future construction of the console instead of a regular staircase. This knowledge gives the installer the opportunity to conscientiously complete the construction of a reinforced wall.

You can look at the photos for cantilever stairs and choose the option you want.

The structure is mounted during the construction of a wall, when the free edge can extend into the room by 800 mm, and by at least 200 mm the step must be firmly embedded in the wall. To improve fastening, you can create a bowstring - tension on cables or iron strands of steps to the ceiling. A very profitable option for small country houses, attics, children's rooms, attics - this is a spiral staircase on one thick rod, which is protected on the sides by simplified railings.

If the wall is not rigid enough or you want to install the stairs in an old house, then you should definitely use a welded metal frame or pipe, on the basis of which they will be attached beautiful tree, glass or other step options. The frame crashes into the wall, serves as a support, and the finishing (plastic, tempered glass or wood) just rests on it. Drywall or other finishing wall material will help hide the imperfections of the wall.

All types of materials from which the console can be made must be well cleaned from dirt and dust. Wooden steps can be coated with a layer of varnish from time to time, followed by sanding with wool or felt cloth, and the wood can also be polished to extend the life of the product and to add shine and gloss to the steps.

Video

This video shows the simplest cantilever staircase.

1. When choosing a cantilever staircase, you need to weigh the pros and cons of this technology and select this type of staircase exclusively for your home or office conditions.
2. When installing a suspended base, you need to select a certain level of tension that will hold the ladder in one direction.
3. If the tension is too strong, the main fastening system should be loosened.
4. Upon purchase finished stairs It is worth checking for any deformation of the steps, and also pay attention to the fastening structure, since in some kits it may be absent.

Cantilever staircases are probably the most spectacular of all. They float in the air and look attractive in any interior style. In fact, cantilever stairs are a rather complex structure, because they must be reliable.

An ordinary staircase, which stands on stringers, looks solid and solid, but takes up a lot of space, blocks the flow of light, looks too massive, limiting the field of view. For modern interiors- this is not a suitable option, you will agree, because you want to make all the structures light, simple, and as compact as possible. In such cases, cantilever stairs come to the rescue; they simply do not have stringers - the steps are attached directly to the wall.

You can attach the steps of a cantilever staircase to the wall in various ways:

1. Direct installation into the wall. On average, the steps cut into the walls by 20-40 centimeters, depending on the strength of the supporting wall itself.
2. On special brackets, metal plates, bolts, channels, anchor bolts, decorative supports.
3. Frame. If the wall itself has minimal load-bearing capacity, a metal frame is required, which is located close to it in order to be as inconspicuous as possible. A frame made of a profile or channel is fixed to the ceilings, and the cantilever steps are already attached to it.

Ceiling rods are often used as additional fastening in cantilever stairs. They also serve as a fence and make the stairs safer. The handrail usually goes along the wall itself, to which the steps are attached. In radical cases, when there are no small children or elderly people in the house, and design comes first for the owners, they do without handrails, railings and ceiling cords at all, leaving only steps that seem to be literally recessed into the wall.

Regarding the material for the steps of the cantilever staircase, everything here is limited by the imagination of the owners. The most common option is a metal frame attached to the wall and topped with wood or MDF. You can also find cast concrete cantilever steps. In the case of the construction of such a staircase, glass will look very impressive, which will make the structure even less noticeable and weightless.

The advantages of cantilever stairs include:

1. Visually, a much lighter design that does not block the air and light flows in the room.
2. A spectacular appearance that helps the staircase become the highlight of the interior.
3. The consumption of materials for the main structural elements is significantly less.
4. You can save useful space.

However, cantilever stairs also have their disadvantages:

1. If it is decided to abandon the fence, climbing to the upper floor turns out to be less safe than if using a traditional staircase.
2. A cantilever staircase may not end up being very comfortable.
3. The design is complex, as is the installation itself, which leads to high costs. Yes, you can try to make a cantilever staircase yourself, but you should very carefully calculate the load and usually homeowners turn to specialists.
4. Requires durable load-bearing wall or reliable fastenings.

It is clear that the cantilever staircase, like the others, should be planned at the stage of drawing up the house project. You need to choose which wall the structure will be attached to, and partitions made of materials that are not too strong are not suitable at all; additional reinforcement will be required. If the steps are concrete, reinforcement is necessary, which will make the entire structure heavier.

It is important not to use on the free end cantilever steps any elements, because they will increase the load on the entire structure. In general, the main mistakes when building a cantilever staircase are the wrong choice of fasteners, the use of unreliable elements and incorrect load distribution. All this can make the design simply dangerous to use.

Finding ready-made cantilever stairs is difficult. Typically, such designs are created to order, taking into account the characteristics of the room and the wishes of the owners. The components may be factory-made, and the model may be from a catalog, but the design will still require modifications for a specific room. Most often, cantilever stairs are one-piece, individual products.

Note that spiral staircases are also often built according to the cantilever principle, when all the steps are attached to one support, and the other end remains free, floating. Pillar, base spiral staircase, in this case, a more massive and reliable one is required.

Cantilever staircases in the interior look very impressive and incredibly stylish. This type of design has fundamental differences from other models not only in visual terms, but also in manufacturing and installation technology. Not every master is capable of fulfilling such an idea. This is partly why console products are so attractive and in demand for rich interiors.

Design Features

Cantilever staircase models are unique products of their kind; they can radically transform the interior, giving it lightness and a modern feel. The main difference is in the fastening of the elements and the configuration itself. The fact is that console stair steps have no obvious support as such. You will not find in them either the stringers usual for marching variations, or the rough vertical supports characteristic of screw structures, the steps remain open on all sides, as if they are floating in the air.

An indescribable feeling of lightness is achieved by fixing only one part of the steps to an invisible support. Wall handrails are used as handrails. Penetration of light occurs to the maximum, due to the absence of risers, open treads are not cluttered with anything.

To secure the movement of people along such stairs, to strengthen the steps and at the same time not to disrupt the overall concept of the product, you can use metal cables or rods attached to the edge of the step and the ceiling. Thus, the staircase seems to be suspended in space.

The cantilever staircase will be the highlight of any interior

Advantages and Disadvantages

Console models can fascinate anyone, they simply cannot help but like them, but is there any point in using them to climb to the second floor? Their strengths and weaknesses should be examined in more detail.

Advantages of cantilever stairs:

• does not clutter up the space, and therefore takes up much less space;
• does not block light and air flows in the room;
• looks very stylish and impressive, can become the highlight of any interior;
• the consumption of materials for the main elements of the staircase is reduced;
• creates a feeling of lightness and elegance.

However, the cantilever staircase also has its disadvantages:

• requires more durable fastenings;
• not very convenient for movement;
• complex in design and execution;
• is expensive;
• due to the lack of fences it is less safe.

Based on all this, we can draw a conclusion about the advisability of erecting such a structure in a given case.

The main disadvantage of a cantilever staircase is the lack of a fence

Materials used

In order to achieve desired effect important to use suitable materials. Because main principle– this is airiness, for this purpose the following can be used:

• Metal. Steps from this material are rarely made, except perhaps in the form of a frame. Metal is primarily used for supporting elements.
• Wood and MDF. This standard option for cantilever stairs, can be combined with any details, especially MDF. It is the latter that is the favorite due to the variety of designs and the possibility of producing lightweight structures.
• Plastic. Only strong variations are used, most often only for finishing the tread of a step.
• Glass. Tempered glass steps are ideal option, they look almost weightless, although in reality they require additional strengthening.
• Concrete. The material is quite complex and heavy for this design, since reinforcement of each element is required.

Various materials are used to make a cantilever staircase.

However, cantilever stairs also have a hidden part, which ensures its fixation. For fastenings with support, metal is used primarily. It's about anchor bolts, channels and brackets.

Methods of fastening steps

The cantilever staircase does not have any obvious support as such; instead, there are several options for attaching the steps:

• Wall. The steps cut deep into the wall to a depth of 20-40 cm, depending on the type of material from which it is built.
• Kosour. It has the appearance of a complex welded structure, but on the outside it is presented as an elegant product to which steps are discreetly attached. Replaces wall mount.
• Bolza. Connect the free part of the treads, transferring the load to each next element until they are fixed in the floor and ceiling.
• Cables. Additional support, which in parallel replaces the handrails; in this case, the load from the free side of the step is transferred to the ceiling.
• Profile. More reliable option, similar to using a stringer, the steps are fixed to the profile, and then the whole thing is covered with plasterboard.

Methods of fastening the steps of a cantilever staircase

Errors during design and construction

Because it's pretty complex look staircase structure, builders and designers often make mistakes:

• incorrect way of attaching the steps to the support;
• use of thin fasteners;
• incorrect load distribution;
• installation of elements on the free edge of the step, increasing the pressure on the support;
• insufficient recess into the wall;
• use of plastic fasteners instead of metal ones;
• lack of damping gaskets in the wall for sound insulation.

If the technology is not followed, it becomes unsafe to use such a design. If the process of loosening the elements has already begun, there are two ways out of the situation: use additional clamps or convert the console model into a standard one.

This type of stairs will become great solution question about arranging the rise to the second floor in modern houses. In particular, styles such as minimalism, hi-tech, modern, loft or art deco should be noted. In order to maximize the service life and reliability of the design, involve construction work only craftsmen with a good reputation and experience in performing similar work.