Help prepping treads and risers on external steps - TilersForums.com

[JLM Tiling]

outside

 

[Tony73]

well, good luck anyway

 

[Spud]

I can mange the maths no problem but thanks all the same tony. The problem is not being able to take a step down any. So would have to work off the largest step. Or I could just use SLC on the largest step and keep it down to only a few mm depending on how rough the vandex is on that particular one. Just want everything spot on before I even get the tiles out!

what floor finish is at the top of the staircase?

 

[Spud]

here are some pictures of the work i am doing at the moment some of the concrete is up to 15mm different fro step to step with the raked riser you talked about using the maths I have managed to make all the steps equal and made stair strings fro the tiles too all in 4.8mm porcelain

 

[JLM Tiling]

Its still the vandex. The steps go up on the side of the building to a top flat area about a m2 or so and the door is on the left. Tiling that as well. I'm wondering now how much height I have at the top that I can eat into. Also the top step is the highest so I could just use 6mm board on the top and thats one less to worry about. I think I'm going to follow your advice Gary on working out an average etc. The whole thing is tricky though, if it wasn't for the substantial curve on the internal angle and it was all just nice and square then I could just cut a load of boards to the established average and just bang them in but I cant do that as every curve is different! And it also means I havent got anything to measure from to be spot on to the mm. The whole job is just bloody frustratingly awkward!! Pulling my hair out all afternoon!!

 

[JLM Tiling]

Yeah that sounds like an identical situation! How did you do it? I can do the maths part easy to work out what each one SHOULD be but how do I get it there?!

 

[Spud]

there are several ways of doing it the top rise height being larger isnt a major issue ,what type of tile will you be using on the stairs

 

[JLM Tiling]

Porcs, not sure how thick

 

[JLM Tiling]

The top one is 179mm, the rest are around about the 174mm mark with the very bottom being 160mm. What is the tolerance according to BS do you know? Cheers for all your help with this one Gary it is starting to click me thinks!

 

[Spud]

Porcs, not sure how thick

what size 60x60?

 

[JLM Tiling]

I think they're 600x600. Bigger than the steps, thats all i need to know! And the customer wants to have one full tile centre and then a cut either side of it just to make it even more complicated!! Loving it

 

[Tony73]

if its outside, than you do 2-4mm fall for water to run off. so you can win some mm. on than and some on risers. As Gary said , work on average. I know stairs sometimes hard, when they are diferent sizes and not paralel etc.

 

[Spud]

The top one is 179mm, the rest are around about the 174mm mark with the very bottom being 160mm. What is the tolerance according to BS do you know? Cheers for all your help with this one Gary it is starting to click me thinks![/QUOTE you will need to do this in sand and cement for the treads and you may be able to stick the riser with adhesive but i am thinking mortar bed for the risers too
I would cut a gauging template and start from the bottom ,which i know is counter intuative but works for me when tilng stairs that are badly out, the guaging template is cut to the height of 2 step heights and the depth of one step cut away to form right angle which you can use to set each riser at exactly the same height and spacing away from one another once the riser are set you can back fill these with sand and cement and slurry the treads on here as picture of one i did like this a few years ago

 

[JLM Tiling]

I like the gauge idea, very nice. Only problem is getting around the curve. I'll take a photo tomorrow so I can show you what I mean. I'm gonna have to come up and out by at least 10mm to get past that in itself. I'll do that first so I've got a square angle to work from and then do it the way you say. Props for the advice mucker, helped clear it all up in my noggin. I'll take pics tomorrow and show you how it comes together. Might even go for JOTM!