{"id":9018210,"date":"2024-06-17T09:05:54","date_gmt":"2024-06-17T07:05:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mariusaurenti.com\/uncategorized\/micro-concrete-staircase-2\/"},"modified":"2025-02-06T16:01:53","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T15:01:53","slug":"micro-concrete-staircase-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mariusaurenti.com\/en\/blog\/micro-concrete-staircase-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Micro concrete staircase"},"content":{"rendered":"

The benefits of a micro concrete staircase<\/h2>\n

Beyond its functional role, a staircase can also be a piece of architecture in its own right.
\nIn interior design, it has the power to decorate and structure a space.
\nWith its lines, curves and geometry, it plays a unique graphic role. <\/b><\/p>\n

A treatment in micro concrete can enhance or soften the presence of a staircase, giving it unity and emphasizing its shape.
\nThen, by playing with colors, micro concrete can mark the contrast with its surroundings or, on the contrary, blend in with the walls or the continuity of the floor. <\/p>\n

Micro concrete offers a rich palette of colors<\/b> that can be applied to steps, floors and walls, indoors and out.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"B\u00e9ton\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>
MA’s micro concrete in Gris Cendr\u00e9 IVC- Photo by @marc_jardot_photographe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Creating a new staircase in micro concrete<\/b><\/h2>\n

In new construction, the micro concrete staircase<\/strong> is designed on the basis of a reinforced concrete staircase, built with a formwork by a masonry contractor. This determines the shape of the staircase and, with the right dosage of concrete, ensures that the structure will stand the test of time. <\/p>\n

When planning the construction of a new staircase with a masonry company, if you choose to create it in a concrete monoblock, simply specify that the Marius Aurenti micro concrete coating will be 2 mm thick on the treads<\/b> and 1 to 2 mm thick on the stringers and undersides of the staircase.<\/p>\n

Once the staircase has been formworked and poured, and the concrete is fully cured (i.e. with less than 4% moisture content), the micro concrete can be applied.<\/p>\n

This installation requires more or less intense sanding<\/b> with a diamond surfacer or 40-grit grit sanding to perfect the surface, removing spalls, runs and other roughness defects.<\/p>\n

As masonry concrete is a porous product, porous substrate primer<\/b> must be applied to prepare the surface. <\/p>\n

If it appears necessary to reinforce the solidity of the steps, or to compensate for problems of micro-cracking in the concrete, preparing the steps with sanded EPX2 epoxy resin<\/b> can be a good solution.<\/p>\n

The epoxy resin can also be used to bond stair nosings in the form of metal profiles, in brass, for example, or in wood, to create a contrast of materials. By default, this preparation is not necessary if the masonry is correctly executed.<\/p>\n

Micro concrete is applied more thickly to the faces and corners of the steps, which have been previously rounded by sanding, to avoid injuries caused by sharp edges. On stringboards and under surfaces, as these are purely decorative areas, an application of 1mm is sufficient.<\/p>\n

The surface of steps must be protected with<\/b> reinforced varnish<\/b>, as must floors and intensive areas (300g\/m2). <\/p>\n

Protection can be lighter, with lower consumption, on stringers and undersides (150 to 200g\/m2 of varnish). <\/p>\n

For new-build projects, and in the context of a more minimalist architecture – less cumbersome than a concrete structure that requires the use of many materials – it is possible to consider other construction methods.<\/p>\n

The staircase can be made of metal<\/b>, steel, with an inlay on the walls, or suspended from the floor and walls. There are no real limits to the creation of a metal staircase. <\/p>\n

How can I make it compatible with waxed concrete?<\/b><\/h3>\n

It is not possible to lay micro concrete directly on a metal surface. Expansion of this material may cause the concrete to crack or the substrate to delaminate. Marius Aurenti does not recommend this type of installation. <\/p>\n

However, it is possible to imagine metal frames assembled with precast Smart-Up high-performance concrete<\/b> slabs. <\/p>\n

High-performance fiber-reinforced concrete can be left raw or covered with a layer of Marius Aurenti millimetric micro concrete. <\/p>\n

This finish has the advantage of ensuring color accuracy<\/b> and a good degree of slipperiness<\/b> and step protection<\/b>.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Escaliers
A white micro concrete staircase.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The other solution, still based on metal frames, is to use Vigorn panels<\/b>, cut and installed inside these frames, in a thickness of 14 or 24mm, which is what we recommend for this type of use. <\/p>\n

Vigorn panels, like UHPC slabs, can be covered with micro concrete.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Escaliers
Marius Aurenti concrete staircase<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the case of a wooden staircase<\/b>, it’s a question of playing on the layout between the wooden structure and the use of Vigorn slabs cut to the dimensions of the steps. <\/p>\n

Their thickness of 14 or 24 mm makes them extremely lightweight, while their composition enables them to adapt perfectly to the wood. <\/p>\n

(See Vigorn slabs and the Manufacture workshop, which can produce standard slabs as well as made-to-measure items to drawings).<\/i><\/p>\n

Renovating a staircase with waxed concrete<\/b><\/h2>\n

If the staircase is to be renovated, and if it is made of painted concrete<\/b>, it needs to be mechanically sanded with a diamond sander to remove all the paint, allowing the concrete to adhere properly to the structure itself. <\/p>\n

Once the structure has been stripped bare, the work is carried out as if it were new.<\/p>\n