Why You Should Never Opt for Concrete Staircases inside Your Home

14 February 2019

When it comes to the types of materials to use for staircases inside homes, wooden staircase are the preferred choice by far. While there are other options, such as precast concrete and concrete staircases, there are reasons why these are not advised to use inside your home.

To understand the reasons why precast stairs and concrete staircases are not recommended for use inside your home, it is helpful if you know the differences between them, and how these compare to wooden staircases.

Concrete Staircases vs. Precast Concrete Staircases

Poured-in-place concrete staircases – these are a permanent addition to a home, and are extremely sturdy due to the fact that contractors dig down into foundation of a home to set the bottom step. However, once installed, any adjustment or modifications are time consuming and expensive. Even the installation of concrete stairs requires concrete to be mixed onsite using a large mixing truck, and the process is highly labour intense.

Precast concrete stairs – factory moulds are used to create precast concrete stairs, which are significantly cheaper and less labour intense to install than concrete staircases. Precast concrete stairs cost about half to one third of the price of pour-in concrete staircases, mainly because the reduce labour costs and the ease of producing factory-moulded concrete steps.

Another advantage of precast concrete steps is that there is no long waiting for the concrete to dry, and the step can be used immediately after installation. Although, once precisely installed, these can’t be adjusted once set in place.

After considering the difference between precast concrete stairs and concrete staircases, comparing the difference to wooden staircases is easier to do.

Why Wooden Staircases are Better for Your Home

One of the first things a home owner should understand is that concrete staircases are more expensive, time-consuming to install, and permanent structures in your home. If ever you want to make any changes or alteration to these in the future, it will be cost intensive, compared to timber staircases.

Wooden staircases, on the other hand, are affordable, quick to install, and non-permanent structures. And, it is possible to alter or change them in any way at an affordable cost. Also, there are many types of staircase designs possible using light-weight timber that heavy concrete could not accommodate, without putting too much undue stress on your flooring.

While concrete staircases are not recommend inside your home, these are better suited in outdoor situations, as concrete can stand up to the sun, rain, and all types of weather conditions better than wood.

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