ᐅ Cladding Concrete Stairs with Tiles, Vinyl, or Wood Flooring?
Created on: 23 Feb 2023 16:53
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Bayernbors
Hello everyone,
The general contractor is asking us to choose the thickness of the stair covering so they can plan the concrete staircase accordingly.
They said that if we use wood, the stair covering would be 5 cm (2 inches) thick, while tiles would be about 1 cm (0.4 inches).
We like the wood look, but the price difference is very high (an additional cost of 9,000 EUR compared to tiles for 48 straight steps).
I’m wondering why there is such a large price difference. Is it because of the material cost due to the thickness difference, or the installation effort?
Do we really need to use such a thick stair covering for parquet/wood? Couldn’t we just install regular parquet (or vinyl) directly on the concrete stairs since the concrete itself is already stable?
The general contractor is asking us to choose the thickness of the stair covering so they can plan the concrete staircase accordingly.
They said that if we use wood, the stair covering would be 5 cm (2 inches) thick, while tiles would be about 1 cm (0.4 inches).
We like the wood look, but the price difference is very high (an additional cost of 9,000 EUR compared to tiles for 48 straight steps).
I’m wondering why there is such a large price difference. Is it because of the material cost due to the thickness difference, or the installation effort?
Do we really need to use such a thick stair covering for parquet/wood? Couldn’t we just install regular parquet (or vinyl) directly on the concrete stairs since the concrete itself is already stable?
Bayernbors schrieb:
The general contractor (GC) is responsible for hiring the concrete stair builder. I also plan to have several inspection points carried out by an independent expert. One of these checkpoints would be after the shell construction (including the stairs).
I was only considering hiring a craftsman myself for tasks such as flooring and stair covering, since the subcontractor working for the GC has very limited options.
That seems like a clear boundary (at least from my perspective 🙂 ) and doesn’t require extensive coordination with the GC’s tradespeople.
Another thing I partly wanted to do myself involves some Smart Home elements, but I am still discussing a clear division of responsibilities with the GC’s electrician.
Does this make the plan better? No, unfortunately it doesn’t. My comment
11ant schrieb:
No. Your stair builder will already be on site before the GC’s work is ready for handover. applies not only to a stair builder in the sense that they build the entire staircase outside the GC’s contract scope, but also effectively to anyone who merely covers the raw stairs built by the GC or the floors directly adjoining them at the top and bottom. In this case, they even have the risk of the preceding trade. I absolutely do not share your view of a clear boundary and would categorize it clearly as wishful thinking. These are precisely the fiascos — or if you prefer “fiaskata” — that completely catch laypeople by surprise, when such seemingly minor risks escalate so dramatically. The caution tape marking the boundary of the GC’s scope for custom wishes warns of the abyss beyond and is not meant as an invitation to bravely jump over it. If a 95% match between dream home and the actual GC offer isn’t good enough for you, then the GC approach is the wrong one. Ignoring this warning and charging ahead headfirst will drive your little pedal boat straight into distress. What awaits beyond this red line is getting shredded as material for a scripted reality construction blunder show. Many homeowners forget that disputes during homebuilding due to their legal value practically always start at the regional court level. Also, establish a clear interface for your Smart Home plans, meaning that the electrician only pulls cables and installs sensors and actuators, and a PLC is installed in a larger control panel, which the electrician does not need to understand. For everything else, I recommend the numerous existing forum threads on Smart Home / bus systems / LAN / access points.
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