Hello,
I’m new to the forum because so far I have been able to handle all our building projects with the help of experienced friends.
For 2017, I plan to waterproof our natural stone staircase.
A bit of background: We bought a house in 2015. The previous owner built the house himself.
The terrace was added later.
The entire terrace and the stairs are clad with shaped gravestones, which he took from broken stone “scrap” and shaped himself.
The stair treads are made of large solid stones.
Unfortunately, the joints are leaking and water runs into the space under the stairs.
The joints have already been regrouted multiple times.
A paving company said there is no solution other than to completely remove all the steps, install a separation layer, and then rebuild everything.
That is far too much work for us.
We don’t care about the surface appearance of the steps — the main thing is that the staircase is watertight.
I have considered different options but would like to ask what ideas experienced homeowners might have:
Idea 1 – probably not feasible: Cut aluminum checker plate step by step and weld the pieces together.
Idea 2: Lay a roofing membrane over the entire staircase and cover it with tread plates.
Idea 3 – and here I would appreciate professional advice: Pour concrete over the steps — apply a layer about 5cm (2 inches) thick?
I thought about swimming pools having concrete walls, so it should be possible to make watertight concrete.
Could I install formwork for each step and then pour concrete?
I mean the horizontal and vertical edges — so that in the end I would walk on concrete but only have about 5cm (2 inches) of concrete on the original step surface on the sides?
Does this approx. 5cm (2 inches) layer need steel reinforcement?
Do I need special concrete?
In the end, I could cover this concrete surface with tiles if I don’t like the concrete finish.
Or do you have other suggestions?
Thank you very much,
Felix
I’m new to the forum because so far I have been able to handle all our building projects with the help of experienced friends.
For 2017, I plan to waterproof our natural stone staircase.
A bit of background: We bought a house in 2015. The previous owner built the house himself.
The terrace was added later.
The entire terrace and the stairs are clad with shaped gravestones, which he took from broken stone “scrap” and shaped himself.
The stair treads are made of large solid stones.
Unfortunately, the joints are leaking and water runs into the space under the stairs.
The joints have already been regrouted multiple times.
A paving company said there is no solution other than to completely remove all the steps, install a separation layer, and then rebuild everything.
That is far too much work for us.
We don’t care about the surface appearance of the steps — the main thing is that the staircase is watertight.
I have considered different options but would like to ask what ideas experienced homeowners might have:
Idea 1 – probably not feasible: Cut aluminum checker plate step by step and weld the pieces together.
Idea 2: Lay a roofing membrane over the entire staircase and cover it with tread plates.
Idea 3 – and here I would appreciate professional advice: Pour concrete over the steps — apply a layer about 5cm (2 inches) thick?
I thought about swimming pools having concrete walls, so it should be possible to make watertight concrete.
Could I install formwork for each step and then pour concrete?
I mean the horizontal and vertical edges — so that in the end I would walk on concrete but only have about 5cm (2 inches) of concrete on the original step surface on the sides?
Does this approx. 5cm (2 inches) layer need steel reinforcement?
Do I need special concrete?
In the end, I could cover this concrete surface with tiles if I don’t like the concrete finish.
Or do you have other suggestions?
Thank you very much,
Felix
B
Bieber081511 Jan 2017 06:17It might be possible to do without the space below and build a wall on the basement side. Note: Even then, water needs to be drained somewhere, and of course, the (then somewhat smaller) basement must be waterproofed. However, the staircase could be kept as it is. The appearance would definitely matter to me here.
Hello "FelixPrüfer".
Unfortunately, I am not always able to respond promptly.
I have already mentioned that expert knowledge is necessary to address the water infiltration beneath the staircase.
Without specifically commenting on previous replies or proposed solutions:
If you apply something (waterproof) onto the staircase, you inevitably have to consider how to create a watertight connection to adjacent building components. Judging by your photos, this concerns on one hand the vertical wall surface and on the other hand the waterproofing between the stair treads and the adjoining wall surface.
Answer: almost impossible!
Applying concrete onto the old stair treads is certainly the most impractical of the possible (impractical) solutions! Because it will certainly not be concrete that can be applied here (maximum aggregate size 16 mm to 32 mm (0.6 inches to 1.25 inches), minimum installation thickness 3 x maximum aggregate size = 48 mm to 96 mm (1.9 inches to 3.8 inches)), and mineral-based building materials are not impermeable to penetrating water.
Due to the resulting (relatively poor) compaction of the mortar matrix with manual application, you might as well leave it as is and donate the money intended for material purchases to a charitable organization.
A proper construction method would involve exposing the supporting substrate (which unfortunately is the concrete of the structural staircase) and inspecting and sealing the lateral connection to the building.
By the way, this is a classic task for roofing contractors (even though that might seem strange at first glance)!
They would also explain that the horizontal waterproofing in the vertical wall surface must be protected by a covering against lateral water ingress.
This is a very extensive topic and certainly cannot be resolved by using "window putty" (as one response suggested).
-------------------
Regards, KlaRa
Unfortunately, I am not always able to respond promptly.
I have already mentioned that expert knowledge is necessary to address the water infiltration beneath the staircase.
Without specifically commenting on previous replies or proposed solutions:
If you apply something (waterproof) onto the staircase, you inevitably have to consider how to create a watertight connection to adjacent building components. Judging by your photos, this concerns on one hand the vertical wall surface and on the other hand the waterproofing between the stair treads and the adjoining wall surface.
Answer: almost impossible!
Applying concrete onto the old stair treads is certainly the most impractical of the possible (impractical) solutions! Because it will certainly not be concrete that can be applied here (maximum aggregate size 16 mm to 32 mm (0.6 inches to 1.25 inches), minimum installation thickness 3 x maximum aggregate size = 48 mm to 96 mm (1.9 inches to 3.8 inches)), and mineral-based building materials are not impermeable to penetrating water.
Due to the resulting (relatively poor) compaction of the mortar matrix with manual application, you might as well leave it as is and donate the money intended for material purchases to a charitable organization.
A proper construction method would involve exposing the supporting substrate (which unfortunately is the concrete of the structural staircase) and inspecting and sealing the lateral connection to the building.
By the way, this is a classic task for roofing contractors (even though that might seem strange at first glance)!
They would also explain that the horizontal waterproofing in the vertical wall surface must be protected by a covering against lateral water ingress.
This is a very extensive topic and certainly cannot be resolved by using "window putty" (as one response suggested).
-------------------
Regards, KlaRa
Similar topics