ᐅ Tiles on a quarter-turn staircase – Does anyone have experience with this?

Hello,

we had a half-turn concrete staircase tiled. Beforehand, the tiler told us he would need 42 tiles sized 60x60cm (24x24 inches) for 15 steps. He explained that usually there would be only one joint, and on the long stair treads in the corners (about max. 140cm (55 inches) long) there would typically be one more joint.

Since I wanted to avoid this extra joint (or the small triangular pieces that would then appear in the corner), I suggested using 40x80cm (16x31 inches) tiles there instead.

So one half with 60x60cm (24x24 inches) tiles, the other half with 40x80cm (16x31 inches) tiles. That would add up to 140cm (55 inches). If necessary, two times 40x80cm (16x31 inches) tiles could be used, which would be more than enough (160cm (63 inches)).

He said that was possible, and even the tile supplier agreed that it was a good solution.

Accordingly, only 36 of the 60cm (24 inches) tiles and 8 of the 40x80cm (16x31 inches) tiles were ordered.

We also went over everything again on site. He seemed to have understood everything.

Now I come to the construction site and there are two joints on the long steps.
He said it couldn’t be done any other way, which I can’t really understand.

Are there any tilers here who can explain this to me? Mathematically, I can’t make sense of it.
Two tiles in these sizes should easily fit on one stair tread.

I am a bit disappointed. I wonder why you put so much thought into it, discuss everything, buy accordingly, and in the end it’s done differently.

Without a photo of the actual execution, I have no opinion on this (except that it could have been worked out in detail for each step individually).

---

https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/

Here is a photo. It looks like a 40 x 80 tile was used there. I haven’t measured it, but a 60 (24 inches) tile probably would have avoided the triangular gap.

I think the reason is that 40 (16 inches) and 60 (24 inches) tiles have different firing colors (although I can’t see it), and they didn’t want to mix them on the same step.

I don’t fully understand the problem yet. You didn’t want longitudinal joints in the corners of the spiral staircase.

But if the steps have a depth greater than 40 cm (16 inches) at any point, how can 40x80 cm (16x31 inches) tiles help?

Or put differently: Why did you replace the 60x60 cm (24x24 inches) tiles? I don’t understand why that was supposed to be a good idea, and why your tiler and the tile supplier even praised it.

Sorry, but in my opinion, 40x80 cm (16x31 inches) was a bad choice because on a spiral staircase, the depth of the steps in the corners is greater than 40 cm (16 inches) — which is why you ended up with that ugly longitudinal joint.

If I’m right, the others involved weren’t exactly the sharpest tools in the shed either...

chand1986 schrieb:

But if the steps are deeper than 40cm (15.7 inches) at any point, how can 40x80 tiles help?

Or another way: Why did you replace the 60x60 tiles? I don’t understand why that would be a good idea, and why your tiler and the tile seller even applauded it?

I think the original idea was to install the narrower 40x80 tiles on the inside edge, and the 60x60 ones on the outside (which is what the photo shows).

chand1986 schrieb:

Or another way: Why did you replace the 60x60 tiles?

Because the step is 140cm (55 inches) long at its longest point (corner by the wall, see photo up to the stairwell).
With two 60cm (24 inches) tiles you get only 120cm (47 inches), and there would definitely be a triangular gap in the corner.
Since 60 + 80 = 140, the 40x80 tiles were chosen for the longer steps.

Ah, okay... and this would have been necessary exactly at 8 steps?

Because then I would be interested in the tiler's reasoning.