Ceramic tiles, by virtue of the many positive attributes, have become the ideal material for flooring and walling purposes. These days more and more people are opting for ceramic tiled floors and walls for their kitchens and baths and even for the living areas. In fact, people are even installing ceramic tile on stair treads.
What Makes Ceramic Tiles The Best Choice For Your Stair Treads?
If you consider the many positive points of ceramic tiles, you too will back up others decision of installing ceramic tile on stair treads. True to their nature, ceramic tiles make excellent staircases that last you a lifetime. Ceramic tiles score high on the hygiene factor and so you will not have any headache in the form of mildew and mold.
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Moreover, since cleaning tiled surfaces is not really a tricky and tedious chore, ceramic tiles seem the ideal choices for staircases, both indoors and outdoors. Furthermore, if you talk in terms of home décor, the use of attractive ceramic tiles in stair treads is beyond doubt a real treat for the eyes!
Best Ceramic Tiles For Your Stair Treads
Staircases being one of the high traffic areas of your home, you need to be extra attentively about the selection of tiles and the installation procedure. The choice, as such will depend on the environmental conditions, but the basic requirement happens to be the ‘non-slip’ or ‘slip-resistant’ feature of the tiles. This certainly is a nice solution to prevent accidental skids as is the tile nosing design. (In the US, for example, a maximum radius in the tread nosing of ˝ inches is ‘Okayed’ by the American with Disability Act).
Tiles that have a rough finish, a high COF rating and are grooved, ridged at the nosing are suited for stair treads. Otherwise, the other traits of the tread tiles should match your criteria for standard flooring and walling tiles. So, test the tiles for strength and durability. Price of the tiles is undoubtedly a consideration but that should not be your sole criteria because if the tread tiles chip-off/ break at the slightest hint, then all the hard work you do for installing ceramic tile on stair treads will be a mere waste of time.
What Are Essential To Installing Ceramic Tiles On Stair Treads?
Ceramic tiles are usually installed over stairways constructed of concrete, steel, and wood. The installation procedure is nothing very different from the way you do it on flat floors and walls. The only difference is that cover-area wise the stair treads are very small and require more precision and commitment from the installer.
You will need a mortar-bed for installing ceramic tile on stair treads irrespective of whether you are working with steel, concrete, or wooden stair base. Of course, the base will have to be bereft of any flaws like cracks and gaps. A tread mortar bed should be 1-1/4 inches thick nominally and you will need to smoothen, level it to ensure that the mortar bed does not give rise to irregularities in the riser/tread aspects and disrupt the normal run of the staircase.
Follow this up with installing the ceramic tiles. If it is a steel or wooden base you are working on, the thin set method will do; however, you will a need to apply cement paste or latex on the mortar bed for installing ceramic tile on stair treads having concrete base. Carefully straighten the entire tile edging and nosing, taking care that the ultimate tiling work is fault-free. You cannot compromise with design defects. Remember, improper tile installation may lead to life-threatening accidents.
Caution: Before you go forward with installing ceramic tile on stair treads you will have to attend to the waterproofing needs of the staircase, especially if it happens to be outdoor staircase.
by Manuel Kupka
