Cladding terrazzo stairs

Cladding terrazzo stairs  

If you’re one of those people who have old terrazzo stairs at home, now is probably the time to start thinking about renovation. Not that terrazzo is a poor quality material – quite the opposite. But after decades of use it may have worn out, and above all it is no longer suitable for most modern interiors appearance-wise. But let’s take a closer look at terrazzo as a material.

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A terrazzo staircase 

Those of us who are currently struggling with terrazzo stairs very likely inherited them from our forebears, or the original owners of the house. So let’s first take a look at what this material actually is. Terrazzo is a mixture of cement, fine stone chippings (such as marble) and dyes, whose design is meant to somehow mimic a luxurious-looking stone. It was applied to stairs in two forms, either as tiles or as a cast layer. In both cases, terrazzo was in most cases used only as a lining for a concrete structure, as it is too expensive and heavy to be used for the entire mass of the staircase.  

Terrazzo as a material is, of course, not entirely a thing of the past: even today there are several companies that use it, so let’s take a closer look at its properties.

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ADVANTAGES‍‍

• High resistance, even to point loads 
• High hardness and load capacity 
• Does not react to temperaturechanges 
• Non-flammability 
• Water resistance 
• Resistance to pests 
• Very quiet to use 
• Aesthetic interest 
• Maintenance-free 
• It is an excellent base for all types of cladding 

DISADVANTAGES ‍‍

• Very heavy material (may not be suitablefor rebuilding older houses due to the load-bearing capacity of thefloors) 
• Construction is lengthy and involves longtechnological downtimes and many design steps, and the final design is not evencertain when casting 
• Requires highly skilled labour 
• It is not flexible at all for futurerebuilding and reconstruction (it allows mostly only superficialreconstruction) 
• Not suitable for barefoot walking – toocold 
• It has a very specific appearance and willprobably never give the impression of warmth 
• After long use, the middle of the stairs gets worn down and sanding is very expensive 
• Lower resistance to chemicals, especially those with acidic pH (limestone admixtures) 
• High price 

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Our rating of terrazzo as a material for interior staircases – 4/10 

As already mentioned, terrazzo in the interior is something of a relic of the past and has minimal use in contemporary interior architecture. The problem is not just its specific appearance, but above all because of its very specific characteristics. However, this does not mean that it is completely useless – quite the opposite. For many decades it has faithfully served and protected the staircase structure with one of the highest possible hardness and durability. It is therefore the perfect substrate for a new layer of cladding (there is certainly no need to laboriously remove it before cladding). And since we sell laminate cladding at TOPSTEP, we naturally want to show you why we believe it makes great choice.

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TOPSTEP laminate cladding 

Laminate cladding is generally a very good option for terrazzo staircases, but of course we cannot guarantee the general quality of products from other manufacturers. But we can vouch for ours, and we do. We pride ourselves on the high quality of our products – from the materials (highly durable HDF board body and the highest quality laminate), to the processing (we offer unique laminate processing on postforming machines that allows us to deliver products with a rounded edge on the cladding tile without any splitting of material that occurs with our competitors), to the installation (by our trained craftsmen). In addition, our cladding solves most of the disadvantages of terrazzo (all of which can be remedied by changing the surface) and it makes the ideal material for staircase reconstruction – even unevenness or crumbling edges are not an obstacle, our systems can cope with all problems.

We are happy to describe the great features of our cladding, but we have to change our approach slightly, and move from advantages and disadvantages to properties. In fact, we have tweaked our cladding systems so that we don’t see any disadvantages.

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Properties 

Flexibility: TOPSTEP laminate cladding can be used to clad staircases of any shape, number of steps, with or without a landing. It can be used for cladding newly built stairs as well as for reconstruction by cladding – it also solves any unevenness and loss of substrate strength.

High resistance: The A3-4 quality laminate is virtually unbreakable, resists heavy impact and abrasion, and is resistant to UV rays and common chemicals.  

Long-lasting beauty: TOPSTEP laminate profiles retain their appearance for many years without the need for maintenance work, the only maintenance required is wiping off dirt with a damp cloth.

Wide range of decors: We offer a variety of shapes, patterns, and colours that make it easy to match the stairs to the rest of your home’s interior.

Easy and quick installation: Our laminate systems are designed for efficiency, ensuring both easy and quick installation – a simple staircase can be clad in as little as one day, and it’s ready to go as soon as the job is complete. And you don’t have to worry about mess either, installation creates the absolute minimum of it.

Cost-effectiveness: Laminate offers an excellent price-performance ratio, is more affordable than many other materials, but does not compromise on quality or appearance.

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How about the cladding? With TOPSTEP it’s easy! 

TOPSTEP offers laminate staircase cladding in two product series – FLEX and PROFI. The product series do not differ in quality, but there is a price difference. This is due to the difference in approach – FLEX is designed for self-installation by the customer (and therefore you only pay for the material), while the PROFI series comes with a complete service, from measurement to installation – you just have to choose which you prefer. What you can specifically expect:

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PROFI

• IInstallation within 3 weeks
• Choice of 15+ wood decors and 3 nosing profiles
• 3D configurator – you can design the entire staircase and immediately see how your chosen elements would look, with the option to send the configured stairs directly to a TOPSTEP sales representative
• Staircases without work and stress free, with guaranteed high-quality workmanship and installation
• Possibility to choose accessories such as banisters or LED stair lighting

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FLEX

• Delivery of all material within 5 working days 
• Choice of 8 wooden decors with the option of a white riser 
• Lower price – you are only paying for the material 
• A fun Saturday with a construction set for adults 

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