Clinker tile for steps: a competent choice of material

The external or internal staircase, as well as the porch of the house are subjected to constant mechanical stress, temperature changes, and the influence of weather conditions. This adversely affects the condition of the cladding material. Clinker tile for steps is the most suitable product that can withstand all of the above impacts and last for many years. The article will consider the types, features, characteristics of clinker tiles, as well as tips on laying and the cost of the material.

Clinker tile is a universal material for facing external and internal stairs

• 1 Characteristics of clinker tiles for steps on the street
  • 1.1 Distinctive features of the product
• 2 Types of clinker steps for the porch
• 3 Clinker tile for steps: product price
• 4 Installation of clinker tiles
  • 4.1 Selection of glue for clinker tiles
  • 4.2 Popular brands of glue
• 5 Laying clinker tiles: video instructions

Characteristics of clinker tiles for steps on the street

Today, the most popular finishing materials that can be used for facing the walls of a building, stairs, steps, platforms are porcelain stoneware and clinker tiles. However, the latter option is much cheaper, easier to install, and has a number of indisputable advantages, not inferior to natural material.

The characteristics of clinker tiles are in no way inferior to natural materials

For the manufacture of clinker tiles, environmentally friendly materials are used, the main of which is considered refractory clay. Silicate materials, loamy nodules, feldspar are used as additional additives.

A special technology for the manufacture of facing material, namely a single firing in furnaces at temperatures above 1300 ° C, allows you to get a product with high performance and technical characteristics, which is ideal for finishing steps.

Clinker facing tiles are made in two ways:

• the extruded method involves pressing the material, firing in furnaces at high temperature and drying the product;
• the method of semi-dry pressing excludes the drying stage of the product.

The steps made of clinker tiles are highly resistant to wear and environmental influences

According to the first method of manufacturing, the product is resistant to mechanical influences and aggressive environment. Such tiles are designed for sidewalks, street platforms, stairs and paths on the street.

The material produced by the second method will have a low thermal conductivity. Such clinker tiles are suitable for facing the facade of a building, since the abrasion resistance and mechanical load for walls are not as important as for the flooring of the porch and stairs.

Distinctive features of the product

Clinker tile has characteristic features that puts this product in the first place in the rating of materials for street cladding.

Facing the steps with clinker tiles is practical, convenient and simply beautiful

The main feature of clinker tiles for steps on the street is increased resistance to temperature changes. This is especially important during the zero mark, when the liquid begins to move from one aggregate state to another. The material is able to withstand about 300 such cycles without loss of strength. This is important for stairs. Here, the joints between the steps and the approaches are susceptible to heavy load, and the slightest detachment can lead to the destruction of the entire structure.

Due to the extrusion method of production of clinker tiles, it has a low water absorption rate. Its structure has capillary channels through which excess moisture is discharged. Therefore, the occurrence of mechanical damage on the surface of the cladding is excluded.

Outdoor floor facing material should have increased wear resistance. Since the clinker tile for the steps has an abrasion class IV and V, this guarantees a long service life of the product. The material with the highest wear resistance index is produced by German manufacturers.

Clinker tile provides a wide range of options for the design of steps

The most durable coating is made by Stroeher. Such a tile can be scratched with effort, but not a single trace will remain on it. The Spanish clinker is inferior to its German counterpart in this indicator, but its price is much lower. Polish companies very often issue ordinary ceramic tiles under the guise of clinker. And clinker steps of Russian production combine high quality of the material and relatively low cost of production.

Clinker tiles for the porch should have anti-slip properties to avoid injury. All ceramic products according to the European standard DIN 51130 are divided into five classes:

• clinker R9 is used for laying massive wide stairs that have several tiers;
• clinker tile R10 is used for premises of public importance, where it is possible to perform not only the facing of the stairs, but also all its elements;
• R11 tile is used for finishing stairs in art studios, creative workshops, laboratories, factories;

The quality of clinker tiles depends on the production technology

• the indicator R12 has clinker tiles for the porch on the street. Due to the high indicators of wear resistance, strength and frost resistance, the material can be used for finishing freezers, cleaning systems, fire stations.

An important indicator for ceramic products that are used for flooring is the resistance of the material to bending loads. The strength value of ceramic tiles is 20 MPa. Since the main load during the operation of the stairs falls on the edge of the step, it is difficult to overestimate the strength properties of the clinker here.

Thanks to the structural surface of the clinker, a better adhesion of the base to the glue is provided, which affects the durability of the structure.

Varieties of clinker steps for the porch

Clinker tiles for the street can be technical, waterproof and facing. The first option is used mainly for sidewalks, platforms in front of the building, in rooms with high traffic, for example, underground passages, train stations.

For finishing the steps, clinker facing tiles with high strength are usually used

Waterproof cladding products are used in swimming pools, saunas, baths, showers and other rooms with high humidity. The facing option is used for exterior decoration of the facade of the building, internal and external stairs.

Well-known manufacturers of clinker for stairs produce material in various formats:

• clinker steps with a notch;
• ordinary steps;
• plates with florentine profile;
• corner clinker steps;
• corner baseboard;
• right and left baseboards;
• ordinary skirting board;
• the angle under the step;
• profiled steps with an angle;
• balcony linings.

Manufacturers produce various types of clinker tiles suitable for many purposes

All products are produced in various tonal and geometric variations, which allows even structurally complex stairs to be lined. The specific coloring of floor tiles is obtained as a result of exposure to high temperature on natural clay compounds, such as iron, magnesium, silicon, which, passing into other forms, color the product. Therefore, due to the different content of natural materials in the raw materials, the output floor tiles have a rich range of colors.

Clinker tile for steps: the price of the product

You can buy clinker tiles for steps starting from 150 rubles per piece. The price of the product depends on its thickness, variety, design and manufacturer.

With the use of clinker tile cladding, you can create beautiful and durable steps

The most popular facing materials are produced by the German company Stroeher. These are massive, monolithic, frost-resistant steps that will become the highlight of any interior.

The cost of clinker tiles of domestic production is much less, and the quality is not inferior to foreign manufacturers

 The Polish company Paradyz offers a wide variety of shades and colors of paving clinker tiles, which has high technical and operational characteristics, is able to withstand significant loads without loss of structural strength and pristine appearance of the product.

Installation of clinker tiles

Facing staircases is one of the most difficult jobs for a tiler, which undoubtedly affects the price. Laying clinker tiles on the steps is one of the most expensive services along with other facing works. Before laying the tiles, it is necessary to perform waterproofing.

The scheme of laying clinker tiles on the steps

Useful advice! Reinforced concrete is the best option as a base for stairs.

The first and most important stage is the markup. Here it is necessary to take into account several parameters at the same time: the plane, the evenness of the seams and the same height of all steps. The standard step height is 15 cm, width is 30 cm. The most popular size of clinker tiles for steps is the format of 30×30 cm and a thickness of 15-30 mm. To calculate the number of steps, it is necessary to divide the total length of the stairs by the height of one step.

When calculating the number of tiles, it is important to adhere to the integrity of the product. Each pruning will degrade the appearance of the entire cladding. Also marking the stairs, it is worth considering that the porch has sidewalls, which consist of vertical cladding.

Next, place a horizontal beacon row. He will set the plane and suture. Now you can start laying the first row. The width of the joints between the tiles is 4-5 mm. When the laid tile grabs, you can lay the risers.

Important! The steps should be made with a slope of 1-1.5 ° to avoid stagnation of water and the formation of puddles.

Since the back side of the tile has a low porosity, it is necessary to coat both the base and the product itself with glue. The thickness of the adhesive layer is approximately equal to the thickness of the tile. However, it is better to make the layer thinner than thicker. Be sure to level the surface so that there are no voids.

Due to the variety of form factors, steps and risers can be joined in various variations. To create a voluminous and spectacular laying of clinker tiles on the steps, overlap is performed. With this method, a gap of about 2-3 mm is left between the spout of the curly step and the riser. The main advantage of this option is that you can not achieve a perfectly smooth trimming of the vertical plate. This method is used for laying clinker on wood or metal.

Laying the steps butt-to-butt is possible exclusively on a concrete base, since its coefficient of thermal expansion is similar to that of clinker.

Between the clinker steps, it is necessary to leave gaps of about 10-12 mm, which are rubbed with special semi-dry mixtures for wide seams.

Useful advice! It is not necessary to glue the protruding part of the step. This will preserve the integrity of the structure during deformation of the base.

Choosing glue for clinker tiles

The construction market offers a wide range of adhesive compositions intended for outdoor work. Adhesives are divided into the following types:

• universal;
• reinforced;
• moisture resistant;
• white;
• heat-resistant;
• mixture for non-standard surfaces;
• frost-resistant.

The choice of glue for laying tiles should be approached carefully

Universal adhesive is suitable for lining the interior elements of the room with small and medium-sized tiles. This adhesive mixture is not suitable for outdoor work, because it does not have sufficient elasticity and frost resistance. It is not able to ensure the strength of the joint, which can lead to the destruction of clinker steps.

The reinforced type of glue is suitable for facing surfaces with large tiles with dimensions of more than 30×30 cm. It reacts well to static and dynamic loads, but it does not tolerate temperature fluctuations well. Therefore, this is not the best option for outdoor work.

Moisture-resistant adhesive is used for objects that are exposed to constant or prolonged exposure to water. However, such glue is not suitable for outdoor work. Heat-resistant adhesive mixture is used for facing stoves, fireplaces and other objects with high temperature. Adhesive composition for non-standard surfaces is used for laying tiles on metal or wood. White glue is used for facing transparent mosaic tiles.

High-quality adhesive composition is able to ensure a long service life of clinker steps

Frost-resistant glue is intended for laying tiles on the street. It guarantees the resistance of the cladding to temperature changes. The composition is based on special additives that provide elasticity and good adhesion of the base with clinker, and at the same time prevent deformation of the adhesive.

Popular brands of glue

The most popular brands of frost-resistant glue are: Ceresit CM 17, Ceresit CM 117 and Yunis 2000.

The main advantages of the Ceresit CM 17 adhesive mixture are good adhesion and excellent elasticity. Glue is not afraid of moisture. The composition is able to withstand temperature changes in the range from – 50 ° C to 70 ° C for 100 cycles. After 30 minutes after application, the mixture completely solidifies.

Moisture- and frost-resistant Ceresit CM 117 adhesive is suitable for different types of bases: concrete, lime, cement. It can be used for indoor and outdoor work. The adhesive is ideal for lining outdoor pools. It is able to withstand temperatures from -50 °C to 70 °C for more than 100 cycles. The time reserve for adjustment work on laying tiles is 20 minutes.

Tiles laid according to all the rules using high-quality materials

The adhesive composition of Unis 2000 has a wide scope of application. It can withstand temperature fluctuations from – 50 ° to 50 ° C for about 30-40 cycles. After 10 minutes after application, it completely hardens.

The steps made of clinker tiles not only protect the porch or staircase from destruction, but also create a monumental and elegant look of the entire structure. Despite the fact that this facing material is expensive, it has high technical and operational characteristics and can last for many years without losing its original appearance.

Whether you’re a homeowner looking to enhance your living space or a business seeking to elevate the ambiance of your commercial property, look no further than Luxury Staircase Railings. Our high-quality staircase railings are designed to add a touch of sophistication and safety to any space.