Marble staircases

Cladding

Each step gets a tread, the part you walk on, and a riser, the upright face. Treads are usually 2 or 3 cm, risers 1 to 2 cm. No two cast steps are exactly the same, so we template and cut each piece on its own.

Nosings and grip

The nosing is where a tread gets knocked, so we usually round it off with a half-round or eased edge. A square edge with a small chamfer looks sharper on a modern stair.

Polished marble is slippery in socks or wet shoes. On stairs used every day we'd go honed, or cut two or three grooves near the edge, or hone just the nosing on a polished tread. Outdoor steps are never polished, see terraces.

Floating and backlit

Our projects include a floating onyx staircase lit from behind. Stairs like that sit on a steel structure anchored in the wall, with the stone fixed over it. Floating treads need thicker stone, often 4 cm or a mitred box, and the wall has to take the load. That's for an engineer to check before we cut anything.

Turning stairs

On a winding stair every tread is a different shape. With veined marble we plan the cuts on the slab so the veins run the same way all the way up.

Weight and timing

A 100 by 30 cm tread in 3 cm marble weighs about 24 kg. Fifteen steps with risers is close to 500 kg, carried in piece by piece. The stair is out of use for a few days while the adhesive cures, so if it's the only way upstairs, plan around it.

Old stone stairs

Many stone stairs in old Troyes houses are worn into a dip in the middle. Light wear can be honed out. Deep wear means cutting back and fitting a new nosing. See restoration. A landing and threshold in the same stone carry it through the house.

Every staircase is priced on a free quote after we've measured it. Call +33 7 45 20 76 39.