Thinking about what steps will be in the house, we first of all understand that they should be reliable and safe. The staircase must withstand daily stress for many years. Despite the many structural elements, steps made of artificial stone remain the most important part of the flight of stairs. The requirements for the quality of the material are different for everyone, therefore, designing a home staircase does not hurt to learn about such material as artificial stone.
Quality advantage of stone steps
Artificial stone steps for stairs have many advantages over other materials. Artificial material has a fairly high strength, such steps do not deform from everyday stress, do not creak when climbing and descending, and most importantly - they have aesthetic nobility and royal solemnity.
Oddly enough, in this issue, artificial material has an advantage over natural stone. Firstly, the cost of the latter is many times higher. Only a very rich person can afford such a luxury. For the average consumer, this will be economically unjustified costs. Secondly, not every building can support the heavy weight of natural stone. This also needs to be taken into account.
The shape of the steps for every taste
With artificial stone you can fantasize. The production technology of the material allows you to create any shape and shade according to the customer. Stair structures are easy to assemble, turn into a real work of art in skillful hands. Decorative stone is also used to create balusters and railings. Ready flight of stairs attracts with its unity of forms and the perfect combination of colors. Quartz agglomerate has more than eighty color solutions and well takes the desired shape, as it receives great ductility during the manufacturing process.
What are famous for steps from quartz
Artificial quartz is the most common building and decoration material. Most often it is made of stairs. Quartz stone has established itself as the most durable material with unique strength. He is not afraid of unforeseen mechanical damage, strong impacts and numerous friction. Stair steps made of artificial stone will look like new even after ten years of operation. Their shine will not fade under the sharp heels of female stilettos and from the daily running around of children's legs.
The quartz steps are very easy to care for. Simply wipe them with a damp cloth, and they will return to their former shine. The steps made of artificial stone have a smooth, impermeable structure, so no coloring substances will leave irreducible spots on the surface.
It is worth noting that artificial stone does not contribute to the propagation of fungal infections and mold. The material is not afraid of dampness and is successfully used even in medical institutions with increased sterility.
Quartz agglomerate is an environmentally friendly material in which the natural radiation background is completely absent. Artificial stone steadily resists high temperatures, does not melt and does not heat up, which is especially important with internal cladding.
If, as a result of active operation, a chip or a scratch appears on the steps, then such a defect can easily be restored with special resin compounds.
How to make steps of artificial stone
The quartz agglomerate, from which steps for stairwells are made, is a combination of crushed stone chips and polyester resin. These materials are mixed in special mixers and poured into rubber molds in which air bubbles are removed that adversely affect the strength of the finished product. Quartz chips occupy 96% of the volume of the agglomerate, so this material can be called natural.
Making steps from artificial stone is a rather time-consuming process, but the result is worth it. Manufacturers closely monitor the quality of products, constantly improve performance.
The disadvantages of artificial stone
Among the many advantages, it is quite difficult to find significant shortcomings of such material, but they still exist.
Some types of agglomerates lose their color under prolonged exposure to sunlight. Also, steps made of artificial stone are afraid of strong aggressive acids. Since the material is 96% natural stone, the design will be constantly cool to the touch. In the winter season, walking bare feet on such stairs is uncomfortable. In addition, the smooth surface of the steps can be too slippery, especially when moisture gets on the surface of the artificial stone. This disadvantage is eliminated by applying special notches.