My mum lives in a house, one of a row of townhouses, where access to the
front door of each house is up a flight of about ten concrete steps.
Those steps are unattractive, and we would like to smarten them up
somehow.

I tried to persuade her to demolish the lot and have a wooden decking-
style staircase installed, but she doesn't want to do this as the
existing steps are enclosed, forming an understairs cupboard where the
bins are kept. She considered having the steps painted with concrete
paint, but I think this would look awful.

So we're now thinking of having the steps tiled or paved. She's not
keen on the thought of tiles as they could be slippery in wet weather.
She has seen half-height paving blocks in the US, which would to my mind
be about 30mm high - sort of a thick tile, if you see what I mean, and
could look attractive if fitted well. Are those available in the UK? A
web search has not turned up much.

Alternatively., does anyone have any other suggestions/ideas for what to
do?

thanks.

--
(\__/) Bunny says NO to Windows Vista!
(='.'=) http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~pgut00...ista_cost.html
(")_(") http://www.cypherpunks.to/~peter/vista.pdf

Mike Tomlinson wrote:
My mum lives in a house, one of a row of townhouses, where access to the
front door of each house is up a flight of about ten concrete steps.
Those steps are unattractive, and we would like to smarten them up
somehow.

I tried to persuade her to demolish the lot and have a wooden decking-
style staircase installed, but she doesn't want to do this as the
existing steps are enclosed, forming an understairs cupboard where the
bins are kept. She considered having the steps painted with concrete
paint, but I think this would look awful.

So we're now thinking of having the steps tiled or paved. She's not
keen on the thought of tiles as they could be slippery in wet weather.
She has seen half-height paving blocks in the US, which would to my mind
be about 30mm high - sort of a thick tile, if you see what I mean, and
could look attractive if fitted well. Are those available in the UK? A
web search has not turned up much.

Alternatively., does anyone have any other suggestions/ideas for what to
do?


What have the people in the other 9 houses done?

I suggest that your decking idea would be especially unpopular if all
the others have the original concrete steps.

Are you able to post a photograph or two? That might make it easier to
come up with some suggestions.

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

On 2008-05-01 10:12:58 +0100, Mike Tomlinson said:


My mum lives in a house, one of a row of townhouses, where access to the
front door of each house is up a flight of about ten concrete steps.
Those steps are unattractive, and we would like to smarten them up
somehow.

I tried to persuade her to demolish the lot and have a wooden decking-
style staircase installed, but she doesn't want to do this as the
existing steps are enclosed, forming an understairs cupboard where the
bins are kept. She considered having the steps painted with concrete
paint, but I think this would look awful.

So we're now thinking of having the steps tiled or paved. She's not
keen on the thought of tiles as they could be slippery in wet weather.
She has seen half-height paving blocks in the US, which would to my mind
be about 30mm high - sort of a thick tile, if you see what I mean, and
could look attractive if fitted well. Are those available in the UK? A
web search has not turned up much.

Alternatively., does anyone have any other suggestions/ideas for what to
do?

thanks.

During my search for clay pavers for my drive and pathways, I found
this company:

http://www.chelmervalley.co.uk

They have several ranges of pavers and blocks in different depths.
Their thickest version was 50mm, which was not enough for a drive but
would certainly be for steps. There was some thinner ones as well.
The products came from Holland where thinner bricks are used more than
here.

I did get some samples at the time (they will send them FoC) and they
were quite pleasing.

Unlike concrete blocks, there is not a problem with slipping provided
that there is drainage.

In article , Rod
writes

What have the people in the other 9 houses done?

Nothing.

I suggest that your decking idea would be especially unpopular if all
the others have the original concrete steps.

Pour encourager les autres

Are you able to post a photograph or two? That might make it easier to
come up with some suggestions.

Will do.

--
(\__/) Bunny says NO to Windows Vista!
(='.'=) http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~pgut00...ista_cost.html
(")_(") http://www.cypherpunks.to/~peter/vista.pdf

In article 481b4b9c@qaanaaq, Andy Hall writes

During my search for clay pavers for my drive and pathways, I found
this company:

http://www.chelmervalley.co.uk

Thanks Andy. Looks promising, I'll give them a call on Tuesday morning.


--
(\__/) Bunny says NO to Windows Vista!
(='.'=) http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~pgut00...ista_cost.html
(")_(") http://www.cypherpunks.to/~peter/vista.pdf

Mike Tomlinson wrote:

Alternatively., does anyone have any other suggestions/ideas for what to
do?

How deep are your (or her) pockets? Cotto d'Este manufacture a good
range of tiles for external use with non-slip finishes, the Buxy, Buxy
XXL and Buxy Flammé range are double-pressed unglazed tiles with
excellent resistance to abrasion and to frost. There are matching panels
for vertical surfaces and Cotto d'Este manufacture external wall
cladding ceramics in panels as thin as 3 mm. (Kerlite).

Buxy is classed as "heavy commercial" grade and it's used in airports
and railway stations.

Mike Tomlinson wrote:
In article , Rod
writes

What have the people in the other 9 houses done?

Nothing.

I suggest that your decking idea would be especially unpopular if all
the others have the original concrete steps.

Pour encourager les autres

Are you able to post a photograph or two? That might make it easier to
come up with some suggestions.

Will do.


Worked in Cardiff for a while. The casino (which I didn't visit) was
called Les Croupiers. Seems a common ploy for people who were not
members to turn up and announce they were "friends of Les" in order to
get in. :-) I wonder if they wanted to play [Admiral John] Byng-o?

Look forward to the photo(s).

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

Steve Firth wrote:
Mike Tomlinson wrote:

Alternatively., does anyone have any other suggestions/ideas for what to
do?

How deep are your (or her) pockets? Cotto d'Este manufacture a good
range of tiles for external use with non-slip finishes, the Buxy, Buxy
XXL and Buxy Flammé range are double-pressed unglazed tiles with
excellent resistance to abrasion and to frost. There are matching panels
for vertical surfaces and Cotto d'Este manufacture external wall
cladding ceramics in panels as thin as 3 mm. (Kerlite).

Buxy is classed as "heavy commercial" grade and it's used in airports
and railway stations.
I certainly would not clad the top surfaces with wood. It can get very
slippery in our climate, and if not now, then in the future, your Mum
may not be as nimble a she was!