teps
are one of those features no one notices — until they’re done wrong.
For more and more package-pool customers, the right way to make steps
is from concrete, and stretch the liner over them.
Because the liner goes over the steps,
it gives the pool a more cohesive, high-end gunite look. Concrete
steps also keep the pool from looking old prematurely: Any time you
update the liner, it’s like you have a new set of steps as well.
Otherwise, you have to match a brand-new
liner with “that 8- or 10-year old plastic stair that’s going to have
hairline cracks, is going to be stained, [and might] have settlement
where it’s starting to get a little soft,” says Shane Bosemer, vice
president of Gym & Swim in Louisville, Ky.
But to offer concrete steps, builders
must make an investment in extra time to the project and to training
crews unfamiliar with form work. And customers must be willing to
wait because this feature can put off completion for a week or two,
depending on whether you order the liner before or after building
the steps.
But the extra effort is worth it for
builders. “I’m getting $2,500 to $4,000 for a set of poured steps,”
Bosemer says.
Pouring concrete steps involves a few,
well, steps — and an eye for detail. Once you’ve built a few sets,
Bosemer says, it gets pretty easy. “Our guys have it down to where
they can set up steps in about two hours now,” he says.
|
|
|
to enlarge, click
on image
|
Here are seven pointers for building
steps like a pro:
1
Place the steps.
Placing steps on a rectangular pool is pretty easy. Either put them
in a corner or let them span the pool width.
Freeform pools are another matter.
You could choose a radius and fill it up with the stairs. A 6-foot
radius is an ideal place. This leaves a healthy 12-foot-wide step
that doesn’t eat up too much pool space. “It makes a really wide,
comfortable step,” says Mando Insignares, president of Cool Pool &
Spa Inc. in Pearl River, N.Y. “You can step down into the pool with
no problem and sit on each of the steps.”
Another tactic is to find a long, sweeping
radius and project the steps into part of that area.
2
Size the steps.
Make sure the steps are wide enough to be comfortable, and project
out far enough so you don’t miss them. Make the first tread at least
16 inches wide at the center, knowing that it will taper off at the
sides if it’s in a radius or corner. The lower steps can have a shorter
reach, say, 12 inches or more.
Additional steps
|
Here are two things
to consider before ordering the liner:
When to order: If you order the
liner before pouring the steps, your crews must build close
to the exact measurements you provided the liner company.
“If somebody messes up, then you’re stuck with a [useless]
liner,” warns Mando Insignares, president of Cool Pool & Spa
Inc. in Pearl River, N.Y.
Some builders wait to order
the liner until after the steps are completed. This gives
the crews a little more leeway. But it also prolongs completion
of the pool by however much time you must wait to receive
the liner.
Preventing slippage:
The top step, in particular, can get pretty slippery. With
the water only a couple of inches deep, sun can warm that
area more quickly, causing algae to form. Advise customers
of this fact and encourage them to stay on top of maintenance.
Also consider ordering the
liner with a special textured material on the steps. Some
manufacturers only offer this material in certain colors,
however, which may not match your client’s liner choice. If
the clients don’t like the color of the textured steps, consider
adhering a textured material to the steps. You can purchase
the same product that’s used on diving boards.
|
|
“You need to have enough area in the middle so when they step in,
they’ll definitely hit the step” rather than step clear over it, Bosemer
says.
Consider turning the first or second
step into a tanning ledge by expanding one tread. This way, users
have enough room to sit or lay on it.
Figure out how far the set of stairs
protrude into the pool, to make sure the last step doesn’t land where
the slope starts to break. Do this by adding the thickness of the
treads together.
3
Form the stairs.
Begin forming the stairs after you’ve set the pool’s wall panels.
In setting the forms, make sure the
first step will rest at least 1 or 2 inches underwater. This will
help keep the liner down after the pool is filled.
You can build forms similar to the
illustration (above). Major components include:
• riser boards, which outline the front of the step
• kickers, which serve as braces to hold the riser boards up
• stakes that hold everything in place
• several different boards to hold the whole thing together.
Regardless of your system, it will
need extra reinforcement on the bottom step. With all the weight of
the stairs bearing down on those bottom forms, they are most susceptible
to falling over. This system includes extra kickers at the bottom
step.
The top of each form also should be
supported to keep it from swaying forward under pressure. Here, extra
boards tie the riser boards together for additional support.
Set the riser boards first. These are
comprised of 2-by-12-inch wooden boards, cut to the length of the
front of the step. It’s important to set them at the right height
and bolt either side to the pool wall for extra stability.
4
Anchor forms with kickers.
Start at the bottom step. Place a kicker at either end, then work
toward the center, placing a kicker about every 18 inches. If you’re
making the kickers from wood, set them at a 20-degree angle from the
riser board. Anchor the kickers with stakes going 6 to 8 inches into
the ground.
Move up one step at a time, setting
the form’s kickers on the step forms below.
5
Add reinforcement and pour the concrete.
With the riser boards in place, you need to provide extra reinforcement.
This system includes a crib, a 2-by-2-inch board that spans the top
of all three steps. Run the board down the middle of the steps and
tack it to the top of each step form and kicker. This will keep the
top of each form from moving during the pour, and when installers
need to round out the corners with a trowel.
To make sure the steps don’t move after
they’re poured, stub out four or five pieces of rebar through the
wall panel and into the concrete collar behind it.
Pour the concrete. Tap the forms to
work air bubbles out of the concrete.
6
Tear forms and prepare steps.
Let the concrete sit at least a couple of hours. Depending on the
timeline you want to work in, you can tear the forms the same day
or the following day. It’s easier to do it the same day, when the
concrete is hard enough to hold its form, because forms and stakes
won’t be stuck to hardened concrete.
Save the boards to reuse later. After
you’ve done enough steps, you’ll have forming boards for all sizes
of steps.
When the forms come off, use a concrete
sponge float to rub out the surface of the steps. Fill in any pocks
with a little extra concrete and rub down any burrs. If you can’t
tear the forms until the next day, smooth out the burrs with a grinder,
honing stone or even a brick. This will help make the surface more
suitable to have a liner on top of it.
Next, use spray glue to adhere 1/8-inch
foam sheeting over the steps. This adds a little cushion to the steps
and keeps the liner from coming into contact with the concrete, which
could cause wearing over time.
7
Place the liner.
With all the up-and-down action of the steps, placing the liner over
them can be a challenge. To do this, you need an extra vacuum and
some way of holding the liner down on corners and on the top step,
where the water is very shallow.
One vacuum should be dedicated just
to the steps. Place the vac on the top tread. For better suction,
try outfitting the vacuum hose with a 11/2-inch pipe with a tee. This
way, the suction pulls from two sides rather than straight up from
the bottom. This helps distribute the suction better and prevents
the foam from getting sucked up.
It can be tough to keep the liner tight
against corners where the step meets the wall. You can put sand bags
or blocks in those spots to hold the liner in place until the pool
is full and the water weighs it down.
The toughest corner is where the pool
wall and top tread meet. The water is so shallow, it often can’t keep
the liner in place by itself. Some installers order their liners with
a “pocket” in this spot. It sits against the pool wall, right where
the top step juts out. They then insert a rod into the pocket to keep
the liner stretched and in place against that corner. Other installers
use Velcro on the back of the liner and on top of the concrete to
hold the liner in place in tough spots.
Check the steps frequently as the pool
fills, to see how the vinyl falls over each step.
By Rebecca Robledo
