Half or third height block pavers - where?

Question

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.

Owain · Accepted Answer

Put some cosmetic thin wooden panels over the concrete. Stick them to the concrete with silicone...Owain

Rod · Answer

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.

Andy Hall · Answer

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

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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.

Mike Tomlinson · Answer

In article , Rod writesNothing.Pour encourager les autres :)Will do.

Mike Tomlinson · Answer

In article , Andy Hall  writes

Steve Firth · Answer

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.

Rod · Answer

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).

Broadback · Answer

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!

Half or third height block pavers - where?

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