How To: Creating A Tiled Garden Staircase

Figure A

Homeowner Miranda Diemer has a small slope in her backyard (figure A) leading to an area overlooking a scenic view. She wants to replace the existing pathway, which is plain and ordinary, with something colorful and unique.

Landscape architect Louise Leff says that a garden staircase is a great opportunity to make an interesting focal point in a yard, and a stepped path adds an element of anticipation. She has designed a staircase with flagstone for the treads and risers faced with colorful tiles, creating an eye-catching work of art that will draw visitors into the garden and up to the vantage point.

Leff calculates that a professional would charge about $3,600 for the custom-designed staircase, but do-it-yourselfers can cut that cost to about $700 for all the materials. This project is rated a 4 on a difficulty scale of 1 (easy) to 5 (difficult), primarily because of the heavy materials, and can be completed in two weekends.

Step One: Laying Out the Staircase

The crew starts by removing the timbers that form the existing path.

When determining the layout of your path, consider from which direction visitors will be coming. Line up the first steps with this location, and set the rest in a gentle curve to encourage a leisurely pace.

Mark out the placement of the steps, using a tape measure and landscapers' spray paint. Each step should be 4 feet wide and about 4 feet deep, depending on your slope. For steeper paths, position the steps closer together so that the rise is easier to climb.

Figure B

Step Two: Preparing for the Risers

Contractor Tim Rice uses three 8" x 8" x 16" cinderblocks, laid side by side, to build each riser. First, dig out a trench for the cinderblocks, about 50 inches long, 10 inches wide and 3 to 4 inches deep. The top five inches of the blocks will be visible once they're set into the troughs. Figure B shows some of the troughs.

Step Three: Setting the Cinderblocks

Cinderblocks are readily available at home supply stores for about $1 each. They're much easier to use than building concrete forms and pouring concrete for the steps. Start at the top of the staircase and work your way down so you won't be working on the step you just laid.

Figure C

Mix a bag of ready-mix concrete, shovel enough to create a two-inch layer in the first trough and spread it out. Set three cinderblocks on top of the concrete, side by side and up against each other for a tight fit (figure C), and embed them into the concrete. Check that they're level and lined up evenly. Fill up the cells of the cinderblocks with concrete, using a trowel to push it to the bottom. Build the rest of the steps in the same way and let the concrete set up overnight.

Step Four: Laying the Flagstone

Leff uses Connecticut blue stones, which cost about $445 per ton, but you can select any kind of flagstone in a color you like. Choose large pieces with a little texture so that they won't be slippery.

Before laying out the flagstone, level the treads and fill in around the cinderblocks. Smooth out each tread so that it's flush with the tops of the cinderblocks. Pack down the surface with a hand tamper.

Figure D

Choose the largest, thickest and most attractive pieces of flagstone and lay them along the fronts of the steps, overhanging the risers about an inch. Fill in the rest of the treads with smaller pieces, putting them together like pieces of a puzzle (figure D). Use a hammer and chisel to shape them as needed. Leave a one-inch gap around each stone.

Once your placement is laid out, pick up the front stone(s) for each step and apply a little mortar to the tops of the cinderblocks. The mortar glues the stones into place so they won't wobble. Set the stone down securely on the mortar.

Figure E

Set the smaller stones in a bed of sand for a cushion and fill in the gaps with more sand for a quick, easy way to keep the stones in place and level. Sweep off any excess sand and let the mortar dry for a couple of hours. Figure E shows the completed flagstone treads.

Step Five: Facing the Risers

For every other riser, Leff alternates white tiles with those that have a cobalt-blue and white harlequin design. The other risers are covered with solid yellow tiles. Be sure to choose tiles that can withstand the weather, such as stoneware, high-fired and painted porcelain tiles. Prices range from under $1 for simple tiles to more than $20 for hand-painted tiles.

Figure F

For each step, spread a light layer of thin-set mortar over the face of the cinderblock, using a notched trowel to make grooves for the tiles to adhere better. Push the tiles firmly into the mortar so that they're flush all the way across. You can use spacers to ensure a consistent gap between the tiles. Continue placing the tiles in the design you've chosen. Let the mortar set overnight.

Apply grout with a sponge trowel to work it into the gaps (figure F). Don't worry about getting mortar onto the tiles. Allow the grout to dry for 30 minutes and then wipe off the tiles with a clean sponge.

Figure G

Figure G shows the completed tile risers.

Planting: A Garden Staircase

The hill around the staircase is already landscaped, so Leff fills in with blue, yellow and purple plants to complement the colors of the tiles and stones and to showcase the staircase. She plants them up against the stones to soften the edges. To add to the impact at the top of the stairs, she places two urns with spiky foliage. Leff's planting plan includes:

florists' cineraria (Pericallis x hybrida), Zone 11
miniature roses (many varieties), Zones 5-9
New Zealand flax (Phormium tenax 'Pink Stripe'), Zones 9-10, for the urns