Theater begins with a hanger
In every apartment building there will be active citizens who want to take the initiative into their own hands. The activist will have to establish contact with other residents, find out through a survey what each of them would like to see in their entrance, and what can be done. But beautifying the front door, the appearance of which, to put it mildly, is unsightly, or even completely neglected, is a thankless and useless task. Therefore, in most cases, putting things in order involves organizing repair work.
It is not at all necessary to carry out a major overhaul - often cosmetic ones are enough (see the article on our website). All organized work related to repair activities, such as painting surfaces, restoring floors and replacing door and window units, is carried out by specialized organizations attracted by the owners or management company.
Decoration
After the renovation has been completed, when the room still smells of fresh paint, it’s time to take care of its design. Here, too, it is necessary to come to a common opinion, because the measures for decorating the front door, although they are approved by the majority of residents, must be agreed upon. Everyone has different tastes - some people like flowers and reproductions on the walls, but may not like graffiti.
One of the least expensive and budget-friendly ways to decorate an entryway is to invite residents to bring indoor plants or unwanted paintings at home. However, there are also restrictions on the design of the entrance. In particular, it is prohibited:
- clutter the room with cabinets;
- install large flower pots in them;
- lay out carpets.
It should be remembered that the entrance is not only a passage to residential premises, but also an emergency exit. If, in the event of danger, residents stumble and have difficulty running out of the front door, this can lead to irreversible consequences.
Rock painting
Designer imagination will help make the walls original and unique. Gone are the days when surfaces were painted in monochromatic colors. Now you can even make them striped at the entrance. Single lines across the entire surface, narrow or wide, vertical, horizontal - it all depends on the ideas of the residents of the apartment building. To make the edges smooth, use masking tape.
It happens that the walls are initially painted in poisonous green or blue colors. Today there is a special paint that completely covers the sad official tones imposed by the Soviet era. An important point: before painting, you should find out what the entrance walls are covered with, since acrylic and water-based paints will not lie on top of oil paints. The previous layers of paint will have to be removed or scored or primed with a primer over the old paint (or all three combined).
An interesting solution would be to paint using stencils. You can simply transform the walls with cheerful “polka dots” or come up with an interesting border along the flight of stairs. This will take a couple of hours and a can of spray paint.
Silhouette stickers that stick to any surface will add a decorative accent. Photo wallpapers look no less interesting in the entrance.
And no one has canceled hand-painted walls. Just do not do this without the knowledge of your neighbors and without their consent.
Cheerful steps
Stair steps can be painted in any life-affirming shade. Before painting, the stairs are primed with concrete contact so that the paint does not wear off after a few months. Work can be done once every two days, “jumping” over a step, so as not to interfere with residents’ walking.
Concrete painting specialists can help with painting the floor and stairs, who will apply any pattern according to the customer’s wishes and tastes, even a Persian carpet.
As an option, only the risers (vertical walls under the steps) are decorated, they are painted or laid out with colorful tiles. You can paint the steps themselves, and then you will get an interesting striped staircase.
Plants
Of course, decorative green spaces contribute to beauty and comfort, but there are also a number of limitations here. You cannot place cacti and other “thorns” on staircase landings; you should not send excess indoor plants out the door - overgrowths that block the passage.
A green corner is placed at the bottom at the entrance to the front door or near the elevator. For proper decoration of stairwells, it is worth highlighting shade-loving flowers that are patient with irregular watering and drafts: asparagus, fatshedera, monstera, ficus, fern, some dracaenas, scindapsus. On the windowsills you can place aspidistra, oxalis, coleus, begonia, sansevieria.
It is best to use wall-mounted pots as stands so that they do not interfere with the passage of a woman with a stroller or a child with a bicycle. It is advisable to hang the pots on the walls in such a way that they are not exposed to drafts and that they receive sunlight.
Convenient devices
If the entrance is reliably protected from the entry of strangers and suspicious individuals who could take something out or spoil it, you can safely bring the most incredible ideas to life. First of all, they take into account the comfort and convenience of the residents, arranging for them a variety of devices:
Bag hooks
They can be purchased inexpensively at a hardware store and screwed near apartment doors. This is very convenient - when you return with a bunch of packages and bags from the store, you can hang them on a hook and free your hands to search for the key.
Ashtray
It would be good for smokers to pour a tobacco odor absorber into it - then it will be comfortable not only for smokers, but also for opponents of this addiction.
Information Table
It can be fixed on the ground floor and notify neighbors about upcoming events, finds (for example, keys, phones, etc.), and congratulate each other on their birthday. This could be a simple piece of paper on a cork surface with a pencil attached, or a dry erase board so people have a chance to write and respond. It would be a good idea to attach a “spam” pocket under the notice board so that those who spoil the walls with pasted notices would put them in a certain place.
Suspended bike rack
A very convenient device that is easy to install. Special brackets are purchased or a beam with hooks is installed - and bicycles do not interfere with anyone.
Pads and step size
An important detail of a flight of stairs, along with the steps, is the landing. It is the connecting element between levels. The flight of stairs can be as follows:
- with one platform below or above;
- with two elements;
- with a transition platform;
- not to have it at all.
As for the size, the placement of platforms between two subsequent marches provides for their length to be at least 62 centimeters. If there is a turn, the area should be more than 1 square. meters. The width, naturally, should be equal to the width of the march. The height should not be too high, ideally if it coincides with the height of the steps.
For general convenience, it is important to calculate the following parameters: tread width and riser height. If you add them up, you get the step itself.
The step width of a standard person will help determine the parameters. It is the sum of two risers and the width of the tread between them. The average number is 60−70 cm.
When calculating the width of the tread, it is necessary to take into account that a standard person can rest his full foot on the structure. Typically, the size of the tread stops at between 20 and 32 cm. The height of the step fluctuates around 15-17 cm. Exact numbers can only be given in a specific case, because stairs are different.
It is not difficult to calculate the convenience index: you just need to subtract the height of the riser from the width of the tread. Ideally the number should be 12.
Favorable microclimate
The front door does not always require repairs. Sometimes a little refreshing is enough to transform the room. First, through joint efforts, you can do a general cleaning of the entrance. Having cleaned and washed the room of dirt, they decorate it with the help of stencils and white paint. You can also involve children from neighboring apartments in the activity.
After polishing window glass to a shine, you can purchase inexpensive cornices and the simplest material (it is advisable that it be treated with an anti-flammable compound). The windows will immediately become cozy.
It is recommended to hide hanging wires in special boxes - cable channels (see article on our website).
Inter-apartment stairwells can be decorated together with neighbors living nearby, discussing the design and everything that can be done there. After renovation, some people still have excess paint, wallpaper, or decorative plaster that can be used. Such joint work not only decorates the interior of the front door, but also brings neighbors together.
While using the information board, you can offer an interesting thematic exhibition of children's drawings, which are attached here.
Apartment doors are designated by numbers. If people who oppose smoking live in the house, you can install special prohibition signs.
Structure fencing
The protective fence is the final element, which is one of the important parameters. It usually consists of support posts, balusters and railings. Stairs that are located near the wall often have railings only on one side, handrails are attached to the other side, or nothing is attached at all.
GOST clearly states that handrails and fences must exist both on the outside and on the inside if the width of the structure is more than 90 centimeters. Wide stairs (2-2.5 meters) require an additional handrail that runs in the middle.
To protect children, you need to install additional handrails at an accessible height. The usual height of the fence is around 90-100 centimeters. This will allow you to operate the ladder as comfortably as possible and prevent injuries. The length of the railing should be slightly longer than the staircase. If the staircase has a 90-degree turn, then the railings must be continuous.
Railings and fences must withstand the load with a margin. According to the instructions, they are required to calmly withstand 100 kg. This will allow the average person to lean most of their weight on them. The quality of the fence must be high, the railings must be smooth and intact.
