Prefabricated stairway and method

Abstract

A stairway comprises a one-piece fiber reinforced plastic base having a plurality of riser surfaces and tread surfaces forming steps and a landing surface. The tread surfaces and the landing surface are configured to include an integral reinforcement surface region extending along a length of each tread surface and the landing. A preformed plastic tread member is fastened on a respective one of the tread surfaces of the base, and a preformed plastic landing member fastened on the landing surface. The base comprises a front wall region, first and second side wall regions and a rear wall region integrally formed as one-piece and is comprised of an outer filled resin layer and a plurality of fiber reinforced filled resin layers.

I claim:  
     
         1 . Stairway, comprising a one-piece base having a plurality of riser surfaces and tread surfaces forming steps, and a preformed tread member fastened on a respective one of said tread surfaces of said base.  
     
     
         2 . The stairway of  claim 1  including a landing surface and a preformed landing member fastened on said landing surface.  
     
     
         3 . The stairway of  claim 1  wherein each said tread surface is configured to include an integral reinforcement tread surface region.  
     
     
         4 . The stairway of  claim 3  wherein the reinforcement tread surface region comprises an integral reinforcement rib extending along a length of each said tread surface and having a concave cross-sectional configuration residing below a plane defined by said tread surface.  
     
     
         5 . The stairway of  claim 2  wherein said landing surface is configured to include an integral reinforcement landing surface region.  
     
     
         6 . The stairway of  claim 5  wherein the reinforcement landing surface region comprises an integral reinforcement rib extending along a length of said landing surface and having a concave cross-sectional configuration residing below a plane defined by said landing surface.  
     
     
         7 . The stairway of  claim 1  wherein said base comprises a front wall region, first and second side wall regions and a rear wall region integrally formed as one-piece.  
     
     
         8 . The stairway of  claim 7  wherein said first and second side wall regions each include a plurality of integral reinforcement ribs extending from proximate a respective tread surface toward a lowermost edge of said side wall regions.  
     
     
         9 . The stairway of  claim 7  wherein said front wall region, first and second side wall regions and a rear wall region comprise at one outer filled resin layer and at one fiber reinforced filled resin layer applied on said filled resin layer.  
     
     
         10 . The stairway of  claim 9  wherein said outer filled resin layer comprises a synthetic resin and mineral particles and said inner fiber reinforced resin layer comprises a resin, mineral particles and chopped fibers.  
     
     
         11 . The stairway of  claim 1  wherein said preformed tread members comprise an outer ceramic filled gelcoat layer and a fiber reinforced filled resin layer on said gelcoat layer.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said preformed tread members include an integral bull nose that depends downwardly to overlap the adjacent riser surface located therebelow.  
     
     
         13 . The stairway of  claim 11  wherein said preformed tread members include a plurality of fasteners and said tread surface includes a plurality of holes to receive a respective fastener.  
     
     
         14 . The stairway of  claim 13  wherein a lower surface of each said preformed tread member includes a plurality of pilot protrusions that are received in a respective one of said holes in said underlying tread surface.  
     
     
         15 . The stairway of  claim 13  wherein said fasteners include an enlarged fastener head captured in each tread member and a threaded shank received in a respective hole of said tread surface.  
     
     
         16 . The stairway of  claim 1  wherein said preformed landing member comprises an outer ceramic filled gelcoat layer and fiber reinforced filled layer on the gelcoat layer.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said preformed landing member includes an integral bull nose that depends downwardly to overlap the adjacent riser surface located therebelow.  
     
     
         18 . The stairway of  claim 16  wherein said preformed landing member includes a plurality of fasteners and said landing surface includes a plurality of holes to receive a respective fastener.  
     
     
         19 . The stairway of  claim 18  wherein said fasteners each include an enlarged fastener head captured in said landing member and a threaded shank received in a respective hole of said landing surface.  
     
     
         20 . The stairway of  claim 18  wherein a lower surface of said preformed landing member includes a plurality of pilot protrusions that are received in a respective one of said holes in said underlying landing surface.  
     
     
         21 . The stairway of  claim 1  wherein said base includes an outwardly flared skirt about a lowermost edge thereof.  
     
     
         22 . A method of making a stairway, comprising spraying material on a mold surface to form a one-piece base having a plurality of risers and tread surfaces forming steps, independently forming a plurality of preformed tread members, and fastening a respective one of said preformed tread members on a tread surface of said base.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22  further including forming a landing surface on said base, independently forming a preformed landing member, and fastening said preformed landing member on said landing surface.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 22  wherein a filled resin layer is provided on said mold followed by providing a plurality of fiber reinforced filled resin layers on said filled resin layer.  
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24  wherein said outer filled resin layer comprises a synthetic resin and mineral particles and said inner fiber reinforced resin layer comprises a resin, mineral particles and chopped fibers.  
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21  including forming the base to include a front wall region, first and second side-wall regions and a rear wall region integrally formed as one-piece.