Steps

Steps connect areas and levels, but they are more than just access elements in your outdoors space. Stairs can heighten the visual impact of a garden, create a focal point and offer changing views of your landscape.

A bullnose step has a rounded front edge. A square-edge step has a plain, flat front cut at 90 degrees. The rounded edge is softer underfoot, less likely to chip and gives a more finished look. A square edge is sharper and more modern, and is often made by using a standard paving slab as the thread. Both are laid in the same way.

Bullnose steps are bedded on a full bed of mortar over a solid base. Each riser is built first from blocks or bricks on a concrete footing, then the thread is laid on mortar on top with the bullnose edge overhanging the riser. Porcelain treads need a slurry primer on the back so the mortar bonds. Tap each thread level with a slight fall to the front so rain runs off.

Around 25mm to 40mm. That is enough to cast a shadow line and hide the top of the riser without leaving the edge unsupported. Any more and the overhang can crack under a heavy foot. Keep the overhang the same on every step so the flight looks even and feels safe to climb.

No, but it is the better finish for most gardens. A bullnose edge protects the front of the tread, which is the part that gets kicked and chipped. It also looks more deliberate than a cut slab. Square-edge treads work well in a modern design with large-format porcelain, where a crisp line is the point. Either way, the step needs a solid riser and mortar bed underneath.

Yes, if the patio is Kandla Grey sandstone. The bullnose steps are cut from the same stone, so the colour and the riven surface match. Natural stone varies from batch to batch, so expect a small difference in shade if the patio was laid some years ago. The porcelain bullnose steps are not available in Kandla Grey, as that is a sandstone colour.

Between 150mm and 180mm. Lower than 150mm feels like a trip hazard and higher than 180mm is tiring to climb. Keep every riser in the flight the same height, as an odd step out is what causes falls. Work out the total height you need to climb and divide it by a riser in that ranger to get the number of steps.

At least 300mm from front to back, with 350mm to 400mm feeling more generous outdoors. A deeper tread suits a gentle slope and lets two people pass. The rule of thumb is that twice the riser height plus the tread depth should come to around 600mm to 650mm. Mick George step treads are sized so a single piece gives a full tread with the bullnose overhang.

The rustic steps are natural stone with a hand-finished, riven edge that looks like a solid block. The bullnosed steps have a machined, rounded front edge for a cleaner line. Rustic steps suit cottage gardens and natural stone patios. bullnosed steps suit a neater patio, and the porcelain versions pair with porcelain paving. Both are laid the same way.