OUTDOOR STAIRS – Stringer rot repair?
Boss showed me a set of outdoor stairs hung off phone poles sunk in dirt. Four landings as it comes down the hillside. Three waves of repair thus far, judging from the different woods used. Looks like fun. Don’t get much deck/stair repair so your ideas are welcome.
The bottom flight has 48″W treads (2.5 x 11 = 3×12?) hung off metal stair backets on the non PT stringers. OK except these two. They have termite damage and one was secured with some deck screws. Not anymore.
There is about 1.5″ of the end of the tread gone to rot and a matching hole in the stringer. Tread above is a bit better.
Currently I have a 2×3 stuffed under the bad end to hold it up. Very Gomer. Tomorrow I will see about building a wood bracket that will hold it up and screw off to the stringer while we find the right wood, paint it, etc., etc.
I’d just pull the stringer and replace it, but it doesn’t head out at the landing. It is lagged into the poles top and bottom, then runs under the deck for at least 6″. When it ran out they attached a cleat across the gap and screwed the Trex to that. While I could pull up that Trex, I wonder is there is a simple, yet elegant solution. (No, not a flamethrower. Tempting, but…)
Looking for Best Practices suggestions on a repair – not a rebuild <g>.
* Sister the stringer between the posts top and bottom?
How best to attach treads (hole in first stringer)?
Run new tread through to butt on new sistered stringer
* Insert a dutchman on the existing stringer? How would it carry the tread, being loaded in tension? Make it wide and thru-bolt it?
* Other good ideas that you have …
The ToolBear
“Never met a man who couldn’t teach me something.” Anon.
Replies
For a repair job only....remove the bottom 3 treads ( I know only bottom 2 are bad) and corresponding metal brakets. Use construction adhesive and glue and screw a new sistered stringer to each of the existing. This stringer is to be the cut-out variety. Use 2x treated material or rip 3/4 treated plywood and double the thickness ( the plywood won't split like the 2x material...another option, use 2x material, but then on inside face of 2x, install 3/8 or 1/2 inch treated ply to guard against future splitting).
Cut new tread material and install. New treads rest on cut-out stringer. Screw down or nail down however you see fit. New cut-out stringer should help reinforce old stringer. To repair hole, use Bondo auto body filler. When dry, paint over to hide and protect filled hole. This filler adds no strength reinforcement...the sisitered stringer is your reinforcemnt.
I'd think strongly about coating the remaining treads and stringer portions with CWF or some other protectorant.
Davo
Stringers to the inside. Interesting idea. Might get them to fit. May have to dig a bit. This is a 4/12 pitch and the treads take up most of the width of the stringer. The slope is inches below (hence the problem).
What is the common name of that compound you recommended?
Interesting stairs: 24 phone (?) poles, six landings and changes of direction. Don't think they would build them like that these days. I'd think of sonotubes, elevated post bases, PT 6x6s and cross bracing. They are relying on the poles. The poles may be 12"+, but they are going. Rang out the treads and stringers. Three treads to DX and the stringers are OK aside from the bottom one.
They hung the treads on stairs brackets. On this side the bracket and that section of stringer are gone somewhere. As this was almost on the ground, they screwed back thru the stringers to hold the treads on the brackets. That is what was holding the end of the tread. Where there is room, they screwed up from below.
I cut the tread back to good wood, padded the gap with two bits of 3/4 PT - one about 8" high. Stitch nailed the lot to the tread, then hung the whole thing on the good part of the stringer with screws. Should hold until we get the 3x12 stock in and painted.
?? What paint or stain works on this new PT material? Stairs are white.
The ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.