How would you fix this deck/outdoor staircase?

[pgray007]

I’ve got outside stairs on my garage to the second floor that the builder put in made from pressure treated lumber.

They get full, direct sun for most of the day, and after 5 years look like hell, with extreme warping of the treads, to the point that one of the boards will curl a good 2-3” in the sun and then relax at night. Most boards rock and are pulling up their nails.

I thought of just screwing everything down but I’m not sure of the condition of the holes where the nails are and if there’s enough wood lift for screws to “bite,” plus it seems that won’t fix the underlying problem and will just put more stress on everything.

Here are some pics:

So my questions are:

1) Can I save the underlying deck and just replace the treads and maybe the railing?

2) Is there some product I can use for the treads? I’ve spent some time in NH where they have extreme sun and temps and all the decking at the ski places seems to be a synthetic material, so I’m wondering if that might be a good route.

3) Anything I should do structurally to the deck? A few folks have suggested braces at a 45 degree angle (not sure what these are called, but would go from the talk main supports to the deck platforms at 45 degrees).

Any other suggestions are welcome.


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[matt_i]

That looks like 5/4 x 6 pressure treated, which is what my current deck is built from.

I also find it notoriously warpy at the ends and there's some bad gaps where it actually shrank over the length.

However it is screwed down, with what I think are the very first "deck screws" with a phillips head and super thin flaky iridescent golden plating on it. Most of those are rusted off in ~20yr but it does seem to keep the decking mostly flat.

I would experiment a little, a small box of #10 torx drive deck screws aren't going to cost that much. I would zip some of those in and see if it helps solve the issue. Imo its more about whether the head can actually compress the wood. If the wood fibers just push apart like the head could go all the way thru it with minimal resistance then it is probably too late for those treads.

Relative to the "Trex and Friends" my opinion is while its a more long-lasting, stable material, it can be like a noodle from a bending perspective. So you'd need to put one more sawtooth stringer as an additional support, on each side of the current centerline. That might become a large project in duplicating and fitting it into existing construction, but if you were willing to put into the work I think that would be the best, longest-lasting, forgettabout it solution.

I can't comment on the structure, if it feels "solid" when you walk on it then I wouldn't mess with the structure at this time. If you feel sway or deflection or are intending to house your comprehensive side by side refrigerator collection on the 2nd floor, then maybe time for some x-bracing

 

[acer66]

If the supporting beams still look good I would do like matt says just get some 3” deck screws and see if that solves the problem and while the newer deck screw are pretty good in not splitting wood I would still pre drill the boards if you choose to not use the nail holes.

 

[K'ledgeBldr]

Since you can't change the direction of the sun- suffice it to say this is something you'll just have to accept.

I'd just replace the treads and risers- use deck screws; stain&seal and keep doing it annually. Perhaps use a better protectant like TWP. The structural part looks OK- at least from what I could see in the pictures.

 

[xyster101]

Agreed above. Get some 3" torx drive screws. Pull the nails or drill new holes and put those screws in. They will hold really well. Also paint or solid stain it. That keeps moisture and sun off the wood itself. Do it after a few warm dry days.

You could take off the deck material and put down Trex. I think you would need to add 2 additional stringers on either side of the center one. Trex and other composites bend easily. The Trex will last a long long time. If you do that, put "zip wall" tape on top of the stringers and joists as the Trex will outlast the wood parts. The zip wall tape will keep water off the horizontal wood.

 

[pgray007]

Thanks for the tips. I’ll try the torx and see how that holds up, and if it doesn’t work that well I’ll go trex this winter. Any of the “plastic fantastic” products preferable in this application?


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[Mr. Roboto]

As others have said, I would remove/replace the PT with composite. PVC capped deck boards, specifically. Depending on the manufacturer, they usually need a ridiculous 7-8" spacing on the stair stringers. Adding 2 more stingers would probably get you there, but if the stairs are not heavily trafficked, you may be able to get away with scabbing a 2x4 on each run of the stringer to take up some of the space.

People give me **** all the time for using so many stringers, but I followed the 7" spacing the mfg recommended and I have has zero flex issues on my deck:

 

[OccupantRJ]

I use pressure treated 2x6 for the treads. Much stiffer and stronger.

 

[tboy]

I use pressure treated 2x6 for the treads. Much stiffer and stronger.

This ^. 5/4 boards are ****, and are only slightly cheaper than the real 2x6. Use some quality 3" deck screws and you should be good.

 

[Greeny]

This ^. 5/4 boards are ****, and are only slightly cheaper than the real 2x6. Use some quality 3" deck screws and you should be good.

When I re-decked my deck and stairs, PT 2X6 was actually cheaper than the 5/4 deck boards.

 

[RustyJunk]

If you can find some 5/4 cedar decking you could replace the pt with it, we have some at our beach house thats going on 20 years and looks fine.

 

[nh_yota]

I use pressure treated 2x6 for the treads. Much stiffer and stronger.

That's the way to go.

 

[Bad]

I agree. It's not beneficial to change the configuration of your deck. Replacing the treads and risers should help. Good luck!

Since you can't change the direction of the sun- suffice it to say this is something you'll just have to accept.

I'd just replace the treads and risers- use deck screws; stain&seal and keep doing it annually. Perhaps use a better protectant like TWP. The structural part looks OK- at least from what I could see in the pictures.