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Tricks
of the Trade Cutting Deck Stairs
Cutting deck stairs really doesn’t take a lot of time, but
it can get complicated in the sense that you have to
calculate the rise and run, or the slope of the stairs. Deck
stairs are usually built for outdoor decks, porches and
gazebos. There are construction calculators to make
calculating the measurements easier, but many people prefer
to use old fashioned paper and pencil. The basic ingredients
of deck stairs are few, but the cutting and assembly must be
fairly precise.
Deck stairs require stringers, treads, risers, posts and
concrete. Often the risers are omitted, because they can
result in water collecting where the risers and tread meet.
Stringers are simply the boards that hold the treads. There
are two of them for every slope. If you have a landing
between stair rises, there would be more than one left and
right set of stringers.
Cutting Deck Stairs
Making the stringers is probably the most complicated step
in cutting deck stairs. Most of the time you can cut one
stringer and the second stringer is identical. Every now and
then, the stringers can’t be cut the same, because the
ground where the stringers will set is uneven. In that case
you must calculate each stringer measurement. Otherwise you
layout the first stringer and then duplicate it for the
second stringer.
The steps for cutting deck stairs are as follows.
Pour pads for bottom stringers
Figure your stringer length
Calculate the first stringer
Cut the left and right stringers
Position the posts
Dig the postholes
Attach the stringers to the deck
Attach the stringers to the pads
Install risers (if using)
Attach rail posts
Install treads
Pour concrete around rail posts
The commercial and residential building code says that the
maximum stair height should be 1 ½ inches and the standard
stair tread depth is 10 inches. You can make tread wider if
you want.
The pads you pour for the bottom of the risers serve two
main purposes- They level the ground, but they also protect
the risers from moisture damage. It’s also much easier to
seal the risers, treads and risers with deck sealer before
you assemble the stairs. You should use weather resistant
wood of course, but it still needs to be sealed. |
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