Deck Stairs - Stair Building Basics

Your editor of Ideas-For-Deck-Designs.com Here are some tips to build deck stairs a cut above the rest. Building deck stairs that will never rot or at the very least are less susceptible to rot is not that difficult.

Advanced stair building techniques A few tricks of the trade and fastening techniques using either standard off the shelf fasteners or some of the new post mounting products can really go a long way to partially or totally rot-proofing your stairs.

We'll explore some stair building basics that will really add years of life to your deck stairs.

Treads to Stairs Stringers

Use un-notched stringers and attach each tread to the stringer with aluminum or galvanized steel 90 degree angle brackets.

Secure the bracket to the underside of the stair tread and leave a ¼” space between the end of the stair tread and the stringer to allow for water to escape and air flow.

Also, use a router and bevel the top perimeter of the stair tread to assist rain water to drain rather than pool on the tread.

Create an air space to prevent rot Here is a more detailed drawing to highlight this deck stairs building technique.

Stringers to Deck

Advanced attachment metods for deck stairs Use the same 90 degree brackets again to secure the top edge of the stringer with the fascia or rim joist of the deck.

Place the brackets on the inside edge of the stringer so that they are not visible when viewed from the side.

For this deck stairs design ensure a small ¼” space between the end of the stringer and the rim joist to allow water to drain and air to flow. End grain is very susceptible to capillary action and sucking up water.

Stringers to Landing

There are lots of simple ways to secure the stair stringers to the landing.

But the simplest has to be just taking 4 or 6, #14x1” stainless pan head screws and screwing them up into the underside of the bottom edge of the stringer so that a ¼” gap exists between the landing and the stringer.

Keep the stringers high and dry from water

Again, water can not be sucked up by the end grain effectively eliminating the opportunity for rot to gain hold in your beautiful new deck stairs.

Back Riser to Tread

Closed risers look great on these stairs Back risers are not especially common on deck stairs but in some instances they look really good and when done in the right circumstances can really create the feel of a solid link between one area of a deck and another.

Not being able to see between the deck and stair treads seems to subliminally make you think of an unbroken path. Look at the hot tub deck projects with connecting stairs with risers to see the effect.

But risers can be susceptible to water damage at the contact point on the tread.

Detail for a close riser The way to get around this is to cut the riser a bit shorter than normal so it sits up about 1/8” above the notch in the stringer. Here is how I did it.

Or use a full size riser but set the tread so it doesn’t fully touch the back of it. Either way you simply allow for a small gap to promote water flow.

Railing Post to Deck Stairs

Detail for the post to the stringer If you notch the post and attach it to the inside or outside of the stringer, insert 3 or 4 washers over the lag bolts that attach the post. The washers will create a small gap and allow for air flow between the post and the stringer.

If you choose to mount the post to the top of a tread, consider using one of the new post mounting brackets. Click here to see the New Products section.

Remember a well built, good looking set of stairs adds to the overall beauty and finished look of a deck. And your new found stair building skills are sure to impress your neighbors.

So congratulations! You are now armed with more practical know how than the vast majority of beginner carpenters who try to build decks. And your deck stairs will look great.

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