Help an Unhandy Guy Out

May 18, 2007 10:40 AM

Help an Un-Handy guy out with building deck stairs.

Looking for a good online guide for building deck stairs from scratch.

Googling produces some general guides but nothing I would consider indepth or that contains any 'tricks' or 'tips' for making it easier.

Thanks!

posted by Wong Fei-hung to home & garden (6 comments total)

Can't help you with a guide, but one handy tip if you are rebuilding stairs is to save the old stair stringer to use as a template for cutting new ones.
posted by Gungho at 10:49 AM on May 18, 2007

These are hardcore deck stairs with footings - super sturdy. Is this overkill or what you were looking for? If you use the search terms diy deck stairs there seems to be a few decent online guides. Some of these links may have pop-ups.
posted by iconomy at 10:58 AM on May 18, 2007

These two related articles seem fairly handy:

Designing Stairs and Laying Out Stair Stringers

Building a Basic Deck, Pt. 2
posted by thinman at 11:29 AM on May 18, 2007

Not a guide, just some thoughts from my experience:

1) see if you can buy pre-cut stringers; they are a huge PITA to get right by hand.

2) make sure you've got a good circular saw, level, and roofing square. I've heard good things about the saws with built-in laser beams for newbs.

3) Use the right wood. Use pressure treated wood for anything that's going to touch the ground. Don't use Oak unless you've got power tools. Trex decking is really nice, but can be slippery when wet.

4) Deck screws are better than nails. Pre-drill them first, and get the kind with the square bits- they won't strip. Use a screw gun if you have it, a drill if you don't.

Good luck!
posted by jenkinsEar at 11:53 AM on May 18, 2007

Saws with frikkin built in laser beams.
posted by Gungho at 12:22 PM on May 18, 2007

get the kind with the square bits

Robertson screws in hoser-speak.

Ensure you get all the steps the same height, especially the first and last steps. I had a friend who had to rebuild deck steps when the city inspector found the last step was 1" shorter.
posted by GuyZero at 12:36 PM on May 18, 2007