Deck Stairs Rotten

[kenmac]

I just found another 5 1/4 board I'll have to replace due to rot.. I bought all this Yellow wood lumber 6 yrs ago and built the deck.
Not all the boards are bad ,and the boards are in different areas.

I just think it's the chemicals they use, aren't as good as what they once used..

Guess I'll just replace them as they go bad

Good luck with your repair !

 

[EddieWalker]

While I wouldn't have thought it possible, I'm pretty sure the problem is caused by the Hardie blocking air flow under the steps. I think you have created a pocket under your treads that never dries out.

 

[N80]

Could be Eddie. Maybe I'll leave the Hardi-plank off. It will be easier and cheaper. Looking at the picture and the actual steps I'm quite sure it wasn't the cuts made in the corners. I still don't approve of that technique but don't think it caused my problems.

 

[tallyho8]

After Katrina ruined my "shack", I built a new set of steps for it with treated lumber I got from Home Depot. This was about 8 years ago.

Three years ago I put an addition on my son's house which is about 300' from my shack and I built a set of steps for it with the new "yellow" treated wood from Home Depot. These steps built with the new treated wood are rotted out and need to be totally replaced but the old steps are in good shape. So my answer is "it's the wood".

 

[PILOON]

Bet the carpenter never treated the cuts that he made and if so they would soak water and rot.
One trick I use when making decks is to lay about 3" wide strips of roof membrane on the joists B4 laying the deck planking.
This way when water gets down between the cracks in the decking the joists remain dry.
My take is with a sound structure you could re plank a deck a few times as long as the joists are sound.

I got the idea from an old guy that had laid 3" strips of galvanized tin under the decking.*
The decking was all rotted out after 40 years but the structure very sound so I just re-decked saving the client many $$'s.

* back then with labor being cheap he probably spent hours with tin snips making those strips.

 

[tallyho8]

I used the same trick but instead of using galvanized tin I used felt paper. In the many pole barns I built, I learned early on that the roof would sweat with water running down on my 2x8 rafters causing them to rot.

Next I used treated rafters but they still looked like they would rot in time with the water running down them plus I was worried about the treated lumber rusting out the metal. So on the next pole barn I cut strips of felt paper wider than the rafter which were easily attached with a hammer stapler and saw that the moisture would then run down the edge of the felt paper onto the ground and never touch the rafter.

 

[Rock knocker]

Looks like either non PT wood, or they didn't treat the cuts. When the rules changed in 2003, it really became important to treat the cuts. The old treated incised wood was a lot hardier thought its cross section than the newer material

 

[GPintheMitten]

I wonder if the paint and hardy plank caused too much moisture retention.

 

[Rustyiron]

It's the crappy treating process/chemicals. For some reason the good CCA chemicals of old were outlawed, EPA? No 2X material is now rated for "ground contact", you need to go up to a "timber" size material, possibly 4x4 & up but I'm pretty sure that a 6x6 is rated for ground contact but that does not help you with your stair stringer. I have a 4 year old picnic table & the PT "leg" is rotted where it touches the ground:confused2: I guess that the EPA wants us to go back to dipping/painting our lumber in crankcase & diesel oil every few years.

 

[PILOON]

On the lower priced 'treated wood' I believe they simply dunk green wood in a large vat. Being green vs kiln dried there is very little absorbing of the treatment solution.

1st grade treated wood is usually kiln dried #1 pine and the 'pressure treating' is conducted in some sort of vacuum.

You can tell the difference when you pick up the boards.
The quality stock is 1/2 the weight of the discount brands.