Fixing and caulking rotting joints on exterior wood stairs

[TractorGuy]

New stair section looks nice but I notice the wood is still touching on the ends of the treads. Looks more stable but didn't someone suggest leaving a 1/4" gap at the ends to prevent water collection and rot?

I read through this for education and don't know squat about building with wood.

 

[s219]

Looks good lots of room for air circulation to keep stringers dry .:thumbsup::drink:

Compared to the old stairs, this looks like a ladder! But I really hope it will help with circulation and moisture.

 

[s219]

New stair section looks nice but I notice the wood is still touching on the ends of the treads. Looks more stable but didn't someone suggest leaving a 1/4" gap at the ends to prevent water collection and rot?

I read through this for education and don't know squat about building with wood.

I didn't see a way to leave a gap with these brackets due to the narrow width and position of screw holes. If they made wider brackets it would have been a great idea. I did, however, soak the piss out of the cut ends of the treads with copper coat treatment. So that ought to help immensely.

 

[EddieWalker]

They look nice. Did you bolt the brackets in place for the treads? I don't think I would trust anything else over time.

Can you drive a pipe into the ground like you would a T post and use that for bracing of your railing posts?

 

[PILOON]

Where the steps meet the risers (sides) I'd like to use a durable caulking like Flextra (polyurethane) in order to keep water from entering the ends.

 

[s219]

They look nice. Did you bolt the brackets in place for the treads? I don't think I would trust anything else over time.

Can you drive a pipe into the ground like you would a T post and use that for bracing of your railing posts?

Each bracket has four 1/4" Simpson lags into the stringer. I debated lags versus through-bolting quite a bit and it was a tossup in my mind. We'll see how it turns out...

I could drive pipes into the ground, in fact those could probably be the posts themselves if they were long enough. I have seen someone do a railing system with fence pipe and there are fittings for that too.

 

[s219]

Where the steps meet the risers (sides) I'd like to use a durable caulking like Flextra (polyurethane) in order to keep water from entering the ends.

I was planning to wait a few months for the treated wood to dry out and shrink, and then see what the joints look like.

 

[spitter]

As far as I no there is no structural PVC .and conduit would never pass any inspection.:drink:

 

[3Ts]

As far as I no there is no structural PVC .and conduit would never pass any inspection.:drink:

What about filling the conduit with concrete and rebar? That way it'd be a concrete post with a "decorative" PVC coating. I've seen concrete fence posts and railroad ties, so i'd think using the PVC for a form and leaving it in place should (?) be acceptable.

 

[PILOON]

I was planning to wait a few months for the treated wood to dry out and shrink, and then see what the joints look like.

While a good plan, it is never a bad idea to prevent even the earliest water penetration from being trapped in there.

I suggested Flextra as it is a polyurethane based caulking and it is extremely flexible and will stretch many times its base size.
Basically the same as windshield adhesive.