Hey guys I am new here but I wanted to ask and get an opinion on this as we aren’t very handy ourselves.
My fiancée and I are finishing a lofted apartment area above a garage. We hired a family friend’s husband as our contractor and so far we haven’t made it far into the process.
He has torn down the old deck and put up a new extended one, which looks okay from what I can tell. However there are a few points on the stairs, especially the bottom step, that have splits in the wood. I am concerned that this may lead to loose boards or repairs needed later on.
Based on my one wood shop class in high school, I didn’t think this looked good, but like I said I am not very handy so I want a second opinion. Is this something I should have them fix or is this to be expected?
@DietCanesSauce
The wood is split from the screws. Holes should have been pre-drilled that close to the edge. In the middle of a board it’s not so apt to split. The big chunk that’s broke off might be because of the screw split as well or maybe it was just a bad board.
I’d make them fix it. This isn’t normal. Since stairs only really need good compressive, as opposed to shear strength, that wood can probably be epoxied back together, clamped until cured, and reattached. 1/2
@DietCanesSauce Also, if there’s not too many steps you might want to have the tops of the stringers covered with a waterproof membrane. This would require taking all the treads off so maybe not feasible. Water can sit on stairs for long periods and make its way into the wood which will eventually rot. The membrane reduces that penetration. A lot. You only put it on the top horizontal surfaces, basically under the treads. Never on the bottom surfaces.
Thanks for taking a look! Based on the other replies and yours, sounds like I will be having him fix this. Unfortunate that it happened, but I am glad I noticed it now rather than when my foot went through it.
Also thanks for the tip on the water proofing! I hadn’t thought about that but it makes a lot of sense so I’ll be sure to ask about it when we get these fixed.
linseed oil, reapplied every 2 years, can be enough to water proof
@davesdogmaggie@mstdn.social ?
Would this still require removing the treads to apply or can you apply it underneath somehow?
in my experience, you don't need to disassemble. Apply generously and the oil would be absorbed in a couple of hours. You can put on a 2nd layer to be sure.
Paint protects from the outside and water seeps through its openings. Linseed oil saturates the wood to keep water out (it helps with insects too).