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the final step is to build stairs and a
railing for your deck determining stair
size is a bit of a science and here's
another instance where you should
consult a good resource and local
building codes to get all the details
and formulas you'll need but a good
general rule about outdoor stairs is
this twice the riser height the vertical
part of the step plus the run of the
step the horizontal part should equal
between 24 and 27 inches another rule
about outdoor stairs is they should be
at least three feet wide for ease of
traffic flow and safe use most codes
require a three foot minimum anyway once
you've done the math and figured out how
many steps you'll need you'll need to
cut stringers stringers are the wooden
frames for the steps you'll use a
framing square to transfer the
measurements to a piece of lumber on our
deck we're using two by twelves after
you've marked off all the steps use a
circular saw to cut most of the way and
a jig saw to finish you don't want to
cut past the mark in the corner because
this will weaken your stairs the good
news is that once you cut one good
stringer you won't have to measure again
simply use the first stringer as a
template for the others you need to
assemble the stairs on the ground first
this allows you to locate your posts and
set the stair height accurately continue
installing stringers 16 inches apart for
the width of your stairs if you're so
inclined this is the time to install
risers or the vertical part of the
stairs for our deck we're leaving the
risers open now we need to attach the
stairs to the deck first we install a
stair hanger or cross brace constructed
from 2 by tens temporarily attach your
stairs to the deck to mark the location
for your post holes now we're going to
mark our post holes pour the concrete
place our posts level them and finally
attach them to the stairs for the treads
we're using deck boards for a
coordinated look we attach the treads
with deck screws then we'll notch the
bottom tread around the post for a nice
finished look to finish our deck we need
railings most building codes require
railings for decks over 24 inches in
height and most codes require these
railings to be at least 42 inches high
for railing posts we use 4x4 centered on
six-foot spans or less depending on the
length of the run we divide the spacing
of the post to create equal distances
for each rail section the post may be
positioned anywhere between the joists
we box in the post of the framing using
the rim joist as the front support and
blocking to support the back and sides
if required the blocking should be the
same dimensions as the joists now we
mark the location for each posts drill a
pilot hole and then cut out the post
location with a jigsaw between the posts
we install rails so that we'll have
something to attach the balusters or
pickets to we're using two by fours for
our top and bottom rails now we can
install the plastic mounts that came
with your railing kit and we're ready to
attach the bottom rail once the rails
are screwed into the post we can attach
the balusters bicode balusters have to
be close enough together so that a
four-inch sphere can't pass between them
after the top and bottom rails are in
place we use a circular saw to cut the
top off the post to make it flush with
the rail and now we're ready to repeat
the process for the rest of the deck
rails now all we need to do to finish
the railings is to install the top piece
called the cap rail on our deck we'll be
using two by sixes for this we leave a
cap rail over the balusters and posts
and attach it with decking screws we
continue this around the perimeter of
the deck mitering the joints where cap
railings meet as a nice finishing touch
we make angle cuts or dog ears on the
corners of the cap rails at this point
your deck is 99% done but there are
still a few finishing touches you can do
to make it even sturdier and last longer
start by adding structural posts to beam
supports to every post then bolt the
cradles to the post with lag bolts and
finally apply sealer to the cut ends of
the boards to help protect them from
weather and insects and there you have
it our completed deck built with
pressure treated lumber
if you use pressure-treated lumber
you'll want to protect your deck
periodic application of a high-quality
clear water repellent or
semi-transparent stain with water
repellent helps to minimize warping
splitting and other weathering problems
you may need to wait a certain period of
time after you build your deck to apply
the sealer or stain because
pressure-treated wood is wet when new
consult your wood manufacturers
recommendations on any waiting times
remember it's important to regularly
maintain any deck no matter what it's
made of the Home Depot has everything
you need to get started visit us today
you