Stronger, Smarter Deck Stairs
The ideal stair stringers balance strength, durability, and ease of assembly
The stairs attached to a raised deck involve a unique set of challenges and face a different type of abuse than any interior staircase. But the extra effort required to build them also affords some opportunities for building stronger stairs that ease the installation of the guardrails, risers, treads, and trim that come next. This article explains a few tricks for making the job run smoothly and to ensure that the stairs are strong, safe, and ready to survive the weather.
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This is a good article on a key part of deck design. Here are two additional tips: (1) Just like posts, do not attach the bottom of the stringers directly to the concrete footing. In wet or snowy climates, the long stretch of exposed grain will soak up water from the concrete and rot the bottom of the board -- even PT. Instead, screw the stringers to two standard post bases, bolted to the concrete pad. Fill the gap with a short piece of PT 2x4. Just like your posts, this will hold the end of the stringers up an off of the concrete, so they can dry. (2) All of the exposed grain in the notches cut for each stair tread is another invitation to water which leads to cracks that weaken the stringer. Simply cover and seal all of these surfaces with a generous layer of DAP 230, before you install your treads.
I hope this is helpful,
Mark