In this video from @stairbuilding YouTube channel, Greg Vanden Berge highlights some common mistakes on deck stairs, mostly related to tripping hazards.
Video transcript:
Here is another problem that I continue to see showing up over and over again: people using some type of concrete paver or small product they believe is strong enough to support the stair stringers. I'm not about to suggest that you're ever going to have a problem doing this, but I would like to point out a couple of things for you to consider before doing it.
Preventing trip hazards on deck stairs
The first thing I want to point out is that it wouldn't be a bad idea to move these back to prevent a possible trip hazard. Next on the list is to make sure that your riser heights are the same all the way through the stairway. They need to be consistently the same measurement, or at the very least, within 3/8 of an inch for the maximum variation between the minimum and maximum rise.
The next problem I have found in a variety of different pictures and videos all over the Internet is this: a high first step. It wouldn't be a bad idea to try and line the edge of the pavers up with the edge of the stringers to prevent a trip hazard on this side, especially if you're not going to be building a handrail.
Sometimes, if you attach a handrail to the side of the stairs, that will force people to go a little further around the stairway before entering it. If not, you're going to have people from the side jumping up on the first step and then working their way up.
Example of unsupported stair stringers
Also, make sure that the stringers are fully bearing on your supports or whatever you're using, which might require you to buy a couple more pavers. An example of an unsupported stair stringer at the bottom would look something like this: the stringer is not making full contact with the support. It’s important to address this.
Adding a nosing to the stairs
The next thing I want to point out is that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a nosing on all of the steps. If you're not going to be installing a riser, you may be surprised at how many times someone is going to walk up a stairway like this and hit the edge of the stringer or the edge of the paver.
In our example, I moved the pavers and the edge of the stringer back one inch. However, if I don't put a nosing on the rest of the steps, I could still end up with someone, while walking up the stairs, ramming the edge of their shoe against the face of the stringer. So, if you can, put a nosing on it. If not, it's not the end of the world, depending on how often the stairs are going to be used. This is another thing to consider when using pavers.
Securing the stringers to the pavers
It wouldn't be a bad idea to connect these stringers to the pavers to prevent them from separating. However, it might not make any difference at all if you don't have the pavers securely fastened to the ground. This is where using a concrete footing might be better than using pavers.
