Best option for outside stairs?


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Old 02-10-17, 03:49 AM
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Best option for outside stairs?

Hey guys, our house has a long flight of metal stairs leading up to the 2nd floor, some years ago we changed all threaders but now I am seeing them starting to rust again even though we have never thrown salt on them.

I am think best we do away with the metal stairs and build something else. I am thinking might be best to go with some type of lumber which has some longevity plus if I should see any board start decaying then I can simply change that board without having to change the entire stairs?
 
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Old 02-10-17, 03:53 AM
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IMO it would be better to clean them up, prime and paint them with solvent based rust resistance coatings.
 
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Old 02-10-17, 06:34 AM
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Yea, if you have metal stairs maintaining them would be the best option. Everything requires maintenance so you won't get away from periodic maintenance by going with wood stairs and in the long run metal ones can last longer if maintained. Wood stairs would have a built in life limit and need to be replaced at some point.
 
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Old 02-10-17, 07:45 AM
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One major issue with the metal threaders is that there's getting a lot of build up rust underneath where the threaders are welded to the side rails so it's not the threaders themselves that's rusting. I am worried that if I were to chip away at the rust it may weaken everything so I don't know what the fix for this would be?
 
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Old 02-10-17, 07:52 AM
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If the rust is bad enough to chip off, you might want to get someone to look at it but normally just wire brushing off the rust is sufficient. Allowing the steel to continue to rust will at some point weaken the stairs, keeping the steel painted should stop or slow down the rusting.
 
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Old 02-10-17, 09:28 AM
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I doubt the rust is chipping off the welds. The weld areas are likely the thickest steel in the stair. But because the welds tend to be in corners they are areas where dirt and water collect so rust is likely to start there. Then, those corners are more difficult to properly clean than the open area of the treads so prepping for painting will take some patience and the right tools to get into the corners.
 
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Old 02-10-17, 10:01 AM
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Oh there is rust there, I know because I had used a claw hammer and chisel to chip away the rust a few years ago.
 
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Old 02-10-17, 10:22 AM
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But is it surface rust or are chunks of metal/rust coming off?

How about posting some pics of the rusty areas.
 
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Old 02-10-17, 10:47 AM
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Chunks of rust last time, I will get some pics and post.
 
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Old 02-10-17, 03:18 PM
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Ok, i'll bite. Am I the only one who doesn't know WTH a "threader" is?
 
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Old 02-10-17, 03:22 PM
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The steps, that's the name used by the guy who welded them.
 
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Old 02-10-17, 04:29 PM
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I see. If they can be removed, I would take them to a place that does hot dipped galvanizing.
 
 

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