Outdoor Stair Treads
There are a wide variety of outdoor stair treads that you will be able to choose from, but all of these decisions should be made before any construction starts. Concrete, wood, block, brick, stone and metal are the most popular exterior stairway building materials, used today. Put a little thought into your staircase design, before selecting your outdoor stair treads, especially if you live in areas with extreme climates (snow, ice, heat, wind, cold).
Should I Use Wood?
I don't have any problems using wood for exterior stairways. As a
matter of fact, I've built and repaired plenty of wood stairways and the
biggest repair problems I run into, usually have something to do with
neglect and poor maintenance.
You could have the same problem with metal and almost every other
building material. It doesn't really matter what you use to build, on
the inside or outside of your home, as long as it's maintained and
repaired, if damaged.
What's The Ideal Outdoor Stair Tread?
The first thing we need to look at is pricing. Wood stairways are going
to be cheaper than metal, brick or block staircases. If price is an
issue and you're looking for the cheapest stairway, you're stuck with
wood. In order to increase the value and longevity of your wood
stairway, you will need to maintain it.
Okay, forget everything else, you just want the best outdoor stair
tread. If you're looking for longevity and you don't really care how
much money you're going to pay, I've got some bad news. I haven't found
one building material that will outlast another one, under the same
conditions or weather, without suffering some type of damage.
I like wood (personal preference only) and if I was going to build a
stairway for my home, it would be my choice, over any other product,
unless I was building a walkway, on the ground. If that was the case, I
would use concrete.
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