Curved Deck Stairs

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Curved Deck StairsFigure 11. Mark therisers on the stringerby plumbing down.Figure 12. Notch the stringerswith a circular saw, but don’t overcutthe corners. Finish the cuts witha reciprocating saw.To lay out the riser and tread cuts on the stringers, holda straightedge against the faces of matching studs on theinside and outside frame walls and mark across the tops ofthe stringers. The point where the line crosses the edge ofthe stringer is the outside corner of the riser and tread cutlines. Draw a plumb line down from the mark for the risercut and a level line for the tread cut, only as far as the intersectionwith the tread or riser lines for the adjacent stepsbelow and above (Figure 11).Figure 13. Make a template for the structural treads fromcardboard or thin plywood.It’s best to wait a day or two for the adhesive to cure beforecutting the stringers. Set the bevel on a circular saw to matchthe slight angle the risers will make where they’ll meet thestringers. The tread cuts will be flat — no bevel. So you don’tovercut at the inside corner, use a reciprocating or hand sawto finish out the cut (Figure 12).Structural Treads and Risers Hold theAssembly TogetherStructural treads of pressure-treated 2-by combine withstructural risers made from two layers of pressure-treatedplywood to tie the stringers together and provide a solidbase for finishes. Make a tread pattern from cardboard orthin plywood using the arc lines and tread chalk lines on theframe base as a guide (Figure 13).The wide end of the treads will usually be wider than a2x12, so it will need to be laminated. I cut blanks an inch ortwo longer than needed and rip the taper. Then I glue andpocket-screw the fall-off from the taper cut to the blank. Afinal rip trims the excess off the filler. The tread ends areslightly curved but can usually be cut with a circular saw.The risers stabilize the stringers and support the treads, souse a minimum of 1 ⁄2-inch plywood. Rip the riser stock thesame width as the riser height. The length equals the outsidedimension of the stairs, but rather than accounting for theslight bevel, I cut the risers square and 1 ⁄8 inch short. Thewidth of the bottom and top riser boards will be differentfrom the rest.6 Professional Deck Builder • July/August 2012
Curved Deck StairsFigure 14. Laminate therisers from two layersof plywood to create anotch that will supportthe front of the structuraltread.The inner riser layer is attached tothe stringers first, using screws andconstruction adhesive. Then the treadbelow is installed, and the inner riseris screwed to its back. The inner risersalso bear the front edge of the treadsabove (Figure 14). Run a bead of constructionadhesive along the top of theriser before installing the tread. Usescrews and construction adhesive tosecure the tread to the stringers. Thesecond riser layer laps the front of theupper tread, and is screwed and gluedto it. This helps to keep the treads fromwarping (Figure 15).Eventually the top of the bending frame will interfere withtread installation. At that point, just install the risers; waituntil the frame is dismantled to install the treads.Install the FinishesWait a day or two to let the riser and tread adhesive curebefore removing the frame. The rough staircase emergesfrom the frame ready for intermediate support posts and thefinishes — skirts, risers, treads, and railings — though sometimesyou’ll find a screw tip poking through a stringer facethat needs to be filed or ground off flush. On large staircases,the outside stringer needs to be supported before thestuds are removed, which you can do by cutting and fasteninga couple of 2x4s and setting them on blocks until permanentposts and footings are placed (Figure 16). Finally,install the top treads and risers (Figure 17, page 8).Figure 15. Offsetting the riserlayers allows them to support boththe front and rear of the treads. In thisconfiguration, the risers act like beamsto transfer the loads from the treads to theinner and outer stringers, eliminating the needfor middle stringers on most stairs.Figure 16. Support the stringers with postsplaced on footings.7 Professional Deck Builder • July/August 2012
Page 1 and 2: Curved Deck StairsA full-size plywo
Page 3: Curved Deck StairsFigure 2. After l

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