Advice on new deck boards effecting height of stair risers.

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Advice on new deck boards effecting height of stair risers.

Garchiba

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#278436 15-Oct-2020 16:23

I'm renovating my deck and was considering replacing the old 19mm Kwila deckboards with 32mm pine deckboards. The only problem with this is it will effect the height of the first step of a set of stairs leading up off the deck. It will make the first stair riser 13mm shorter than the rest of the stair risers. NZ building code states that variation in riser height cannot exceed 5mm. As this is a like-for-like replacement the job does not require a consent and there will be no inspection.😉 My question is: Will the 13mm variance in height actually cause problems for people using the steps? Or will it go largely unnoticed? Any advice/enlightenment appreciated.

wellygary

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#2585985 15-Oct-2020 17:01

What is 13mm as a % of the rise??

But in all honesty you'll probably not notice it...

Dynamic

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#2585999 15-Oct-2020 17:59

No experience with this but do you have a 10-15mm thick partial sheet of plywood or MDF or gib board laying around, so you can get a few people to try it for you after taking a few steps to approach the stairs?

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cshwone

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#2586005 15-Oct-2020 18:18

Dare I suggest removing the Kwila, cleaning it up, and refitting. It is far more durable and far nicer looking than pine. Save you the financial expense but involve a bit more labour.

Jase2985

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#2586007 15-Oct-2020 18:23

you will notice when you are not watching when going up or down. as little as 3mm difference in stairs can cause people to trip/stumble

Senecio

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#2586013 15-Oct-2020 18:30

I’d expect if it was the first step to be less of a problem. Variation in the middle of steps would present more of an issue.

mdf

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#2586017 15-Oct-2020 18:43

cshwone:

Dare I suggest removing the Kwila, cleaning it up, and refitting. It is far more durable and far nicer looking than pine. Save you the financial expense but involve a bit more labour.

Or new hardwood. 19mm is pretty standard. More expensive but much nicer looking. And less poisonous.

SATTV

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#2586022 15-Oct-2020 19:03

Personally I will never have a pine deck again, too much hassle and maintenance needed, looks good when laid but 2 years later looks grotty.

Have a look at composite decking, if done properly there are no screws or nails visible. It is straight and true, and every board is the same length.

Composite does not need regular maintenance other than a good wash once a year.

John

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Garchiba

13 posts

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#2586038 15-Oct-2020 20:16

Thanks for feedback everyone. The kwila coming off the deck is actually severely compromised. It's a 35 year old deck with a spa pool on it. So was wet a lot and didn't dry out so well. I will be re-using what timber I can though in other parts of the house. The only reason I wanted to move to 32mm pine was because the joists were laid at 550mm centers which is wider than recommended now for 19mm kwila. That being said the deck was obviously fine when it was laid so maybe sticking with the 19mm boards is the best option?