3 intex pools later, the kids may be gone and the pool no longer needed and the regular steps may still be going strong. A forever stair is not necessarily needed here, although it very may well be preferred anyway by some.
Drop in steps used outside the pool
- Thread starter Capz65
- Start date
I'd think glued treads are a must for slip prevention no matter the material
- Nov 12, 2017
- 12,639
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
The problem I've found is with the sandwiches. My nickname for the contact between building materials. Like doubled-up joists. Or treads where they attach to stringers. Or deck boards where they touch the joists. Etc. Any place that water can squeeze into but not so easily drain or evaporate out of. That's the deck/stairway killer. That's where the rot starts, then spreads like a cancer. And unfortunately there's no way to reseal those areas, even if you took the time to seal them all before you assembled them together. So over the years I've successfully combatted this problem in several ways:
- Composite decking
- Pressure-treated ground-contact framing (not all PT is ground-contact rated)
- Liberal and multi-coat application of sealer (like Copper Green) on any fresh-cut surfaces (like the ends of the boards or the cuts in a stringer)
- Careful attention to any areas that can trap water, and designing them out as much as possible (spots where water can't drain away)
- And I've even applied metal flashing to the tops of joists and stringers if the water exposure would be year-round (like under an outside shower, or perhaps some stairs to a pool). I form the flashing like an upside-down U, with the wings slightly spread out like a roof. The theory being the flashing will shed water away from the wood underneath, and only sandwich water between the top of the flashing and the composite material, both of which can handle the retained moisture exposure better than wood, and neither is subject to dry rot.
That might get you 30+ years (climate dependent). Conceivably could double or even triple lifespan over wood only, with none of those tricks and neglected sealing. Ya know, ya get out of it what you put into it.
Anywho, that's how I do it...
- Composite decking
- Pressure-treated ground-contact framing (not all PT is ground-contact rated)
- Liberal and multi-coat application of sealer (like Copper Green) on any fresh-cut surfaces (like the ends of the boards or the cuts in a stringer)
- Careful attention to any areas that can trap water, and designing them out as much as possible (spots where water can't drain away)
- And I've even applied metal flashing to the tops of joists and stringers if the water exposure would be year-round (like under an outside shower, or perhaps some stairs to a pool). I form the flashing like an upside-down U, with the wings slightly spread out like a roof. The theory being the flashing will shed water away from the wood underneath, and only sandwich water between the top of the flashing and the composite material, both of which can handle the retained moisture exposure better than wood, and neither is subject to dry rot.
That might get you 30+ years (climate dependent). Conceivably could double or even triple lifespan over wood only, with none of those tricks and neglected sealing. Ya know, ya get out of it what you put into it.
Anywho, that's how I do it...
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I'm tempted to just buy a set of fiberglass stairs or boat dock stairs if I can find them used. $1200 new with railings. Used the price is comparable to cedar lumber for a custom build. Not as pretty but summer is here and I want to use the pool not work on it. Ill also probably move in the next 10 years so temporary is prob the way to go. And they'll be easily resold.
Unfortunately the size I need are sized for yachts and priced for people who can afford yachts. Could get lucky finding used though 
Not delivered. It's an hour and a half to where I got the quote but worth a day trip to save $600 freight
I'll send my butler Jeeves to fetch it. He can strap it to the roof in the Bentley$1200 and you DELIVER ???? My goodness, that's SLENDID Mortimer. Do so post haste.