Three years ago I built a wooden staircase in a small yard in a house by the sea.
I used red deal and treated it with Cuprinol Clear Wood Preserver.
The climate here goes from +2 to 40 deg C. The humidity varies between 40 and 90%. Rainfall is 26 to 32 inches annually. So in Summer the wood is exposed to the blazing sun for about 6 hours daily. In Winter it gets some rain and a certain amount of exposure to salt.
Now, after 3 years the wood has greyed a little – to be expected I suppose – and also the surfaces have become very rough. It seems that the veins in the wood have expanded or the softer parts have shrunk a little. Interestingly the underside of the treads, railing and sides are in very much better shape, good enough to tempt me not to touch them.
I am sanding and re-treating the wood but would appreciate any advice on whether I should also varnish it or apply any other sort of coating.
Replies
I will be the first to say "I have no idea", but we have a beach place, and it is pretty well known that wood in that environment isn't gonna last forever. I think treated lumber, and no finish is the ultimate answer for longevity. If this is an architectural feature, then another solution may extend the life, but it is a hard life it leads.
I have NO idea what "red deal" is.
I keep trying to find where you mentioned what kind of wood was used. It kinda matters.
RED DEAL:Sorry, different continent! Red Deal is "Scots Pine". Not as resinous as "real" pine. It's a bit harder than pine and is normally used here for external applications and for woodwork that will be painted.It does last quite well in this environment but, as in my case, gets ugly. When I built the staircase I did not know how to weld. (I've now learned to weld badly :-) ) However I still prefer to have a wooden staircase as it is very visible and the wood is aesthetically more satisfactory.
Varnish would make them dangerously slick I would think (and looks far worse than weathered wood when it starts to degrade). You'll need to stay with a penetrating finish (Penofin or Sikkens) or simply let the treads weather and replace when needed.
Edited 7/12/2008 8:44 am ET by TaunTonMacoute
Thanks for the feedback. I quite agree about varnish making the steps dangerously slick.The penetrating finish sounds like the best option. I think I used the wrong one the first time round. Cuprinol now have a range of deck products which were not available here previously.So the procedure looks like being sand, use Decking Restorer to restore the colour, then treat with "Stay New" Decking.
Why not swap out the deal treads with a wood that will weather more gracefully. If your budget allows, Teak would be ideal--weathering to a nice silver grey. Salt air will help, not hurt the appearance. Sun is the enemy, so if you can get another couple of hours of shade you would extend the life greatly. Ipe would be another, not quite so pricy choice that would hold up very well.
Otherwise, sand, paint with the best oil-based enamel you can find in a fairly light color (bottom too if you can access it), adding in marine non-skid "beads" to the paint to keep the stairs from being hazards. Use the primer recommended by the paint manufacturer for such applications.
Good suggestions, thanks. However I built the staircase by inserting the treads(1 1/2") into dados cut into the long sides (2 1/2") and screwing in from the sides. Crude but effective and fast. Her ladyship asked for these 2 weeks before we moved for the Summer.It will be easier to build a new one so for the present I'll stick with maintaining the existing one.Thanks to all for the advice. I'm new here and I love it!
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