Home Improvement: Entryway Steps

Problem: The two steps leading up to the house door in the garage are spaced unevenly. The builders did not take into account the extra 2 inches that the door's threshold and weather striping adds to that top step. There is also much creaking and flexing for some reason.

So this summer's home improvement project was to make each step about 1.5 inches higher, make it more secure (no more creaking) and to make this entryway more inviting. The clutter that accumulates over the years!

Original steps, and the mess

The easiest way would have been to add a 1.5" thick boards to each step, or "tread" as the construction industry calls it. But that would not have helped with the creaking. Time to tear it down to see what I can salvage.

Forgot to take a photo, but the hidden space under the steps was quite disgusting. Spider webs, dust and accumulated dirt unable to be removed in a 15 year old house. The new design definitely has to be fully open to be cleaned.

It turns out the supports (called "risers") were splitting badly and were causing the creaking. Not in any danger of collapse, but better to fix now than later. The treads were still sturdy enough, but that gray paint would have been a pain to strip. Also, natural wood makes for a warmer and more inviting entryway anyway.

Two 2x10 pine boards glued together to make an ultra thick step

Off to the Home Depot down the road and picked up a few lengths of 2x10 boards (actual size is 1.5" x 9.25", NOT 2" x 10") and other supplies. These boards are heavy, and even more so stacked up x2. I used construction glue, applied liberally.

To flatten the front of the 2-board treads, I had to go old-school with a bench plane (brings back memories of secondary school workshop classes!). An electric circular saw would have been much faster but the blade was just a bit too small to cut through 3" in one go. There is a large pile of wood shavings that will be going into the garden compost heap.

Natural wood color deck stain instead of paint

Since the garage is technically outdoors, stain that is used for wooden decks was recommended. Three coats, looks pretty good.

I did salvage some of the old treads after all. They were ideal for the risers. So measure, mark, measure, cut, strip paint, sand, stain and screw into the wall.

Finally, the steps were also screwed down. All done.

Steps and entryway - after