Stair repair
by
Bj
House in the woods. Outside winding stairway from ground to third floor. Steps are made from logs with top of step cut flat. Lip of the steps is weathering and falling off, becoming unsafe to use. The only option we can think of without replacing the entire set of steps is to find some kind of metal plate to cover the top of the step. Would like to consider other options if Hometalk people can help.
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I agree with your assessment that the top of the steps is the real problem. Was the top of the steps ever sealed? If not, that would explain why the steps are beginning to break down. The grain of the wood has been absorbing any rain/moisture. I would wait for a dry spell so that the steps can dry out somewhat. Then I would sand them down with a rotary sander (handheld), rounding off the front and back edges, then seal with several coats of an exterior sealer. Rounding the front and back edges would be , probably, the most important step if you decided to use this method. Water needs to roll off top without invaded the unsealed bottom of step. If the underside of the steps are 'natural', you may want to spray for bugs. I don't think that a metal tread would fix the problem unless you extended the metal out over the front and back of steps by maybe an inch on both sides. Sounds pretty expensive too. My suggestion is labor intensive but at a minimal cost.
Agree with the above, and if one is really split, replace the few that are bad. A metal plate would still allow moisture underneath and rot to continue.
Another option would be to replace all the treads with treated wood which is what we use in PNW.