Instructions / Assembly

11
Building Decks
Stringers: Ready-Made or Cut Your Own?
McFarland Cascade
®
offers treated Pre-Cut
Stair Stringers in 2-,3-,4- and 5-Step sizes. Of
course, all of our stringers carry a Limited
lifetime warranty against decay and termites.
Stair Building Construction Tips
1. You can hang your stringer with a
common joist hanger, if you cut a notch in
the stringer with a saw.
2. For stairs with more that 5 steps, you may
need to install posts for intermediate support.
3. If you cut your own stringers, make sure
that the bottom riser height is equal to the
rise minus the tread thickness.
4. If the steps lead to the ground, set the
stringer on a concrete or treated wood base.
5. Make sure the stringer spacing matches the
joist spacing of your deck and landings.
Stairs with Landings
Here is another case of a
project that looks more
complicated than it
really is. Think of a
landing as a
small free-
standing
deck. You
simply
run two
regular
sets of
stairs from
this “deck” to the
real deck or to the
ground.
The most critical part of building stairs with a
landing is the planning. You must first mea-
sure where you want the stairs to begin and
end; then you can build the landing at the
proper height, and in the proper position in
relation to the deck.
Stairs with Landing Details
9 1/4"
Last riser 7" minus tread thickness (1" or 1 1/2 ")
7"
11"
13 1/16"
5"
2 x 12 Stringer
1
2
4
5
3
Example of
cross bracing
Landing area
Down
Down
Stringers
Side
joist
11"
7"
Joist hanger
Stringer base toe nailed to
11" of the lower tier decking
11"
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