When you first built your deck stairs a couple of years ago they were rock solid. Now, though, they start to get a little janky – what gives?
Like anything else man-made, it’s not unusual for deck stairs to get a little wobbly over time. Luckily, though, with a bit of construction adhesive, some heavy duty fasteners, and maybe an extra stringer or two you should be able to work all the wobbly out of your deck stairs once and for all.
Ready to jump right in?
How To Fix Wobbly Deck Stairs
Getting your deck stairs back into tip top shape is usually a whole lot easier than most people think.
All you have to do to get rid of those wobbly stairs is run through this quick guide, start to finish, and you’ll be back in action with a steady, strong set of deck stairs once again.
Shims Might Work in a Pinch
Sometimes all you have to do to work out the wobble in your deck stairs is slide a shim (or two) underneath the treads or risers.
Depending on the kind of material you’re using on your deck stairs you’re going to see either a little bit or a lot of movement as temperatures, humidity levels, and exposure to wind and water happen over time.
It’s not at all unusual for deck stairs to start twist and warp as they get older. Every now and again, though, a quick shim slipped underneath fixes the wobble (at least temporarily, anyway).
Stringer Repair
Maybe, though, you’re dealing with a wobbly issue caused by a stringer that is starting to fall apart.
Stringers that are beginning to degrade (but aren’t falling apart altogether yet) can be saved, usually with a second identical stringer “sistered” right up against the original to help carry the load.
Cut the new copy to match, slide it up against the original stringer with a little bit of construction adhesive between the two, and then use fasteners (lag bolts might be overkill, but maybe not) to attach the two pieces together.
From there you can screw back down from the risers in the treads into the new sister stringer, giving those steps a stronger bite once again.
That should take the wobble out of the steps for you!
Riser and Tread Replacement
Maybe, though, you’re not dealing with a stringer problem at all but instead risers and treads that have begun to buckle and warp.
The risers are the pieces of wood that go up against the “face” of steps, the part where your toe would kick if you were to kick the stairs. The treads are (obviously) where you tread upon the steps as you go up them!
If these pieces of wood are almost always pretty short, and that means that they don’t have a lot of contact with the structural parts of your steps. They may only be connected in two or three places (at the most).
In those situations, it isn’t at all unusual for mechanical fasteners to work loose, the short boards to swell or warp and pull themselves free, or for these parts to just get a little bit “wonky”.
Deck owners that are dealing with this problem are in luck, though.
Usually it doesn’t take all that much to pull out the old risers and treads, cut new ones to fit, and then to lock them back into place.
Once again, though, you’ll want to be sure you’re using plenty of construction adhesive on the stringers before you screw down your riser and tread.
This will take all future wobble out of the equation completely, but it also makes sure that your new deck stairs won’t creak or squeeze when you’re walking on them, either!
Beef Up Fasteners
Every now and again, though, you’re going to be dealing with stairs on your deck that wobble and wiggle simply because the fasteners used originally weren’t up to snuff.
This happens a lot – especially when you weren’t the one that built in the original deck!
Cheap fasteners, the wrong fasteners for the job, fasteners not engineered for exterior uses…all of them are going to fail sooner rather than later. And all of them are going to leave your deck steps pretty shaky.
Most of the time, though, getting those old fasteners out of the edeck steps and replacing them with new (purpose built) options is a breeze. Time consuming, sure – but relatively pain free.
And best of all, this quick fix isn’t going to blow holes in your budget, either!
Overhaul the Stairs Top to Bottom
Sadly, you may be dealing with wobbly steps that have become compromised in a number of key areas and have to be replaced top to bottom.
This isn’t a doomsday scenario. Not by any stretch of the imagination.
But it is going to be a little bit of an involved project.
For one thing, you are going to have to cut the old stairs away completely and demo them out entirely.
Secondly, you’re going to need to redesign, reengineer, and rebuild a new set of stairs from scratch – hopefully “overbuilding” these ones a little bit to avoid the wobble problem going forward.
Finally, you’re going to need to reattach the new stairs in place, finish them to match the finish on your deck, and then (and only then) are you going to have your problem settled.
This isn’t an ideal solution, especially if you were trying to keep your budget towards the “supercheap fix” side of things.
But it is going to give you the longest term fix with new stairs that are built right straight from the jump.
Closing Thoughts
Wobbly deck stairs are almost always a sign of something going a little sideways with the construction or construction materials of the deck stairs themselves.
Regular checks on all the core components of your deck (including underneath, whenever possible) will help you stay ahead of problems that can turn into major emergencies later down the line.
If you spot damage, if you spot twisted or warped deck components, or if you just don’t feel safe going up and down your deck steps anymore it’s time to get this squared away.
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