Repairing exterior timber - stair treads and handrails

Hi guys,

I have two sets of stairs, one hardwood (with wood stringers and treads) and the other pine treads and handrail, with a steel stringer. I have noticed in the hardwood (possibly original from 1950) that the bottom tread is rotting through, and others have patches of rot. The majority of treads only have minimal damage, so I would like to avoid complete replacement...

In the pine hand-rail on my other set of stairs, there have been splits/furrows where water has been seeping into the wood as well..

My uncle generally suggested digging out (with a chisel?) the rotted bits, and filling them in (with builders bog) to prevent further damage to the treads. Does this sound fair enough to other members of the forum? Should I try flushing the rotted area with some kind of fungal killer or bleach?

Also - if I was to get a carpenter out to fix these things (the bottom tread might need to be replaced), can anyone recommend one for Brisbane south-west? Thanks!

Thanks in advance!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by oblivious

In the pine hand-rail on my other set of stairs, there have been splits/furrows where water has been seeping into the wood as well..

My uncle generally suggested digging out (with a chisel?) the rotted bits, and filling them in (with builders bog) to prevent further damage to the treads. Does this sound fair enough to other members of the forum? Should I try flushing the rotted area with some kind of fungal killer or bleach?

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Your pine hand rail just needs filling with a standard exterior filler & sealing with paint. I would be inclined to apply some sort of wood preservative in the event that it may already be rotting. "Reseal" is freely available & is prepared for use by dissolving in water. I prefer to use a spirit based copper napthenate preservative. Woodcare have one on the market.

If the timber is too far gone, especially on stair treads, it should be replaced. However if the rot hasn't gone too far, dig as much as you can out with a chisel and apply a thin two pot epoxy wood hardener making sure it soaks fully into the surrounding timber. Norseal sell one & you may find it in hardware stores, otherwise try a boating supplier. After it has hardened, fill with an epoxy product like Plastibond or equivalent. IMO Builders Bog is well named. I wouldn't use it. You may need a couple of applications of filler. Sand it back & seal. It is grey coloured & doesn't look all that good if you are not planning to coat it but it is effective. Just make sure your stairs are completely safe. Good luck.

Mick :)

Thanks Mick!

I will have a look at Bunnings for these products - its the only hardware nearby - otherwise I might drive a bit further afield... but its totally worth it to save the hardwood :)