# Forum Home Renovation Stairs, Steps and Ramps  Repair or replace...?

## Wombat2

Need to do major restoration on these butterfly steps.   
The main damage is around the outside of the landing under where the facia boards were. When I removed these they were soft and full of moisture like a sponge. Some of the rot has started into the structure timbers. 
As you can see in the attached pictures it is mainly the outside of the timbers while underneath and behind it looks quite sound. The stringers from the landing are starting to be affected.  
My question is should I look at replacing all the affected timbers or can I cut out the soft timber - treat with mould killer/preservative (home brew of borax and antifreeze - said to last 25 years) then fill with epoxy putty?

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## Master Splinter

If it's just a few, you could scarf in new timber and epoxy it in place, but this rapidly starts getting expensive in both time and labour to do; you don't really want to replace a $15 piece of timber with $30 worth of epoxy! - I think it would be easier to replace any with serious damage and just epoxy minor damage.

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## Wombat2

Now that I've dug the rot out and can look at it better I can see that in order to get at the two worst bits I have to remove the three better bits so I may as well do the lot - it's about $120 worth of merbu so will do a good job. Figure if I hire some acro props I can hold the stairs up - pull out the landing and refit in a weekend if I have it all cut and ready to put together.....but then Murphy might stick his nose in  :No:

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## Wombat2

Tackled the landing first- found I only had to prop at two points to keep it all standing up. Knocked off the decking, cut through the rusted bungle screws and nails and pulled it all apart. Used CCA treated hardwood as the replacement bearers and merbu decking. Liberal coatings of paintable tar on all cut and covered surfaces where the rot had got in the old timbers.

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