Yesterday I asked a few questions about the construction of my concrete stairs. Today the pondering continues, but now in a new thread where it's more about how the "renovation" will proceed. The stairs are covered with slate, but I realize that the easiest thing after all will be to remove the slate, repair the concrete, and then lay wood on top. Not to completely encase it with sides, stringers and everything, but just the platform, treads, and risers. I have a few questions that are probably amateurishly stupid, but I still need to know:
1. Let's say I use 28x120, should I proceed just like when building a deck, i.e., leave a small gap between the boards? Is there any technique other than the "deck-building technique" when you want to lay wood decking on stairs?
2. Inevitably, both rainwater and meltwater from snow will run down between the wood and onto the underlying concrete. Here I think it can freeze in winter and cause frost damage. It's the maintenance of the concrete stairs I want to continue to avoid, so is there a solution for this? Can you frost-proof the concrete in some way, or how do you go about it, those of you with wood-clad stairs?
