Can I add 1" of mortar to an existing bed of concrete recently poured?

[MiamiCuse]

I am doing a exterior stair case project.

Basically from the exterior landing of the house there is a 12" step down to meet the walkway. The walkway is then sloped to meet the driveway which is five feet away.

People have always mentioned how steep that first step is.

So what I did was after some measurements, I formed up the walkway and created two additional steps. So instead of previously a sloped walkway then a 12" step, now I have three 5" steps. It is already poured and curing five days ago.

However, even though I did careful measurements, I did not account for the uneven-ness of the walkway, as well as I did a bit of pitch on the step (1/4" per foot) so rain will drain to the driveway. Now I did some re-measure, and my steps are 5", 4-1/4" and 5-1/2".

I would like to even out the steps, because standing in front, I could visibly see that the middle step is not as deep as the others. May be no one else would notice, but I do.

So what I would like to do is to add 3/4" to the middle step uniformly. That would do it. For the step I used the Sackrete 60 lb

2500psi concrete mix. Now I am wondering, if I have to raise 3/4" on one step, can I use the same? This mix has some aggregate in them that's about 1/2" in size and the instructions says this is not intended for a thin patch.

Should I use another type of mortar to add this thickness?

and should I be doing this while the concrete below is still curing? It is ok to walk on now and I spray water everyday on it.

Thanks in advance,

[RicodJour]

Go to the Sakrete site and use their product selector. Standard mortar will not last long.

It is not a visual problem you have, but a serious functional one. Flights of stairs or steps, even just a few of them, should have no more than 3/8" difference in riser height between tallest and shortest. Having a greater variance will greatly increase the chances of someone tripping and you getting to exercise your homeowner's liability insurance.

There is also a relation between riser height and tread depth - if you changed the riser height the odds are pretty good that the tread depth is now off.

R

[RicodJour]

BTW, I am curious why you feel that mucking up a project and asking questions on how to correct it afterward makes more sense than asking questions while you are still planning the project. This has been pointed out to you repeatedly by more than a few people on more than one Usenet forum.

Do you enjoy wasting your time and money? What's the big deal about asking a few questions first? It's a sign of intelligence and not something to be ashamed of. If you're shy about asking questions - which is unlikely as you're not shy asking questions after your project goes south - why are you not doing even the most basic research before starting?

R

[Harry K]

I'm surprised that soemone can even screw up a 3 step run that badly. It should, by good construction standards, have only been a 2-step run. The rule I learned way back is run + riser should be in the 17" range (I forget what the minimum run needs to be).

Harry K

[trader4]

I agree. Regardless of changes in what leads up to the steps or comes after it or adding 1/4" pitch to them, I don't see how you could go to pour the steps and have them come out like this.

[RicodJour]

You're obviously new here, or you've never read one of the OP's threads. ;)

Possibly the OP didn't have a 6" ruler so he went with something shorter.

R