concrete step repair & slate

[mateolola]

Hi, I have some cracking and chipping damage on my front concrete steps probably due to wear & tear and rock salt. The previous owner obviously skim coated the top of a few of the steps and that's what is chipping away. At this point i'd like to possibly put some slate treads on top and repair the risers with concrete or brick if it's not too thick. I have a few questions: What is the best thickness of slate when using it for steps? Does anyone have suggestions as to which product would be best to use when laying in the slate? What is the best (longest lasting) product to use for fixing the the non-slated areas?

I have pics posted on my website:

for any info!

[ransley]

The slate I have seen is slippery when wet and old

[DerbyDad03]

My first thought is something my grandfather use to say about building steps: The feet remember.

It's hard to tell from the picture if the rise of all the steps, including the last one onto the porch, are all even. If they are, that's good, but it also means that if you add slate on top of each step, then you should raise the porch floor by an equal amount to keep the rise constant. If you don't, the feet are going to remember the rise of the steps and a tripping hazard will be present at the top.

Have you considered starting from scratch, with either a set of wooden steps or a precast set such as found here:

[franz frippl]

Have you considered using the recycled plastic wood or even real wood instead? Might soften and warm up the steps a bit.

I'd paint the sides and top/face each step with the wood.

[franz frippl]

Second thought: Rip out steps and rebuild with wood. Looks like the porch needs help. Now's your chance to build something with eye appeal.

[Robert Barr]

I've had really good luck with a product with a name like 'Akona' or 'Acona'; it's a two-component system that gets hotter than blazes while it cures. I fixed a broken corner of a concrete porch with this stuff about 18 years ago, and it's still doing fine. it was so long ago that I don't recall seeing this stuff recently -- but I haven't been looking, either.

If the concrete being repaired isn't in good shape, of course, the repair material will just break away like everything else, but you knew that.