How to Build Sturdy Brick StairsHow to Build Sturdy Brick Stairs
A long-lasting set of masonry steps starts with a solid base and includes good drainage.
October 28, 2024

Though John Carroll was asked only to repair this set of exterior brick stairs, he knew that simply repointing its crumbling mortar joints would be a case of treating the symptom and not the disease. Due to uneven settling, some sections of the brickwork were offset from adjoining areas by as much as an inch. The 65-year-old bricks themselves were in good shape, but the structure was failing; the only permanent solution would be to remove the old stairs and build new ones on a reinforced concrete footing.
When he tore out the old bricks, he wasn't surprised to see that they rested directly on the soil. This was a fairly common practice before World War II; even as recently as the mid-90s he had seen masons laying bricks for steps directly on the ground. A poor practice to begin with, in this case it was made worse by the soil's uneven quality, with large, deeply embedded rocks interspersed with soft, loamy clay. Such a mixture of solid rock and plastic soil is a near-perfect recipe for uneven settlement and frost heaves. To pour the reinforced concrete footing, the single most important measure for producing enduring masonry steps — he would need to excavate to sound soil. (I'm in North Carolina, but in a northern climate you would need to excavate below the frostline).
In addition to providing a solid, monolithic base for the stairs, he wanted to control the water that would inevitably come into contact with the brickwork. Laying the bricks with full, well-packed joints would help keep out both groundwater and rainwater, while installing a drainage system around the perimeter of the stairs would direct groundwater away from the structure.
He also planned to pitch the treads to shed water down and off the steps; an internal drain system would allow any water that did get into the stairs to get back out again.
Laying Out the Brickwork
To lay out this stairway, he had to throw out my usual concerns about getting things level and square. For starters, the stairs had to begin and end at the existing sidewalks, which were neither level nor precisely parallel to each other. Instead of building the steps level from side to side, he would start at the public sidewalk and make gradual adjustments until he made a smooth landing at the top sidewalk. And because he wanted the stairs to shed water, both the supporting slab and the stair treads would need to be pitched, not level.
To read the rest of the story from JLC, click here.
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