It could be argued that wooden doorsteps are the unsung heroes of our homes – we trample over them, drag heavy items across them and, let’s be honest, rarely give them a second thought.
So it’s probably not surprising that after years of wear and tear, wooden steps often start to come apart at the seams, with the grain cracking and opening up.
But broken and cracked doorsteps aren’t just unsightly – they are also potential hazards that could cause people to trip and fall. For this very reason, it’s always best to err on the side of safety and repair any cracks as soon as they appear. In this Weekend DIY Fix video, Nelson builder Chris Donnelly (Ngāti Maniapoto) shows how to fix a broken step and paint it so it looks good as new.
The first step is prep
Chris suggests that the best place to start is by removing all any old paint by sanding and scraping, either by hand or via an electric sander. Don’t forget to keep a sample of the paint so a Resene colour expert can exactly match it in-store. Now is also a good time to drill out any dry rot or any other matter left in the timber.
Once this is done, head down to your nearest Resene ColorShop to talk to the experts about how best to tackle the repair job. While you’re there, pick up a Resene Repair Care Kit which contains three products aimed at repairing decayed and rotten wood, including stairs, windows, doors and furniture. Experts agree that the combination of these three products are better than other forms of filler as they bind the wood together and work into the timber fibres.
Chris advises to mix the two liquid products in the Resene Repair Care Kit together in a plastic container, before applying the mixture to the step. Make sure you get a good coverage of the entire area, taking special care to cover splits in the wood and fill any open grain.
Once the product has seeped down into the cracks, it’s time to follow that up with the third product, Repair Care Dry Flex. Chris suggests putting this product though a standard caulking gun for ease of application.
