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Old timer showed me his trick for floating steps that saved me hours
He told me to use a speed square to check my riser heights before every pour instead of trusting the forms, and after trying it on a 16-step front porch in Austin last month I only had to grind down one tread. Anyone else got a weird tool they use for steps that isn't standard?
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samrodriguez2d ago
16 steps and only one needed grinding? That's a pretty good number honestly but I'm wondering how bad your forms were in the first place. I've been building steps for about 12 years now and I can count on one hand the times I've had to grind more than a couple treads after the pour. If you're setting your stringers right and bracing the forms tight you shouldn't be seeing wild height differences unless the ground is shifting on you. Speed square check is fine I guess but it feels like overkill for something that should be caught during form setup. Last set I did in San Antonio I just used a tape measure and a level and everything came out within 1/8 inch without any grinding at all.
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