On 2 Oct, 12:11, wrote:
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:http://www.2twins.net/steps.html
Thanks for any info!

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 he http://www.centurygrp.com/steps.asp