Across Norristown, Philadelphia and Wilmington, a lot of rowhomes and small apartment buildings rely on an exterior steel stair for a second-floor entrance or exit. Many of those stairs are decades old, and rust works on them every winter.
The first thing we look at is the stringers — the two long members the treads sit on. If they're rusted only on the surface, they can be cleaned, reinforced where needed and painted. If the steel has thinned, split or rusted through at the bottom where water collects, the stair has lost strength where it matters most.
Next are the connections: where the stair is bolted to the building and where it meets the ground or the landing. Loose anchors, cracked welds and posts rusted off at the base are common, and they're often what makes a stair feel shaky.
Then the treads and the railing. Individual treads and pickets can usually be replaced. A railing that moves when you lean on it needs to be re-anchored or rebuilt — it's the part people trust without thinking.
When the stringers and connections are sound, repair and reinforcement is usually the better value. When they aren't, a new stair built to the same footprint is the safer choice, and it can be fabricated to fit the building exactly so the swap is quick.
Either way, the finish matters: clean steel, primer and paint, and a plan to touch it up every few years. If your exterior stair is showing its age, call Reyesruiz Welding at (610) 724-0776 and we'll come take a look.