Ed Garrett
10-18-2007, 11:40 AM
My wife got us a big hot tub last year, but due to (relatively) short legs she has some amusing difficulty actually getting into the hot tub. I looked into commercial spa steps and got sticker shock. Plastic steps can cost $300!!! Cheap / poorly constructed teak steps approach $1000!!!
Woodworker to the Rescue:
I bought some 1” teak flooring from Lumber Liquidators (only approx. $80), chopped it up into steps, added about $10 worth of stainless steel screws from McFeely’s, and now getting into the hot tub has become an easy low risk operation, regardless of leg length or experience at the high jump or pole vaulting.
The steps are larger and more of a focal point than initially expected. Each tread is 17” deep. The steps weigh about 100 lbs. Leftover non-slip floor tiles are inlaid with silicone caulk. The teak protrusions under each deck are actually the ends of “joists” which prevent deflections that could crack the 14” tiles.
I don't usually consider woodworking a cost effective solution. However, in this case, if the commercial steps I looked were actually worth their price, then these home made steps should be worth more than the hot tub…
Sincerely,
Ed Garrett
Tallahassee
Woodworker to the Rescue:
I bought some 1” teak flooring from Lumber Liquidators (only approx. $80), chopped it up into steps, added about $10 worth of stainless steel screws from McFeely’s, and now getting into the hot tub has become an easy low risk operation, regardless of leg length or experience at the high jump or pole vaulting.
The steps are larger and more of a focal point than initially expected. Each tread is 17” deep. The steps weigh about 100 lbs. Leftover non-slip floor tiles are inlaid with silicone caulk. The teak protrusions under each deck are actually the ends of “joists” which prevent deflections that could crack the 14” tiles.
I don't usually consider woodworking a cost effective solution. However, in this case, if the commercial steps I looked were actually worth their price, then these home made steps should be worth more than the hot tub…
Sincerely,
Ed Garrett
Tallahassee