IDEAL TREAD WIDTH

I have had French doors fitted to the rear of the house, which open out onto a paved area.

the height from the bottom of the cill to the flagstones is 490mm

I intend having timber steps fitted, using decking boards as the treads, but without any rises, i.e. just open treads

I assume 3 treads will be enough

What width tread is best ?

The decking boards are 140mm, but this may be too narrow for a tread

I thought about cutting a board in half, giving 210mm tread, or would it be better to go for 2 full boards, i.e a 280mm tread

Any advice would be appreciated

What width tread is best ?

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Remember that if you are having to step over a cill then this alters the placement of your foot so you will probably need more 'go' than you think, or a slightly bigger landing step. Also since it is open treads then you may need to take note of toe space.

2 full width deck boards used for the tread might be the way to go (pardon the pun) but it all depends on whether you are constructing the entire stair or buying pre-made strings. It is easier climbing up a short tread step than descending it - you definitely don't want narrow and wet treads when you are going down the steps.

we always use two boards on any decking steps we do