- 1). Choose a place on the ground that is convenient for your porch or stoop and to the entrance or exit where you wish to use the stairs. Relocate statues, fountains or other items in this area. Dig up any growing items and cut away the grass with a utility knife to leave bare soil.
- 2). Dig down so that the area is 4 inches deep, wider than the planned lowest step, and the bottom is level. Tamp the bottom and sides of the excavation until the soil is well compressed. Place the stringer form into the depression and push it against the structure, generally the side of the porch or stoop, behind it.
- 3). Drill a row of three evenly spaced holes into the face of the surface against which the stringer is resting. Make the holes just beneath the highest cross board of the stringer. Make each one 3 to 4 inches deep and push a piece of rebar into it as far as possible.
- 4). Create piles of large broken masonry pieces within each portion of the stringer. This is a good use for any old, broken concrete steps. Keep the masonry 4 inches away from all of the sides and the top.
- 5). Fill the stringer with prepared concrete, starting with the lowest step and working toward the top. Wait about five seconds after you fill each opening to make sure that the concrete settles and the stringer is not leaking anywhere. Screed the top of each step from one side to the other with a scrap 2-by-4 board.
- 6). Run a metal finishing trowel over the surfaces of each step in circular motions to release any trapped moisture. Go back over them in straight lines to smooth the concrete. Gently tamp the top of each step within the stringer until each is perfectly level.
- 7). Let the steps sit for two hours so some moisture can evaporate. Screed the top of each step again and smooth the concrete surfaces again in straight lines with the finishing trowel. Wait several hours for the sides of the steps to set up and remove the cross boards of the stringer.
- 8). Glide a step trowel in straight lines over the ride in each step until it is smooth. Place a stair-edging tool against each of the edges of the staircase and run it back and forth to create smooth, precise edges. Cover the stairs with a plastic tarp and cure them five to seven days; remove the tarp and the stringer.
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