Can you share a photo of the cracking? My husband is a general contractor...I can ask him what he would use. But without a photo and mention of the cement cracking...he would need to see the extent of it.

Just checking in...no photo. No worries I'll check back later.

Sorry - I'm slack!

Here is what I need to cover, ugh. It looks even worse here than in real life!
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The lattice we will be using is laying flat on top of the stairs.

Here are some close-ups of the cracking cement
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I'd use 1x4s to create an anchoring frame along the face of those gorgeous steps (anchored to the concrete with Tapcons or other masonry screws/anchors). I'd then cut the lattice to follow the outline of the wood, and secure the lattice by sandwiching it between the base 1x4 and a trim 1x4.

Adhesive is not going to bond to what you have, not in any meaningful way. You'll be regluing one spot as another pops up, looking like Bugs Bunny trying to plug a dike.

Thanks marcinde - I follow you until you talk about sandwiching between the base and trim. Can you tell me what you mean by base and trim?

I should have left the rotten lattice and chickenwire up and just planted a bunch of stuff in front, LOL

You can also see our cistern. Removing the steps vs covering them up with lattice and plants would result in exposing that cistern and cap. I'm not even sure if the cistern has been filled or not. Anyway, that is all part of why removing the steps at this time is cost-prohibitive.

Here's one more idea to consider... The top and bottom--horizontal pieces--of frame are to the front, and the sides--vertical pieces--of the frame are to the back. The framed panel would clear the ground by an inch or two.

I like yardvaark's way of thinking...more like a decorative fence up in front of the existing stairs...not in anyway disrupting the structure of said steps. Nice!

I'll run this by my husband...but I see him agreeing with Yarkvark's design as well.

I thought the idea was to keep out critters?

Posted by marcinde 7 (My Page) on Thu, Jun 20, 13 at 14:30
I thought the idea was to keep out critters?

Your right! I'll ask my husband how he would fix it...

if it's not firmly attached to the face of the steps you're not keeping critters out. If there's a 2" gap they'll keep shoving at it till it's big enough.

Half bury a sacrifice 2x4 horizontally, on edge to block the gap. Reduce the gap to one inch ... just enough to keep the bottom board off the ground so it doesn't rot. That should be enough to make it last quite a while.

Do Tapcons need anchors? I have no idea where to find a handyperson to do these sorts of things so DH and I don't have to struggle through them as we are decidedly not very handy. While I get a certain sense of accomplishment from DIY, I am just as satisfied to pay someone else to do it better :)

Tapcons do not need anchors but they need exact diameter holes for the size screw. if the hole depth does not equal screw length it's possible that screw will break off during installation. The under edges of the concrete steps look to be in bad shape. If the Tapcon screw (or any anchor) is too close to the edge of fragile concrete, it could cause a piece of the concrete to break off, in which case the screw wouldn't hold. Given the state that the concrete appears to be in is why I think you'd be better off with a separate fence panel held in place by posts independent of the steps. I'm sure you could figure out what you need to do to make it critter proof.