Hi,

When I rebuilt my deck a few years back with ipe I used tigerclaws to avoid the freeze/thaw cycle damage that top down nails would invite.

Since then my front porch stairs is going soft and I was thinking of a hidden fastener approach for the same reason. However, with stairs you are revisiting the "first board" (1 of 3) problem on every step.

An alternative I'm considering is this 3M marine adhesive 5200. As long as it isn't exposed to UV it will remain plyable and very, very aggressive in its adhesion.
I've even rebuilt my chaco sandals with the stuff.

Searching the internet hasn't yielded any useful references to 5200 and stair tread so I am testing a few pieces to see how it goes.
Would anyone have any thoughts, experiences or references on this approach ?
Thanks,
NP