Strategies to Change Stair Treads and Risers

Are your stairs making an attempt outdated? For individuals who even thought-about an answer to that question, altering your oak stair treads and risers might do the trick. Whereas this DIY mission requires some carpentry experience, homeowners with a bit bit experience coping with the required devices can kind out the job. Inside the video above, This Outdated Residence widespread contractor, Tom Silva, displays a home-owner strategies to measure, decrease, and arrange new oak treads and veneer risers sooner than he begins his refinishing mission. For a additional detailed breakdown, see our data beneath.

Understanding Stair Anatomy

Sooner than updating your stairs, you’ll want to familiarize your self with the important components of a staircase, which embrace the subsequent:

• Treads: The horizontal surfaces you step on
• Risers: The vertical boards between each tread
• Stringers: The structural helps that run diagonally alongside the perimeters, holding up the treads and risers
• Skirt boards: The boards that run alongside the wall, masking the ends of the treads and risers

Preparing for the Enterprise

Sooner than starting your mission, full the subsequent:

1. Take away any current molding or trim from the steps.
2. Study the scenario of the stringers and skirt boards.
3. Accumulate all important devices and provides.
4. Measure and purchase new oak treads and veneer for risers.
5. Create a bit plan to attenuate disruption to household web site guests.

Eradicating Outdated Treads

The first step in updating your stairs is eradicating the earlier treads. Full the subsequent steps rigorously to stay away from damaging your stairs:

1. Use a pry bar to remove any scotia molding between the tread and riser.
2. Gently pry the tread away from the riser to create a spot.
3. Use a reciprocating observed with a metal-cutting blade to cut by way of any nails securing the tread to the stringer.
4. Fastidiously take away the tread, being acutely aware of potential hurt to the skirt board.

Taking time to remove earlier treads rigorously will reduce the need for added repairs.

Preparing the Risers

Sooner than placing in new treads, look at the match of the risers in the direction of the skirt board. Use a hammer to manage any settled risers and fill gaps between the stringer and riser with shims, securing them with wood glue. Trim additional shim supplies with a utility knife and sand the risers clear.

Measuring and Chopping New Treads

In our video, Silva demonstrates strategies to create a template for lowering new treads. Use an earlier tread that’s decrease temporary as a base for measurements. Listed below are the steps to take:

1. Mark a reference stage on the riser above the tread.
2. Use a combination sq. to trace the outline of the skirt board onto the paper template.
3. Swap the template markings to the model new tread.
4. Decrease the tread to measurement using a spherical observed.

Discover that treads are normally not on a regular basis utterly sq.. For a actual match, decrease a rabbet into the once more of the tread using a router to match the dado inside the riser. This may occasionally help the tread sit securely and flush in the direction of the risers, creating educated finish.

Placing in New Treads

With the model new treads decrease to measurement, it’s time for arrange. Proper right here’s how one can arrange your new treads:

1. Apply growth adhesive to the best of the stringer.
2. Slide the tread into place, making sure the rabbet fits into the riser’s dado.
3. Use a rubber mallet to manage the tread’s place if important.
4. Protected the tread with finish nails using a brad nailer.

The adhesive and nails work collectively to hold each tread firmly in place.

Ideas for a Worthwhile Enterprise

Some points to remember to stay away from pointless frustration and straightforward errors:

• Safety First: On a regular basis placed on defending gear similar to safety glasses and gloves when using devices.
• Take Your Time: Fastidiously measure and decrease to cease harmful cuts that lead to wasted provides or uneven treads and risers.
• Hold a Clear Work House: Sustaining your workspace tidy reduces the prospect of accidents and makes your mission additional satisfying.

Ending Touches

To complete your staircase change, sand the model new treads and veneered risers and apply your chosen stain or clear polyurethane to match the encircling flooring. Silva suggests making use of the tip inside the evening to allow for in a single day drying.

Belongings

Silva suggests matching the stair treads and risers to the bottom supplies on each flooring of the house. On this case, the flooring had been purple oak with a clear polyurethane finish on excessive, so Silva used some regular purple oak treads that could be found at any dwelling center.

Whereas the risers may need moreover been modified, Silva thought it is perhaps easier and easily as environment friendly to make use of a veneer over them to supply them a cleaner look that matched the model new treads. Silva utilized a pressure-backed 20 PSA purple oak veneer, which is manufactured by Veneer Utilized sciences. He ordered one 4-foot by 8-foot sheet for the whole set of stairs.

For the template, Silva used an extra piece of Ram Board short-term flooring security, though any semi-rigid markable supplies would work.

To protected the treads in place, Silva used 8d finish nails and growth adhesive, which is manufactured by Gorilla Glue.

All of the devices Silva used to modify the treads and apply the veneer to the risers, along with the brad nailer, spherical observed, combination sq., and reciprocating observed, may very well be found at dwelling amenities.

Skilled assist with this part was provided by Atlantic Plywood.

Devices