I don’t mind spending days getting a stairway trimmed out and looking good.. BUT i have 16 to do… and don’t have a month to do em…
only 3 are enclosed the others all have one open metal handrailed side…
i have yet to do any of these BUT in my minds eye… i thought I’d cut off 3/4″ of the nosing on each skirtboard side so that the tread would be flush with the riser Under the skirtboard… making it a simple job to template the assembled run.. and just “lay” the skirtboard on top of the run…
the second issure is most of these stairs run beside a common wall… i have taken pains to not attach anything that would transmit sound to the walls between units… thus the stringer are not attached in any way to the wall… the stringers all have stiffbacks glued & screwed. and dont run very far unsupported (there is a 1/2 bath under most)
so my idea… and i have no problem with someoe telling me not to.. that it won’t work. is to install the risers and treads… leaving them 1/4″ or so of the finished wall.. cut the skirt board… and on the cut side of the skirtboard place 1/8″ foam tape that would rest between the tread & riser and the skirtboard yet isolating it from the wall to which the skirtboard would be attached…
remember i have alot of exposed timber, concrete floors… exposed timber ceilings… so “high end exact fit” DOESN’T EXIST and is not part of the design or “charm” that adds character…
thanks in advance for any ideas tha might speed this up
P
Replies
On the one open-sided stairs, as long as you're planning on cutting the wall side skirt, why not make up a router jig to dado in the tread and riser? I think Andy Engle posted an adjustable model he made.
Maybe put sill sealer between the skirt and party wall?
I went down to the lobby
To make a small call out.
A pretty dancing girl was there,
And she began to shout,
"Go on back to see the gypsy.
He can move you from the rear,
Drive you from your fear,
Bring you through the mirror.
He did it in Las Vegas,
And he can do it here."
not sure about your foam but I use a router with a 1/2dia patter bit with bearing guide to cut my skirts using the already cut stinger as the guide for the bearing. Can even use this as a start for mitered skirt to riser joints too.
Down and dirty, eh?
Stringer at least an inch from the wall?
Before treads and risers, snap a line on the wall so that the bottom of your 1x skirt material will be hidden when the treads and risers are installed. The width of the skirt material will be determined by the reveal you want above the nose of the tread.
Attach skirt to the wall, using sill seal as spacer, maybe that will cut down some transfered sound, maybe not. Add moulding on top to hide big A** gap.
Install treads and risers, butting them to skirt. If flex of treads against skirt might cause friction noise, use some thin foam tape on end of tread pressed against skirt.
No cutting and fitting of pesky proper skirt required and you get the job done lickity split and it still looks good.
that was my first idea... just butt the riser & tread to the skirt... I'm not sure it'd even be an issue if i left a 16th between them & the skirt... I have tons of big rolls of foam tape... so that on the ends of the riser tread might just be the ticket...
thanks
P
That is the common method out here.
Install the skirt to the wall, cut and install the treads and risers, butting them to the skirt.
Helps if you own or make a tread jig so you can cut each tread to a pattern unless you can guarantee the wall is absolutely straight and flat. IIRC you are having to fit one side only will make it easier though.
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
I use this when the skirt boards are already installed.
AitchKay
I should have also said that's a stair tread cutoff jig for a sidewinder. The righthand cut can be done bareback, but I tape the back-to-front cut on the left so that there's no tearout on the nosing.AitchKay
thanks... that one pic prob saved me 2 hours.... only have 2 stairways that are enclosed and knew i'd need to make a jig.......
thanks
p
Nother variation, lower tech but with different wings and spreaders will jig anything captured...http://www.tvwsolar.com
I went down to the lobby
To make a small call out.
A pretty dancing girl was there,
And she began to shout,
"Go on back to see the gypsy.
He can move you from the rear,
Drive you from your fear,
Bring you through the mirror.
He did it in Las Vegas,
And he can do it here."
Yeah, I use different length bars, too, for shelves and whatnot. As you say, anything captured.When I make a new cuttoff jig, I make it double-wide and two-edged, then rip it in half when the glue has dried. It's the same labor as making one, with a couple of additional advantages:The top, guide, strip is twice as wide, and therefore less likely to curve out-of-straight as it's being stapled and glued. And having more guides means you can feel free to cut them up for custom jigs.AitchKay
Make your own shooting boards? That's just crazy talk <G>http://www.tvwsolar.com
I went down to the lobby
To make a small call out.
A pretty dancing girl was there,
And she began to shout,
"Go on back to see the gypsy.
He can move you from the rear,
Drive you from your fear,
Bring you through the mirror.
He did it in Las Vegas,
And he can do it here."
Is that foam you've got in there between the stringers?'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb
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yes, stairs went from main house thru a closet in the unheated garage to an apartment above... the foam made that set quite the pain.http://www.tvwsolar.com
I went down to the lobby
To make a small call out.
A pretty dancing girl was there,
And she began to shout,
"Go on back to see the gypsy.
He can move you from the rear,
Drive you from your fear,
Bring you through the mirror.
He did it in Las Vegas,
And he can do it here."
Notching the tread to let the skirtboard pass thru in plane with the riser is how it was often done in "good old times". There are some advantages to this method. It allows the tread to expand and contract without opening up any gaps. And it helps to keep treads flat, as they are now wedged between the skirt and the stringer. But it would certainly take longer then simply butting the steps into skirt.
Alexei
pretty sure i'll be butt'n em... just no way i can spend the time to notch them... butt'n i can prob knock out several a day... notch'n i'd be doing good to get one done...
thanks
P
You can always mark the tread on the riser and cut a couple of biscuits in to the riser and the end of the tread , glue and slam them home.
Keeps the squeaks from occurring.
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
Great thread and I learned a lot.I reno existing stairs often and I'm going to try the cut off jigs asap.I like to use a miter saw and use a technique I often use for angles.Fitting 1/4" oak stringer caps to existing stringers...yeah I notch the existing treads and then fit the 1/4" cap along the nosing line. With a pitch block with the given rise and run, I "scribe" the steps in...then cut out with a jigsaw, fit it into the existing treads and risers then butt everything into it. I also baste in lightly to the existing stringer so I can cheat my ends into it. For fitting the treads I rip a piece of 1/4"whiteboard to 12" x 2'. I would make it the finished length of your treads.On your stairs with one open side I would fit this on the closed side, scribe the angle, use to to set my chop saw-undercut the cut 1 or 2 degrees. Check fit then cut your tread to length...repeat...usually only change the angle a few times...fast quick easy and I like to fit with a miter saw.I'm bad...I glue oak treads down with pl premium and tack with brads. The 1/4 " riser caps are fit on top and hold the back of the treads down. I use a similar bastard method to fit the riser caps on one side only, in your case. if any of this makes sense...cheers,silver
thanks... for the tips... I think the whole thing will be "bastard" but I can cheat it enough to look good and still be "production"... the cool thing about my lofts is... It's an OLD WAREHOUSE... i keep telling myself this so that I don't over do the detail...
with a mix of steel wood and concrete... as long as i keep a few things constant... it "flows"
thanks
P
I like to tell my customers it's all about the feng shoe...good luck with your project...sounds like fun.silver
feng shoe?Is that what you use when your feng base doesn't quite cover the gap? ;)'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb
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Now you're getting it!However,the ancient Chinese art is feng shui-pronounced fung shway so there is no base for the shoe :>)silver