I have a bunch of stair treads that will flex (and creak) up to 3/4 of an inch when I (225lbs) go up and down them, waking all the other mammals in the house and causing general unhappyness. on the other side of the steps is cracking plaster and dinged up drywall, so it would be pretty easy to pull it off to get to the underside of the steps.
I was thinking about gluing and screwing 3/4 plywood to the bottom of the stairs and then gluing and screwing additional support to the bottoms and sides of the steps.
But, before I try to reinvent the wheel I am wondering if there is an easier/better way.
Replies
How about opening up the back and posting a photo?
Andy
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig.
I am on it....
I ordered me up a multimaster XL, and will use it to nicely remove the drywall and plaster... tune in for pictures in about 4 days
Jeff
I love how this works. Not only do we get to see pics of the stairs and maybe learn something in the process, but you get a new Multimaster. Talk about a win/win!Andy
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig.
I agree with Andy Engel--a pic would be helpful. Off hand though, if you can get to the bottoms of the stringers, you can add a strongback to each one (2x4 flat) and that would help--I'd be sure to jack up so any sag is out first. I guess you could also add a stringer down the center. Your idea of plywood would probably work too.
The 2z4 flat would take away from headroom below
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
The answer to your problem depends a lot on what exists now. There are a few ways of framing to start with. An approximation of the age might possibly give a clue. The combination of both sheetrock and plaster underneath is slightly confusing, indicative of maybe earlier repair attempts?
A stair framed with stringers might only need the center stringer re-inforced by adding a pair of sistered 2x4s to either side of it with glue and screws.
OTOH, if it is a housed set then there is no center stringer and the whole thing is moving because the outers are not fastened to the adjacent walls.
I'm going to make a stab in the dark though and guiess this was poorly built with cut stringers and the center one was left out. The phoito would be invaluable in assigning a fix. My guesswork is taking me to suggesting that with no center stringer, the fix would be to glue in 2x8 behind each riser tight under each tread, IF the side stringers are worthwhile.
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
Squeaks happen, most of the time, from two surfaces rubbing against each other. One of the common culprits is the tread to riser joint. There are a number of other places such as the tread and riser to the skirtboard and treads that have worked loose. The carriage can also be flexing. A short term solution may be to sprinkle some talc or baby powder in the open joints. If the underneath of the stair is in need of repair, this will be a good time to inspect the situation. Re-screwing at the riser/tread junction and shimming gaps under the tread to stringer area may be all that's needed.
A lot depends on how the stairs were constructed, housed stringers or sawtooth stringers. If the stairs are older, they were likely assembled with nails. These work loose over time. Most repairs can be done if you have access to the underneath. Some shimming can be done from the top. You may have to remove the scotia molding if there is one. Loose nails in the treads can be replaced with trim head screws.
For the short term, I would just do a little investigation and try to locate specific squeaks. If the stairs are not carpeted, a trim screw here or there on a tread may help. Dealing with the riser to tread connection is best done from under but cleaning out debris and a little powder may help Santa sneak around for a little while. You'll have a better idea what is going on once they are open underneath. Better fasteners and maybe some glue blocks will generally fix things, a weak center stringer can be sistered but slapping a piece of plywood on the bottom won't do anything.
At least around here, stair underachievement as described is often from the poorly build collections of scraps that were common from 1910ish to 1940ish. Apparently an entire generation of carpenters existed without a decent idea of how stairs should be built. Often a quick measurement shows riser variations of 1/2" on a good section and really bad everywhere else--not worth fixing.
Happy stair building,
Don
The answer to your problem is a strongback. Use a 2X4 on the flat. Try to cut it so it fit tightly from the floor to the top joist. But the key to a strongback working, is to be sure to screw it into every tread. I realize that this sounds like it will not work, but it will stiffen up the whole staircase amazingly.
Bear
I think I get what you are saying, it would almost be a spine underneath the stairs to support it?
I already have to tilt my head to get into the basement, and doing that might cost too much clearance. I am going to drop the ceiling and see whats there.