I live in an old two story house built in 1929. Needless to say I have traversed these stairs may times over the years and have an ingrained feeling for them. I have noticed that when I go up and down stairs in a new house they feel different. They don’t seem as comfortable. The other day I was thinking about this and got out my trusty level and checked the treads on my stairs. I found that the treads sloped back very slightly. Perhaps 1/16″ to 1/8″. My question is this. Should the treads slope back? Is this a practice or skill that the old timers had or is it something that has been lost in the haste and cost cutting of mass production?
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There are no tricks such as you mention that I know of.
Perhaps the head of the stairs settled down a bit in 80 yrs.
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I have actually heard of this before. An old timer told me to start cutting on one side of my cut line and end up on the other side by the end of the cut, so that the tread is gently rolled back. He said it made a more comfortable stair and that also if it was slick you would slide towards the stairs instead of back down them.. I don't know, I did that set for him like that and never did it again.. I like my treads to be level.
I find the opposite to be true. A stair that's sloped forward just slightly feels better underfoot to me. About the amount you would expect if you set them perfectly level but they dried out, which results in 1/16" to 3/32" slope.
I think the same way. I aim to get them level though. Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
I aim to get them level though.
Me too, knowing that when the stringer dries out it will give the perfect amount of slope.
I'm thinking the old stairs are a little flexy, making them more comfortable.
Maybe the "comfort" you feel is the familiar rise and run you've grown accustomed to. I've torn apart and refitted many older stairways and I have not discovered anything particularly ingenious in the construction.
I can tell you if I was given the option of back bevelling the treads of an entire staircase with a handplane or setting the treads off level to get a tight no gap riser fit, I would opt for the latter.
Gord
The walking comfort level is related to the ratio of the rise to the run. The wider the tread, the shorter the rise. This ratio positions your body as you ascend. You inadvertently either lean forward or back, depending on the ratio. The taller the riser, the more work it is to climb. We try to stay within limited parameters when building stairs so folks are walking upright. The treads should be level.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
Me thinks your stairs have settled, accounting for the slope.
I am unaware of any advantage that would be gained by pitching the stairs in either direction.
I have always found just the opposite to be true. Stair cases in older homes were typically built to accomodate the smaller space allotted their placement and often have uncomfortable rises and/or runs.
I think you have just become accustomed to the "feel" of your own staircase.
I was in a home recently, remodeling a second floor bath. For the first couple of days on the job, I found myself tripping up the first few steps. After about the third time it happened, I pulled out my tape measure to find that the stairs had a 7 1/2" rise....except for the first step. Over the years several layers of flooring had been layed atop one another, so that there was barely a 6" step to the first rise. I pointed this out to the home owner explaining that it was not code because it was a trip hazard. He told me that when they had first moved in about five years earlier, he and his wife were having the same problem and had put it on their list of things to fix immediately. Neither had tripped in so long, they had just forgotten about it.
J. D. Reynolds
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