Steps pop and crack too much!
I am reworking a 16 year old cape cod. The most annoying problem I have is the stairs – they crack and pop on every tread! The stringer is a basic 2×12 with slots cut into the face. The treads and risers are 1x’s that are placed into the slots and then a wood wedge is driven into the slot to lock the 1x’s down. There are small cants connecting the top of the riser to the tread (about three per tread across the 36″ wide steps). It all feels pretty solid from the underside, but it still pops when someone walks up the steps. How can I make the poping and cracking stop?