I have been asked to quote fixing the steps in a late 1990’s house.
the steps have a poplar tread and a pine riser. the customer wants an oak look to match the rest of the house.
I am looking for ideas on how to do this.
what i have come up with so far is to reface the steps with 1/4 red oak ply, picture frame the riser and then take 6/4 oak and make a dado in the middle to cover the curve of the front of the tread.
Let me know if you think this will work or any other ideas besides ripping the steps down and starting over.
Their are 13 steps.
if anybody has done this before and idea of what they charged or an idea if you would have to quote this job.
Thank you in advance
David
Replies
Is this staircase a housed stringer or a cut stringer type?
Dinosaur
A day may come when the courage of men fails,when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship...
But it is not this day.
I do not know the difference. the stringers are caped by a piece of pine on the top and a wall on each side.
david
http://www.darbynwoods.com
A housed stringer staircase is built with two full-width stringer boards into which mortises are cut to take the treads (and risers if there are any).
A cut stringer stair is built with two or more stringer boards that are cut along the top edges to match the rise and run of each step. The treads and risers are set onto these cut faces and usually extend a bit past the stringers on each side.
Below is a photo of a housed stringer staircase with open risers. I don't have a photo of a cut stringer stair, sorry.
View Image
Dinosaur
A day may come when the courage of men fails,when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship...
But it is not this day.
they are housed on both sides
How long do you expect the thin face ply of red oak to stand up to foot traffic and other things that go bump in the night?
As a facing for risers it would work out well.
An oak nosing, to stay attached under shear loading, would have to have a well fitted and securely glued joint. Do you have the tools and expertise to joint the existing nosing in place or will you be gluing and screwing and plugging?
For the amount of work involved to retrofit I would, at a minimum, replace the poplar treads with real oak treads, fitting them to the existing housing, and use the 1/4" oak ply as facing for the risers.
they are housed on both sides
That being the case, I think Ralph has pretty much given you the best advice. If you can get the old staircase apart without destroying it, you can save the stringers, which might compensate for the cost of removal, disassembly, and reinstallation. You'll have to judge that one from home plate, though.
If it turns out not to be cost effective, you can get pre-cut, pre-finished stair parts in oak at most building supply houses if you don't want to build the whole staircase yourself from scratch. Of course, if you go the pre-made parts route, you won't make anything on the job except for the demolition and installation and a small mark-up on the parts. Your call....
Dinosaur
A day may come when the courage of men fails,when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship...
But it is not this day.
Darby - I don't know the code requirements in your area, but in NY, they are pretty sticky on stair stuff. Your fix would change the riser heights, leave two bum steps (one at the top and the bottom) and creating a building code violation.
I think I'd be figuring a new set of stairs.
Don
thank you for your help.
since i am goine to use 1/4"ply on the steps. i get around the code due to each step will by 1/4"inch higer, on the floor and top is carpet so that is atleast 1/4" tall. this way i am still within code.
david