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Over the
years before this section was born, many
asked; "how can I install hardwood on my
old stairs?" While many of the purists
would scream if they saw hardwood strip or
plank on stairs. It's all in the eyes of
the beholder. Both are quite popular
depending on where you reside and other
factors.
More About Stair Stringers
First step, remove the old ugly stuff and
prep the steps properly to receive
hardwood. I would suggest anyone
considering this kind of project, that may
have a dry walled staircase, to have stair
stringers installed before your project
begins, if none are in place. What are
stair stringers? There are other terms
such as skirt board or skirting. The
illustration on the right should provide a
good example. Stringers provide a much
cleaner final appearance in our opinion
but this customer preferred existing
drywall on the sides of the steps.
In our case, stringers provide no added
strength to the steps as they are not
attached to the stairs but the wall board
itself. We would recommend having them
painted or stained prior to installing the
hardwood. Expect to do some minor touch up
once the steps are completed as there will
be some minor scraping and marring during
the installation.
What to buy? How to measure for the job?
Typical step construction measures 11
inches in depth for the step itself and
approximately 6 3/4 inches for the riser.
Step being the area that is stepped on,
and riser provides the face of the step.
Common stairs in our example measure 36
inches across.
How To Measure. What's Needed
Each step requires nosing, stair nose, or
bull nose(ing). These are provided by
nearly all prefinished manufacturers and
should match the flooring you've selected.
In our example we have 14 steps that
measure 36" across plus or minus. Chances
are good all steps will have different
measurements, depending on what kind of
job the original rough framers did. I've
seen some vary by as much as two inches
from the top of the staircase to the
bottom.
Prefinished stair nosing comes in lengths
of 6', 6'6", and seven foot, sometimes
longer. It's important to double check
measurements. There's nothing worse than
having an installer ready for a job and he
discovers you're short one piece. Wherever
you buy, it could take weeks to get an
extra piece.
In some cases there will be a lot of waste
with stair nosing should your steps
measure 42" across and nosing comes in six
foot lengths. In that case you would need
14 pieces opposed to the seven we need for
this project. I know what some are
thinking.."we'll put two pieces on the
step." No, absolutely not! I cringe at the
thought and it will be very noticeable.
With our example, we have 14 steps. Our
order will be seven pieces of nosing. You
may want to add one extra just in case you
get an ugly one...and it's been known to
happen. Grain doesn't match flooring etc.
Don't measure exact square footage for the
step and riser as there will be waste. In
this case I feel much safer with five
square feet total for the step and riser
combined.
Note: Mortised Treads and Risers
Some may find under the carpeting,
staircases that were pre assembled off
location and installed as one unit. In
this case, stringers (skirting) do provide
support of the staircase system with the
step and riser mortised. Prep for
installing strip or plank will be slightly
different in this case.
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