Staircase question

[Patrick Galpin]

I need to build a staircase for our new addition and need to match the wood and colour to the wood floor I laid. The staircase will be made out of (or at least topped with) hickory and will span a height difference of 11.5 feet and will be supported by walls on both sides. My questions, for the strigers, best to make them out of general softwood and then face with hickory? Also, for the treads, best to make out of plywood 3/4" to 1" and also face with hickory? Thanks for any help.

[Sam Murdoch]

I don't see any advantage in applying hickory over a soft wood, 2x spruce or whatever for the stringers though I think you can do it well but I would advise against using a ply sub tread. In my experience this just leads to more wood movement accompanied by squeaks and creaks. Can be done with lots of adhesive but why? Having said that I have NO EXPERIENCE with hickory so can't at all speak to the merits of that species as a stair material. I'm responding just to your double material question.

Sam

[Michael W. Clark]

Patrick,
I may not be of much help, but I'll try. When I framed houses, we used 3 stringers; 1 on each side and 1 in the middle. We cut the tread notches in with circular saw, then attached (2) 2x's at each step. The front 2x was flush with the vertical part of the riser. We used the 2x's as our treads during construction. I "assume" that the hardwood (or plywood for carpet) was attached on top of the 2x's and a vertical was added for the riser. The drywall would run down to the top of the tread and molding or carpet would cover the joint between the drywall and tread?

The stairs in my current house have the treads installed in wedged dados cut into the side of the two stringers. They used some type of particle board for the treads that has a rounded nose. I'm not sure if they routed it or if this is a standard product available for stair tread. There is a vertical 2x installed between each tread for the riser. The stringers are sanded and painted the same color as the trim. The drywall is run down to the top of the stringer and baseboard trim is intalled on top of the stringer. In this case, I'm not sure how you could hide the stringer. I suppose you could install the Hickory over the particle board or subsitute it for the particle board. If you install it over the particle board, it seems like it might be easier to replace later if you needed to. Sorry, I may have gave you more questions than answers.
Mike

[Jason Roehl]

The typical stair construction I see locally is this: Three 2x12s are notched for stringers, but the outer two are pulled in from the walls to leave a gap. Temporary construction lumber is used for the steps during most of construction, but is removed when the finished steps, stringers and risers are installed. The finish stringers are dropped into the gaps on the sides, with the appropriate plumb and horizontal cuts at top and bottom (different strokes for different folks). Then, the treads are installed, shimming, gluing and nailing as needed. Next, risers are installed, getting them as tight to the tread below as possible, then a piece of cove trim is installed under the nose of each tread.

That's just what I see the most of locally. Personally, I would try to construct it with access from the back to screw more of it together with pocket screws so that there were no exposed nails.

[Glenn Ancona]

patrick

This is how we build them - it may work for you, it may not. I think it similar to what Jason is describing at least at the trim out phase ?
If you have not started yet ?!? Cut your stringers ( generally doug fur or SPF) and place them against the wall but dont attach them yet. Trace / mark the bottom of the stringers on the studs. Attach a 2x4 or of the thickness of the stringer left after the tread / riser notch. Then attach the stringer to that. This pocket will allow your drywall and your trim stringer to drop into that pocket and fastens the framed stringer to the wall. We have found the drywall to wood flat taping becomes a non issue because its in the pocket. As Jason describes you can do all your other work - taping and painting before you do the finish treads and risers.
good luck - glenn

[Jim Andrew]

Glenn explained the framing well, when you go to finish the stair, put a 1 x 12 on each side of the stair in the "pocket" as he described, deep enough so the steps and risers leave no gap, and high enough so when you install your base at the top and bottom of the stair it can butt into the 1 x 12. Make both cuts plumb, and at the top you may need to cut the top level, high enough that the base doesn't go above the stringer. You can then butt your risers and treads to the side stringers as tight as possible to get a nice fit. This is when you will find how square your house is built.

[Peter Quinn]

I would not make plywood laminated treads unless the species was very expensive or some other consideration required it. Hickory is pretty cheap and. An be had or glued up easily in widths for treads, and its very very strong. Just buy 5/4 hickory or pecan and make 1 1/16" treads. You could also make the risers solid, or use hickory plywood in a cabinet grade. If this is a " housed tread" stair you cold use 5/4 hickory for the stringers. If its a built in place stair your stringers will be 2x12's or glue lams, your "skirts" could be 3/4" solid hickory. Im not sure what your thinking concerning laminating hickory skins to your stringers? Perhaps I've misunderstood something?

[Larry Edgerton]

I agree with Peter, use solid Hickory.

Check out "housed and wedged" stairs, that is the method that I would use in your situation. No creaks with this method and assembly on site is easy. Layout is critical, but take your time and it s not a problem. The most common problems I see with stairs is not taking finish floor material into account but it sounds like your flooring is already in.

Larry

[Richard Wolf]

Larry has the correct answers. I hate to respond to these questions about building stairs, because most professional stair builders, at least in the Northeast, built stairs in their shop and deliver them in one piece and install them that way. The method of the framing carpenters cutting the rough carriages and a finished carpenter trimming the staircase is much more difficult, not as structurally sound and you have less control over the finished product. The advantage of the rough staircase is that during construction a "temp" staircase is available to be used and the finished product gets spared the abuse, but I cover my stair treads with homosote after install which works well as a protector.
Larry and others are also correct about using solid hickory, it is relativity cheap and should be available in 5/4". I just finished a hickory staircase, and think I paid about $3.50 per bf.