Alex Burkhardt
07-06-2017, 1:31 PM
Following on the heels of many (most?) before me – I am in the process of slowly renovating my first home. The house is a 70’s era split-level of average build quality. I’ve put a few holes in the walls, changed a doorway, and replaced carpet on the upper half with laminate. This brings me to the current project – the stairs.
The front entrance puts you on a tiled landing, with a half-set of curved stairs leading up, and another half-set leading down to the lower portion of the house. The lower set is currently still carpeted, and will remain so until we decide to remodel that area of the house.
The closed side meets a flat wall. The drywall was notched to fit over the existing 2-by threads, and baseboard covered the moderate gaps. There was no skirt board. I will most likely trim the wood wall to allow for a flush skirt board after I refinish.
The open side is again drywalled to fit. Carpet was wrapped around EVERYTHING you can imagine, which left a horrific amount of stapes to deal with.
I will have access to the underside of the stairs after removing some drywall which conveniently is located within a small closet below. I have not opened it up yet.
The existing 2-by lumber is rough, and I doubt it will provide a flat substrate in its current state. 2x10’s were used for the front portion of each tread, and angled pieces were fit behind to make up the rest of the tread.
If you look closely at the picture, you will also note that the upper-most rise extends all the way across the floor, and is, for all intents and purposes, structural. That being the case, I’m not able to rip that out, or cut it, etc. I will most likely apply a thin MDF or plywood cover over this, and add some simple panels to dress up the exposed portion that divides the two levels.
I will also need to make a cap piece that matches the treads which will serve as a transition between the last step and the new flooring.
So here’s my question – how would YOU go about refinishing or replacing this type of stair?
What would I need to watch out for if I make custom ¾” tread covers and a thicker bullnose?
363343 363344
Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Discuss!
Thanks, alex
The front entrance puts you on a tiled landing, with a half-set of curved stairs leading up, and another half-set leading down to the lower portion of the house. The lower set is currently still carpeted, and will remain so until we decide to remodel that area of the house.
The closed side meets a flat wall. The drywall was notched to fit over the existing 2-by threads, and baseboard covered the moderate gaps. There was no skirt board. I will most likely trim the wood wall to allow for a flush skirt board after I refinish.
The open side is again drywalled to fit. Carpet was wrapped around EVERYTHING you can imagine, which left a horrific amount of stapes to deal with.
I will have access to the underside of the stairs after removing some drywall which conveniently is located within a small closet below. I have not opened it up yet.
The existing 2-by lumber is rough, and I doubt it will provide a flat substrate in its current state. 2x10’s were used for the front portion of each tread, and angled pieces were fit behind to make up the rest of the tread.
If you look closely at the picture, you will also note that the upper-most rise extends all the way across the floor, and is, for all intents and purposes, structural. That being the case, I’m not able to rip that out, or cut it, etc. I will most likely apply a thin MDF or plywood cover over this, and add some simple panels to dress up the exposed portion that divides the two levels.
I will also need to make a cap piece that matches the treads which will serve as a transition between the last step and the new flooring.
So here’s my question – how would YOU go about refinishing or replacing this type of stair?
What would I need to watch out for if I make custom ¾” tread covers and a thicker bullnose?
363343 363344
Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Discuss!
Thanks, alex