Stair tread measuring and fitting issue with side skirt!!! Tread jig stuck inside.

[joe webb]

So I was happily tiling my risers and getting ready to put the treads down. The profile of my side skirt is making the width narrower and I am unable to lift up the tread jig. It's stuck!!

Can someone offer suggestions on how to deal with this?

I tried to slide it down all the way to the bottom, but some middle steps are narrower than the ones from the top.
If removing the skirt (which is very difficult at this stage), how can I make measurements?

What a bummer!!! Being thinking hard, but can't find a solution except cutting the treads a bit narrower and leave an ugly gap on both sides.

Thanks much

[Charles P. Wright]

Could you just slip in a shim on one side, like an off cut of 1/2" plywood, and add that back to the tread when cutting?

[Kevin Jenness]

Is the problem the moulding at the top of the skirt? Just remove that. Knife through the paint where it meets the wall and skirt board first.

If the problem is the flat skirt tipping out of vertical then you have a bigger problem. If you can't remove the jig you won't be able to install a tightly fit tread. You could take a belt sander to the skirt once the cap moulding is off to get clearance.

[joe webb]

Thanks Charles. That would solve pulling out the jig, but then how can drop the tread back in there? It will be blocked by that same profile.

[joe webb]

Is the problem the moulding at the top of the skirt? Just remove that. Knife through the paint where it meets the wall and skirt board first.

If the problem is the flat skirt tipping out of vertical then you have a bigger problem. If you can't remove the jig you won't be able to install a tightly fit tread. You could take a belt sander to the skirt once the cap moulding is off to get clearance.

Thanks Kevin. Yes the curvy fancy shape at the top of the moulding is blocking the way in and out. Are you suggesting to remove the top fancy shape of the wall and off the skirt? It's not make of wood as it flex around the corner for a 180 degree turn. Thus very likely it won't come out in one piece and then I need to find where to buy a matching one to put it back.

[Kevin Jenness]

Whatever it is made of it is not integral to the skirt and you should be able to remove it. One side should be enough. If necessary cut it at the top of the skirt board and fair in the gap with gub when you re-install it.

[Jim Morgan]

Whatever it is made of it is not integral to the skirt and you should be able to remove it. One side should be enough. If necessary cut it at the top of the skirt board and fair in the gap with gub when you re-install it.

+1 Bite the bullet and remove the bolection on one side - looks like the left side would be easier.

[Andrew Nemeth]

In order to get a single solid tread past the cap, it looks like you need to pull the cap. If there is not room to get the jig out, I don’t know how you would get a tread in. If it’s still an option, and you don’t want to disturb the cap, you could use strip/plank flooring and nosing to cover each subtread. With the strip/plank flooring it’s acceptable to have staggered seams running across each tread. You might be able to get a single piece of nosing across each step if you can flex it enough, but probably not. If you have to put a seam in your nosing, I’d imagine you will want to reinforce the butt joint with a spline or biscuit of some sort.

[Richard Wolf]

That molding is called, Base Cap. It's got to go. If you need new flex molding , it's a common profile and should be easy to source.

[liam c murphy]

I’d remove the cap from the stringers. I’d also beat the jig out with a mallet or hammer. If it went in, it can come back out.


If the surfaces/ length of the treads are irregular, you can make templates and scribe both sides of the tread.

[joe webb]

Thanks all. That makes sense. It seems the easiest thing would be removing just the cap on the left skirt.
I found a small piece of the cap under the stairs when I was cleaning the garbage left behind by the builder.
Searched few stores online and haven't seen one w/ the same profile yet.

[Scott Brader]

Searched few stores online and haven't seen one w/ the same profile yet.

Joe,
I'm not sure where you live, but I know of several builder's supply/millwork providers in my area that have thousands of profiles available. Take that scrap into one of them and they very well may have an exact match in their inventory.

Scott

[Richard Wolf]

It might be easier to change all the base cap, even the curved stuff with a more popular pattern. Even if it's not an exact match to the rest of the house, you will find something close and no one will ever notice.

[Ole Anderson]

What am I missing or misunderstanding here? The gauge is slotted, why can't you just loosen the knob and slide the right end toward the middle?

Edit: Oops, now I get it. Not really stuck, unable to remove it with it set at the tread width. Perhaps some modification to the tread gauge would allow you to lock down the ends, then slide the middle together to remove it and extend it back to the original position to mark the tread.

[Jim Koepke]

Perhaps some modification to the tread gauge would allow you to lock down the ends, then slide the middle together to remove it and extend it back to the original position to mark the tread.


One of my most useful shop made items is wooden gauge sticks. Having one of these on the end or even a hinged piece on the end would solve this problem in less time than it takes to read all the posts here.

jtk

[Kevin Jenness]

Jim, the problem is not with extracting the jig but with installing the tread with the skirt cap in place.

[Tom Bender]

If you're feeling lucky this might work;

Just remove the small vertical section at the bottom left, or just saw out about 2" of it. Slip the top tread thru and with it slightly tilted it may be possible to slide it to the top and install it.