covering stairs w/ oak

[Mike Gregory]

A friend of mine plans to rip up the carpet on his stair case and put 3/4 oak over the treads / risers / stringers. He plans to use solid wood and one piece full width. He told me he was just going to screw the treads down so I told him to research how to fasten them so they don't split w/ expansion & contraction. Can he use flat head screws with oversized holes to allow for movement and then cover w/ buttons? How else would you do this?

Thanks,
Mike Gregory

[tod evans]

screw up from underneath through oversize holes, glue the front down solid and leave room under the new riser for expansion/contraction. be sure to check the rise before installing the treads i don`t know code where you are but they shouldn`t vary more than 3/16" ...02 tod

[Richard Wolf]

Attachment of the 3/4" oak to exsisting treads, risers and stringers is more complicated than he is thinking about. He is going to change the geometry of the staircase. I realize most people will think, "what's the big deal, it's only 3/4 of an inch". It will make the stairs uncomfortable, dangerous, and illegal, code wise.
Let me address your first concern about attachment. The oak can be screwed, glued or nail, in any manner he wishes. The sub wood will expand and contract close enough to the oak so no problems with spliting should surface. A contruction adhesive should be used to insure good contact and avoid squeaks.
Here is his real problem; lets use a run of 10" and a rise of 8" as an example. When you add the 3/4" oak the first step rise becomes 8 3/4". All the rest stay at 8", the top step becomes 7 1/4". This difference becomes a trip hazard and will not meet building code.
Also by adding 3/4" to the face of each riser he will most likely have a problem when he reaches the top step and has in fact moved the staircase forward 3/4".
The solution to his problem would be to add 1/4' oak ply to the risers and stringers. The treads could be covered with 1/4" oak skins, cut the bullnose off the front of each step and add a solid 5/4" bullnose on each one. The 1/4" will still create a problem, but will be far less than adding 3/4".
Ofcourse, the best solution would be to to rebuild the staircase completely, this may be a skill level that he is not capable of doing. Sometimes it is the wise man that knows his limitations.

Richard

[Mike Gregory]

Thanks Richard. I'm not sure he thought about the dimensional aspect of doing this. I'll definately pass on your advice. Do you see any problem with using 3/16 or 1/4" solid material? If not, to glue and finish nails sound like the best attaching method - what do you think.

Thanks,
Mike

[Richard Wolf]

Thanks Richard. I'm not sure he thought about the dimensional aspect of doing this. I'll definately pass on your advice. Do you see any problem with using 3/16 or 1/4" solid material? If not, to glue and finish nails sound like the best attaching method - what do you think.

Thanks,
Mike

That sound fine. Use PL subfloor adhesive. The problem is dealing with the bullnose on each step. You can not just remove the bullnose. Like I said in the first post, replace it with full size material.

Richard

[Mike Gregory]

Richard,
One more thing. I had plans to rip up my 3/8" oak plywood floor and replace with full 3/4" maple flooring but not touch the steps (carpeted). I also had not thought of how that would affect the first step. How do people add HW flooring to their house without messing up the consistency of their step rise. What would you suggest here - 1/2" flooring?

[Richard Wolf]

Richard,
One more thing. I had plans to rip up my 3/8" oak plywood foor and replace with full 3/4" maple flooring but not touch the steps (carpeted). I also had not thought of how that would affect the first step. How do people add HW flooring to their house without messing up the consistency of their step rise. What would you suggest here - 1/2" flooring?

This is a situation that happens all the time. Over time, people change floors. A 3/8" difference on the bottom step is not ideal, but livable. The big problem is always the top step. You are walking up 12 to 14 steps and you develop alot of muscle memory. When you hit the last step you expect it to be the same.
Don't over think the flooring thing.

Richard