uneven stair tread length
Sai
3 years ago
In my new house being built , I have a staircase that has two sets of stairs. Stairs that go from floor to Landing are 45 inches in length , while the stairs that go from landing to second floor are only 41 inches.Reason for this is , width of foyer , as per plan , which was supposed to 9 feet was built as 9 ft 4 Inches. How big of a deal is this for the builder to correct it ?. I am not happy , as the stairs from landing to second floor are narrow and want builder to fix this. Before I meet with builder , I would like to get ideas on what's involved in fixing this and what builders usually say to push back on items like this. Any inputs or ideas are highly appreciated.
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Need advice re stone stair treads
Comments (6)Thanks for the advice! I had just pretty much decided on Swenson's Granite, Ginny. They have a 2-inch thick tread that should do the trick. My husband wonders about durability, though. I know solid granite steps will last forever--will the stone treads stay in place for us, and not break?...See MoreCork for stair treads?
Comments (10)The easiest way: Purchase the floating floor version. A plank is often 1ft wide (roughly the depth of a stair tread) and 3ft long (roughly the length of a tread). Purchase 1/2" stair nosing in either natural maple (very pale colour that WILL TURN YELLOW) or white oak (a yellow based that will lighten...assuming they used a water based finish for HD). The nosing can be purchased through your local Door and Finishing company. They can mill it to the proper depth or they can sell you the right depth from their stock. It should be roughly $18-20/linear feet (yah your nosing is going to cost more than the cork...but that's the way stairs go I'm afraid). Now to the cork. If you have to, click a few planks together to get the depth/width you need. Use a PU 100 for the edges and let it set. Then trim the tread down to the size you need. Prepare your treads surface (sanding/removing old paint, etc) and then GLUE the cork click floor down to the stair tread. Glue and tack the nosing to the tread and move on to the next tread. It is fast, relatively easy and looks STUNNING. Cork reduces in colour very quickly, so NATURAL MAPLE is a great product that starts very light and then gets a bit more colour. The cork fades DOWN to the colour the maple DARKENS TO. They meet in the middle very nicely. It just takes a year or so. If you don't want to wait, get a white oak nosing (cheaper than maple) and have it finished in oil modified finish. It will turn a SNICK darker...while the cork lightens. You will achieve a very handsome look with slightly paler treads with slightly darker nosing (super important when sneaking down the stairs to raid the refrigerator. It prevents you from ending up at the bottom of the stairs in a heap. As a cork expert, I've helped many people achieve this look. It works out to be (roughly) $70/tread with cork+oak nosing. Compare that to $200+ per tread with solid wood....See MoreOak stair treads and trim pieces
Comments (6)Tom, thanks for that information of veneers. Now that I think of it, the Mirage engineered oak floor I am getting had a top layer that would be considered a veneer (4 mm thick) and this layer is dry sawn and has very nice grain. It looks much better than the grain on the veneered oak plywood I see at Home Depot which must roatary peeled. Wayne, I hope I'm not getting my terms wrong. The existing carpet covered stairs I have now has a first step that is rectangular on one end and has a semicircle on the other end where it extends past the bottom post of the bannister. The tread itself is about 11" deep and this semicircular extension of the tread ends up reaching back as far as the 2nd tread or 22" total. No part ot the stair railing or its posts sits on that extension. I thought that extension was called a volute but I may be wrong. When the 2nd guy looked at my stairs he said it would be impossible to get a solid oak piece 22" deep (or way too expensive) and he said he would craft the first tread out of 2 pieces of oak than veneer the whole thing so it looked like it was all one piece. It sounds to me like the nose of the tread will therefore be part of this veneer as well, because he says the whole thing will look like one piece of wood. Now I just saw my neighbor's stairs which are the same layout as mine and his stair guy gave him a solid oak 1st tread with a much smaller extension. I have seen similar offered for sale on the internet for about $100 to $150 and they come in different tread depths and overall lengths. They called it a single volute tread. So I asked the 2nd guy why not do something like that and he went on to say if he ordered something it probably wouldn't fit properly and why would I not want his veneered step. Do you think it would hold up as well as a solid one? That's my concern. Now about end of the treads that are on the open side (not against a wall), I saw this mitered return both at my neighbors and on the internet where they billed it as the quality way to go. So I inquired of guy #2 if that's how he did it, and his reaction was horrors no. I guess he must rout then end of the tread. Do I assume if it is well done the end grains will not soak up too much stain? I have asked if I can see some of his work and he says he will arrange it. The company he works for is a hardwood and wood stair store that has been in business for years so I would assume they do top notch work. I am feeling a little like they are not used to someone asking so many questions....See MoreConstruction of Plank Stair Treads
Comments (4)what would be a reason to rip pieces of oak and glue vs. use one solid piece? I can think of a couple: - ability to find stock in the proper width (at all or without a lot of waste) - less chance of warping. I'm not a builder, but the wood I buy is random length and width. If you can find dimension stock, it will have less waste but higher cost....See More- PRO
Sai
3 years ago 
kempek01
3 years ago- PRO
Sai
3 years ago 
PROJoseph Corlett, LLC
3 years ago- PRO
Sai
3 years ago
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