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A comprehensive guide on replacing cracked or creaky stairs
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Replacing the treads of your stairs, which are the parts you step on, is a great way to revamp an old staircase. If your stairs are carpeted, the first thing you’ll have to do is pull up the carpeting. If not, you can go right to measuring and removing the old treads. Then, you have to cut, glue, and nail in your new treads. To help, we spoke with Agustin Renoj, a home improvement specialist with 18 years of experience in construction, to get the low down on how to replace your treads most efficiently.
How to Remove and Change Stair Treads
- Use a crowbar to pry the underside of your tread up far enough to slide a reciprocating saw between the riser and the underside of the tread.
- Cut any nails and glue residue with your saw to free the tread and pull it out by hand.
- Use a template or stair gauge to properly size your replacement treads.
- Cut your new treads to size and install them with construction adhesive and nails. Paint or finish the treads and risers when you’re done.
Steps
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Pry up the tread enough to fit a reciprocating saw blade underneath. Start at the second step from the top since the top step is really more of a landing than a stair. Wiggle a flat crowbar into the line between the tread (the horizontal part of the step) and the riser (the vertical part of the step). Push down on the crowbar to lever the tread up. You won’t be able to completely pry up the tread, because it has lots of nails holding it in place. [1] X Research source
- Only raise the tread enough to fit a blade in between. Don’t use so much pressure that you crack the tread.
- If the stairs are especially creaky, they may not be nailed in at all. If you just feel resistance everywhere you move your blade, it’s probably glue holding the stairs in place.
- If you don’t have a reciprocating saw, you can try using a plasterboard saw or a pruning saw .
- Don’t see the gap in the tread? If the step has a wooden molding that sits underneath the top lip of the tread, pry up that molding with a crowbar first and remove it completely.
- This process only works if you’re replacing the treads but leaving the risers. If you want to replace the risers, you’re best off demolishing the staircase and rebuilding them from scratch to ensure they’re up to code.
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Slice through the nails with your saw. Wear safety goggles and cut-resistant gloves to protect yourself. With a nail-cutting blade on your saw, slide the saw back and forth under your tread until you feel resistance. Begin cutting until you slice through the nail. [2] X Research source
- If you’re just dealing with glue, it should be easy to cut through most of it without much resistance. You do not need to remove all the glue, also. Just aim to cut around 75% of it.
- Warning: Make sure not to cut through the wood that forms the stringer, which is the wooden frame along the sides of the steps. If you feel resistance in the middle of the step and it doesn’t feel like you’re cutting through metal, stop.
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Remove the tread completely with the crowbar. Renoj explains that you only need to slide the edge of your crowbar underneath the tread and lever it up. You may have to pry it up all along its length and jiggle it to get it loose. [3] X Expert Source Agustin Renoj
Home Improvement Specialist Expert Interview. 13 January 2021.- If you can’t pry it off, you may not have sliced through all the nails, so run your saw through again.
- Is there a platform under the tread? If you can’t see through the stairs to the floor underneath, you have a platform stringer. Your best solution here is to add treads on top of the pre-built steps instead of removing the steps entirely.
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Repeat the process on each stair. Continue working until you've removed the tread from every stair in the same manner. It's best to work from the top of the stairs down to the bottom so you don't get stuck on the landing.
- Renoj says that you may need to use a fair bit of pressure to pry out certain steps if they used too much glue. [4]
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Expert Source
Agustin Renoj
Home Improvement Specialist Expert Interview. 13 January 2021. - Thinking about replacing the risers? It’s best to leave the risers in place if they’re structurally sound. If you want to give them a new look though, purchase some wood veneers and install them after the treads are gone.
- Renoj says that you may need to use a fair bit of pressure to pry out certain steps if they used too much glue. [4]
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Expert Source
Agustin Renoj
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Vacuum or sweep up the dirt under the stairs. This may be your only opportunity to clean underneath your stairs. There will likely be a lot of dust and dirt underneath, so vacuum it up or sweep it with a broom and dustpan. [5] X Research source
- This will make the process of installing the new treads much more pleasant since you won’t have to breathe in dust the whole time.
- Renoj points out that this is the perfect time to inspect the subfloor under the stairs. Take a close look to make sure there’s no water damage or warping before you replace the treads! [6]
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Expert Source
Agustin Renoj
Home Improvement Specialist Expert Interview. 13 January 2021.
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Buy stair treads in your preferred wood. Common types of wood include pine and oak. You can buy the treads either finished or unfinished. Buying unfinished treads will save you money while buying finished treads will save you time.
- If you have hardwood floors, you might want to get a matching wood for your stairs, though some people like to have contrasting stairs.
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Find out your local building code for stair measurements. Building codes vary a bit by country and state. As one example, in California, the risers need to be no taller than 7.75 inches (19.7 cm), the treads have to be at least 10 inches (25 cm) deep, and the nosing must be between .75 to 1.25 inches (1.9 to 3.2 cm).
- Many building codes call for no more than a 0.375 inches (0.95 cm) variation in the riser heights.
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Use a stair gauge to find the dimensions for each new tread. Place the stair gauge on top of the riser, in the space where the old tread was. Loosen the screws on top of the stair gauge so that you can extend the wings fully against the skirtboard. Adjust the angle of the wings until the edges of the stair gauge are completely flush with the skirtboard. Tighten the screws to hold the measurement in place. [7] X Research source
- Each tread may be slightly different, so measure each one individually if there appears to be any kind of variation from step to step.
- If you don’t have a stair gauge, you can create a template using a scrap piece of wood or cardboard. So long as the back of the template is flush with the riser, it’ll work the same way as a stair gauge. Just use a straight edge and a pencil to mark your tread shape. Then, use scissors or a knife to cut your template.
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Lay the stair gauge over the new tread and trace the measurements. When you lift up the stair gauge from the step, the angles and lengths will stay in place if you’ve properly tightened the screws. Lay the stair gauge on top of the piece of wood that will be the new tread and trace the edges with a pencil. Label the underside of the tread for the bottom step with a 1, the second step with a 2, and so on. That way you will easily be able to tell which tread goes where. [8] X Research source
- Double check your measurements—it’s easy to fix a mark, but you can’t undo a cut.
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Use a table saw to rip the tread to the right length. Adjust the fence so that the distance from the fence to the blade is the length you need to cut the board. Set a taper guide to the same angle as you need to cut. Set the blade so that it rises higher than the thickness of the wood by at least 0.125 to 0.25 inches (0.32 to 0.64 cm). Turn on the blade, hold the wood against the fence (or taper guide), and run the board through the saw at a steady pace. [9] X Research source
- Wear cut-resistant gloves and eye protection whenever you’re using the table saw, and don’t wear any loose or dangling clothes.
- Never get your hand close to the blade – there should be at least 6 inches (15 cm) between your hand and the blade at all times. Make sure the blade guard is down and that you know where the stop button is. [10] X Research source
- Only use a table saw if it has a blade cover or a riving knife to prevent kickback.
- Turn off the saw when you’re done with the cut.
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Place the tread on the step and mark it to the right depth. Put the tread onto the step and measure how much the tread sticks out from the riser with a measuring tape. Depending on your local building code, the nosing requirements (how much it sticks out over the riser) may be different, though in the US it’s often 0.75 to 1.25 inches (1.9 to 3.2 cm). If the tread sticks out further than it should, mark the end of the tread with how much you want to take off. [11] X Research source
- Measure twice, cut once. Always double-check your measurements before you cut. It’s a good rule for woodworking in general, but it’s especially important for stairs where being off even a few millimeters can lead to a stair being creaky and uneven.
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Rip the tread to the right depth with the table saw. If it’s already the right depth, you don’t need to do anything, but if you need to shorten the depth, use the table saw again. Take all the precautions that you did the first time you used the saw. For this rip cut, you don’t need to use a taper guide because the cut isn’t at an angle. Turn on the saw, hold the wood against the fence, and run the board through the saw at a steady pace. [12] X Research source
- Remember to keep your hands far away from the blade at all times.
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Repeat the process for each step. Measure the space where the new tread will go with the stair gauge. Trace that measurement onto your new tread and cut the tread with a table saw. Measure and cut the depth of the tread. Each step will be slightly different, so measure and mark each board separately.
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Check the fit of the treads and make necessary adjustments. Before you attach the treads, double-check that they are the right dimensions by putting them all down on the steps. Bang the treads into place with a rubber mallet if they don't slide into place easily. Make sure each tread fits well with the side walls. [13] X Research source
- If it doesn’t fit, carefully measure, mark, and cut again to get the right dimensions.
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Glue the tread to the bottom step with construction adhesive . Squeeze the glue onto the parts of the stair that the tread will sit on top of. It’s best to squeeze the glue in a zigzag pattern, rather than a straight line, so that there’s more glue. Press the tread into position on top of the glue. [14] X Research source
- Don’t try to cut costs by using a weaker type of glue, because it won’t hold up.
- Wipe any glue off the tip of the glue bottle before it dries so that you can easily use it again.
- Most professional carpenters seem to prefer Loctite construction adhesive , but any construction-grade adhesive will work.
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Secure the tread with nails and a nail gun . Put 8d finish nails into your nail gun. Press 2 nails into each side of the step, so that they sink into the stringer (the part of the stairs that goes up either side of the stairs). The nail gun will recess the nails slightly so they won’t be noticeable. [15] X Research source
- Never put your hand over the tip of the nail gun.
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Continue working your way up the stairs until you’re done. With each tread, double-check the fit, glue the tread, and then nail it into place with the nail gun. Be patient and do each tread as carefully as you did the first one. [16] X Research source
- hen the bottom steps are done, you can sit or kneel on them to reach the top steps.
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Apply wood finish to the treads if they’re unfinished. Test the finish first on a scrap of wood left behind from your project to make sure you like the color. Then, paint the finish onto the stairs . Paint every other stair if you need to use the stairway in the next few hours. Then, finish the other stairs once the others are dry. That way, you can walk up the stairs using every other stair. [17] X Research source
- Another option is to finish all the stairs at once and avoid using that stairway for a few days.
- Make sure to tell everyone in your household that you just finished the stairs, so they don’t step on them and ruin them.
- Want to install carpet? No need to finish the wood! Just measure your stairs and purchase a roll of carpet. Use a staple gun and padding strips to install the carpet step-by-step.
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Cut the carpet with a utility knife under the lip of the top step. Use a new, sharp blade on your utility knife. Slice the carpet in a straight, horizontal line underneath the lip of the top step. Make a shallow cut so that you don’t cut into the riser, which is the vertical part of the step. [18] X Research source
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Tear up the carpet , making cuts as needed. Wear leather gloves while you tear up the carpet to protect your hands from carpet staples. Start from the top of the stairs and pull the carpet firmly as you walk down the stairs. Many carpets will peel off in one long strip, but if your carpet gets stuck, make another slice with your utility knife. [19] X Research source
- Wear hard-soled shoes, so you don’t pierce your feet with staples and nails embedded in the carpet.
- Carpet removal is pretty tiring, so take your time, take plenty of breaks, and don’t give up!
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Pry off all the tack strips with a flat pry bar . The tack strips are pieces of wood stuck through with nails, and they’ll be at the corners where one step ends and the next begins. Pry the tack strips off your stairs with a flat pry bar. Wear safety goggles to protect your eyes from any wood or nails that may come flying when you pry the tack strips loose. [20] X Research source
- If you don’t have a pry bar, you can use the back of a hammer or a flathead screwdriver. However, since pry bars are useful for many steps of replacing your stair treads, it’s worth it to invest in one.
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Pull out the padding and remove the carpet staples with pliers. Underneath the carpet, there is still more fabric, which is the padding on the stairs. Make sure you are still wearing your leather gloves. When you pull up the padding, tufts of it will remain behind on the stairs, because they are attached to the carpet staples. Wriggle your pliers underneath each staple and yank it out. [21] X Research source
- There are a lot of staples in the stairs, so be prepared to spend an hour or more pulling them out.
- Check under the lip for staples, too.
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Clean up with a broom and a vacuum. There’s going to be a lot of dust, dirt, and grime on your stairs that made it through the carpeting over the years. Sweep it all up using a broom and dustpan and throw it away. Then, go over the stairs again with a vacuum. [22] X Research source
- If you’re sensitive to dust, you may want to wear a dust mask during this step.
- Even though you’re going to discard the old treads, it will make working with them much easier if they’re clean.
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Expert Q&A
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QuestionWhat are stair treads?Agustin Renoj is a Home Improvement Specialist with Renoj Handyman based in the San Francisco Bay Area. With over 18 years of construction experience, Agustin specializes in carpentry, painting, and exterior, interior, kitchen, and bathroom renovations. Renoj Handyman is a family-owned business that consists of craftsmen trained in all areas of construction.Stair treads are the landing pieces of each step on your staircase. They're typically made of hardwood flooring or engineered wood, although some homes have carpet over the tread.
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QuestionHow do you remove stair treads?Agustin Renoj is a Home Improvement Specialist with Renoj Handyman based in the San Francisco Bay Area. With over 18 years of construction experience, Agustin specializes in carpentry, painting, and exterior, interior, kitchen, and bathroom renovations. Renoj Handyman is a family-owned business that consists of craftsmen trained in all areas of construction.Start by removing the staircase baseboard first, then remove the hardwood floor treads with a flat bar and a hammer. You may need to use a pry bar if the treads were installed with nails and glue. Be sure to inspect the subfloor—you may need to replace it if it's damaged or in poor shape.
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Tips
- If you have spindles that attach directly to your stair treads, you must remove them from the staircase before you rip the treads up.Thanks
- If you also want to touch up the risers, putting a veneer sheet over them is easier than replacing them.Thanks
- If the skirt boards were scratched during the construction process, touch them up by sanding, priming, and painting them. Sand the skirt boards with 80 grit sandpaper.Thanks
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References
- ↑ https://youtu.be/hOcPPO4LRfI?t=93
- ↑ https://youtu.be/hOcPPO4LRfI?t=131
- ↑ Agustin Renoj. Home Improvement Specialist. Expert Interview. 13 January 2021.
- ↑ Agustin Renoj. Home Improvement Specialist. Expert Interview. 13 January 2021.
- ↑ https://youtu.be/KMoh0dp78ek?t=260
- ↑ Agustin Renoj. Home Improvement Specialist. Expert Interview. 13 January 2021.
- ↑ https://youtu.be/9iOsbprpe5g?t=206
- ↑ https://youtu.be/9iOsbprpe5g?t=224
- ↑ https://newbuildnewlyweds.com/stair-treads-riser-installation/
- ↑ https://youtu.be/qSbS5zhH7cE?t=146
- ↑ https://youtu.be/KMoh0dp78ek?t=179
- ↑ https://newbuildnewlyweds.com/stair-treads-riser-installation/
- ↑ https://youtu.be/KMoh0dp78ek?t=294
- ↑ https://youtu.be/hOcPPO4LRfI?t=579
- ↑ https://youtu.be/izrLAwDF9jw?t=141
- ↑ https://youtu.be/hOcPPO4LRfI?t=664
- ↑ https://youtu.be/hOcPPO4LRfI?t=672
- ↑ https://youtu.be/SdW-kwmdtRk?t=102
- ↑ https://youtu.be/SdW-kwmdtRk?t=110
- ↑ https://youtu.be/SdW-kwmdtRk?t=164
- ↑ https://youtu.be/IKS5om-5dDI?t=1092
- ↑ https://youtu.be/SdW-kwmdtRk?t=301
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