How to Repair and Things to Look for on Your Stairs

Railings

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WHAT'S A WOODEN HORSE

Stairs are one of the most used parts of your home.

People coming to visit you, someone just sitting on your front or back porch will eventually use your stairs.

Stairs of all kinds have been built on homes and buildings for millions of years. But one thing has not changed and that is the tread and riser of a set of well built stairs.

The reason that the steps are built the same distance out and the same height for each step within a tolerance of 3/16 of an inch is so that someone walking up or down the stairs does not trip because they are different measurements between them.

Now That's A lot of Steps

Can you imagine if one or two steps were a different dimension and you were running up to the top. It wouldn't be pretty.

So this is why they made that building code. Yours may not be as many but still need to be the same way. Maybe you have some split wood on the treads. If this is the case you can tap them up with a hammer or if they are screwed down, just unscrew them and use the old one as a pattern to cut the new ones. Screw them back down with deck screws that are 1 inch thicker than the material you are using. Make sure the heads of the screws are just below the surface so no one trips on them.

What Do I do for Squeaks?

If you walk the steps you can find some squeaks that are no big deal but really are annoying. Look at the screw head to see if it has a little cross or Phillips head or a square hole in the head of the screw. You can get or may have the correct bit to put in your screw driver or drill. Then just try tightening that screw. If it is a nail, just tap it down with a hammer and then put a screw next to it to pull it down tight. That should take care of the noise!

What's a Stair Horse?

The term is used for the runners that the steps and sometimes risers, if you can't see through the back of the stairs, are called. They are the work horses for your stairs. They carry the load that the stairs take as people go up and down to get to the top and bottom.

Stair Measurements

Most steps are between 7 and 8 inches high from one step to the next and the tread is between 9 and 12 inches. The perfect step to me is 7-1/4 inches with a tread of 11-1/2 inches. It just feels right. Yours may be different and that's ok as long as they are all the same between them within the tolerance I mentioned above. The sum of the tread and rise should not be more than 18 inches and not less 16 inches but you will have to check that out in your location with the building department to be sure.

Even this inside set of Stair has Horses. These are buried in the Walls but are sometime they will be exposed for looks.

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If a Wooden Stair Horse is Broken, Should I replace it?

If one of your horses are broken you need to fix it soon before someone falls or trips.

The way you would do this is to unscrew all the pieces that are connected to it and slide out that stair horse. If you have a wall behind it you will have to do this to all the steps to get it out. Most horses are made out of 2 x 12 material . It all depends on what yours are made out of and you need to replaced them with the same size unless you are replacing all of the stair horses at one time.

How Do I Make A New One?

Just get out your sawhorses and put the new wood flat on top of them. Then lay the old one on top of that. Now match up the edges. If the edges of the two pieces are bowed in opposite directions, turn over the one on top so they are the same or pretty close. The points of the steps should be on the bowed up side so that when it is in place and the weight of someone walking up it will flatten it out instead of bowing it more. This is called deflection and if put in the correct direction will look and feel better.

Now draw around the old horse with your carpenters pencil and then cut the new ones trying to stay on the lines. Cut up to the line only. Don't go past the line.

Or the Stair Police will come and arrest you. Oh not really.

It looks cleaner from the sides and also is code. You get the maximum support of the timber for the weight of the stairs.

You want to finish the cut with a hand saw or power jig saw if you have one. Then put it back together opposite of the way you took it apart. Screw together everything you can so that next time it will be easier to take apart and tighten things when needed.