Tightening squeaky stair treads risers
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- Опубликовано: 20 сен 2024
- Easy way to stop some squeaky timber stairs. This tutorial shows marking the riser face on tread using a template, drilling pilot holes through tread, and screwing down into riser. If possible also screw up into riser from below, if no soffit under staircase. You may also want to tighten under the riser of lowest stair by wedging under riser with shim of wood and PVA, then chisel off surplus wedge when PVA is dry. These techniques are suitable for stairs that will be carpeted or filled/painted. Not suitable for stairs that will remain bare.
Worked a treat, much more useful and straightforward than other options needing access to under the stairs
Paper trick was so handy. I had a squeaky bottom step far too long. This worked 100%. Thanks for the vid
Totally worked! Thanks!!
That trick with the paper though... freaking genius!!
Decking screws are designed for a very similar application, so work well for tightening stair treads. Decking Screws 4.5 x 75mm might be good. Shank (non-threaded part of screw) should be approximately the same length as the thickness of tread, as the thread should grip the riser and but NOT grip the tread. The screw head will pull the tread down hard, which is what you are trying to achieve. You should drill pilot hole through tread, to reduce chance of cracking the tread.
I tried this with 2" deck screws but it didn't help the squeak. I don't understand why the threads of the screw shouldn't grip both the riser and the tread.
I think i've figured out that my treads are rubbing on the side wall skirt. I haven't found any videos addressing that problem.
@@opentrunk you probably want the screw to clamp the tread down hard onto the riser. For that to happen the screw head should pull the tread down. If the section of screw in the tread is threaded this won't happen very effectively unless you either drill a pilot hole or screw it hard enough to let the screw create it's own pilot hole of mashed-up tread timber.
Experiment by screwing two timber blocks together with fully threaded screw and no pilot hole. The blocks will not be strongly clamped together by the screw. Now try with partially threaded screw, or with pilot hole (larger than thread) in top block ... stronger clamping?
No faffing round straight to the point, allot of people tend to give a calculas lesson on stopping the squeek! Namely the yanks🤣🤣 very well put across my friend even accurate tip with regards to wax to help drive the screw safely👌👌
Brilliant video
Thanks for making this.
I'll try this weekend !!
(15 years after I should have done it haha)
Well done, Dominic. Simple when you know how!
Quick and simple. Thank you. I can't wait to try it.
Thank you so much for the advise! Great idea and it works well. I saved money on replacing wood!!!
Perfect! I thought of doing it this way.. amd 10 mins. later I saw your video which confirmed my thought was a good one! Thank you very much!
Thanks for sharing - I did follow this but it didn't completely solve my problem - my main squeak was (eventually detected) coming from the 90 degree join with the stair above and to sort that I screwed in some small screws as near vertically down in that join so that the screw heads and screw body forced separation - I probably used about 10 screws across the step and that did the job. Just 2 hours before the carpet fitters arrived! (and no access to the stairs from below). Fingers crossed that it doesn't become a massive creak in the coming months! Thanks again for the video.
Good idea: if you can't clamp it together then maybe wedge it apart. Can often solve the squak.
Wow! So quick and easy, love this!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! If you don't know - you don't know - now I know, thanks again!!
Might have to try this. Thanks for the video.
Glad to hear it's useful. If soffit under stair is exposed you could do same operation underneath. :) dom
Sometimes a solution can be supremely simple. Thanks. Ill be giving this a try…
Thank you. Short and to the point but a very effective solution with a couple of handy tips.
Brilliant quick fix
this is great info, thanks.
That's really useful. Thank you. I will try the top tip with the candle wax.
Maybe use some expanding wood adhesive across joints to treads and risers and string of the stairs? Extra bond
Rite to it. Nice video. Thanks for making it easy. Bracers bellow look strong for long term as well but that can come way down the road after this. Rock on
The guide sheet is simple and genious
Looks a good and simple way to improve the creakage I am experiencing when trying to wobble upstairs late at night (any advice on creaky knees ?)... Thanks :)
Alex Bish shark cartilage or Triflex (gnc)
Oil🛢️ your knees 🇬🇧🤣
Exactly what I needed. Thank you!
Only a partial solution in a minority of cases. Stairs more commonly creak because the tread and riser loosen at the back. If you can't get under the stairs, pocket holes drilled and screws used from the front will help.
I have the same problem and it worked. Thank you!
I usually put the screw in my ear for wax, works pretty good. :op
EL EVO I use it in my nose for moisture
who are you shrek?
you have enough earwax for the screws for 14 treads with three screws each (42)... LOL can you hear anything? :)
Awesome and simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Many thanks ,that sorted out most of the stair creaks , never realised how simple it was to do .
+teg33 Glad to hear that it worked for you. :)
thank you
i bought a historic mansion fixer upper. it has a beautiful staircase & woodpaneled foyer. the steps are in bad shape. they were filled with staples & still have regular large headed nails in them. many, many of them. they also have 1/2" gaps where the risers & treads meet on some of them. i need ideas of how to fill them in. strips of wood? i don't have the tools to cut them precisely. i need to figure out what to do with the nails. cut the heads off & fill in the holes? if anyone can offer some suggestions, i'd be much obliged. i am a 70 year old on a pension. my plans to gradually rehab it were killed with covid, the most recent recession & a heart attack. i will get it done, but it's going to take more years than i wanted. thanks for any help.
You WILL get it done! I hope that you can find someone on-site to advise you.
Thank you!
What if you need to replace a broken step(tread)? My steps are exactly like these. The edge tread is inside the string.
Thanks, I'll utilize this procedure. Cheers
candlewax, old school. Wish we carried the old traditions on.
a bar of soap works well too
would iit not be better to put wedges behind/under stairs instead and drill them in
Not if you can't access the back
nice video.. cheers for the time and effort for putting this video up.. unlike all the people whith negative comments.. why dnt u just make at video and show how its done.. lol.. peace...
This is the way!
Im struggling to understand the purpose of the wax. Is it to reduce friction when it goes in, so it does not displace more material of the riser than it has to? Or is it designed to reduce friction when the stairs are in use over the years and the hold the riser has around the screw becomes less tight and begins to create enough area for the stairs to move slightly, so having wax in there prevents the squeak with this movement occurs?
Or could it perhaps be both?
I’m guessing it’s a bit of both with emphasis placed on the second question I asked, being a squeak deterrent by lubricating the loosened boards years later.
If two timber surfaces rub against each other, e.g. by even 1 mm flex when trodden on, wax can eliminate resultant squeak.
How long does this typically work for? Does it hold it down for a few years? Or for longer
depends on so many factors ... might last forever.
Useful tip. Thank you.
A quickee but goody.
Works A1 thanks a lot
Or just measure the distance under the bull nose and transfer that number and make lines on tread that distance and no cardboard needed
Yes, though that assumes a standard dimension for your tread noses. Often they vary, and if bullnose than not it's easy to measure precisely.
hi i have reached a point where sanding is useless. please can anyone advise how to proceed??
i can not attach photos of my return my painted steps back to original wood. if there is away, i can attach photos of my issue, please let me know.
thank you
how do i attach photos, so you can see my troubles?
Dominic, I wish I can post pictures here. I have a 1930 stairs just like yours! Can’t open up the stairs from the back, the riser has a 1/2 inch gap from the steps. How can I close the gap without opening the back of the stairs?
Stairs squeak as well. I will try this solution for the squeak but the riser have to be right with the steps.
What caused the gap? Will you be carpeting?
Good stuff! Thanks.
Very much indeed.
It is a shame the google / youtube don't offer a button that allows people to donate a small amount of credits to youtubers that have helped with a problem...
I would add that this words as well if you need to sink the heads further to affix a wooden dowel in place to cover the screw heads and allow a person to paint or stain their stairs..
Anyway, I showed my friend how simple thins was as they were not convinced, winner winner chicken dinner as the aussies say.
Thanks, mate!
@@DominicParkinson it does now, you just need to activate it in your youtube settings - check "thanks button"
@@DACatface thank YOU!
What about the back edge? I am trying long screws at 45deg to see if I can pick up the back side of the tread.
Are you trying to hit the riser? How thick are they usually? I thought you'd have to drive the screws into the stringers... Great tip about the screw shank being the thickness of the tread.
Squeak may originate from junction between riser and tread, though there may also be other possible causes.
@@DominicParkinson Thanks for the reply! Could I use drywall screws with the smooth shank too? I would much prefer a black screw. If so, would coarse or fine be a better choice?
@@accomplishedtheory9502 Drywall screws perform well, possibly taking more torque than stainless steel. Coarse thread may give better grip?
How do we know there's not any pipes or wires underneath where were drilling?
There are not normally pipes and wires within treads and risers, but if in doubt don't do this job.
Nice one Thanks
Thanks!
What size and type of screw would you need for that task?
Thank you for this tip! I was wondering if you painted the stairs or used carpet afterwards, because I'd like to try this fix, but I am only going to paint the stairs afterwards. I don't want to end up with all the screws showing through the layer of paint. Is it a good idea to use wood filler to cover them up?
Wood filler would be a good choice for your use case. Paste it in well, as you don't want it to pop out at a later date.
What do you recommend if my stairs are bare? I don’t have access to underneath them. Thank you.
there is a trade-off between screw head size and screw grip. small headed screws are fairly invisible but have less grip than normal-headed screws. you could use a normal screw and after screwing you fill the screw hole with a plug of wood that matches the stair tread.
Thank you for your prompt reply and I’ll do what you suggested.
Is the riser made of plywood? If so, I don’t think you can put a screw in the edge of it
Risers in video are solid pine. Yes screwing into plywood on edge could cause delamination, but long screw with pilot hole should be OK.
Works😊
Do you have to use candle wax?
Candle wax is a great lubricant for e.g. wood vs. wood, or door latch mechanisms that are starting to stick.
Hello I have a question hope you can help me!!! I bought a new house with staircase and I wanted to know if my husband use an appliance dolly to move my washer and dryer upstairs can that affect the stairs or staircase because of the weight? Thank you
Sorry but I am not in a position to assess the risk in this case. :) Dom
what am i missing how does cutting that piece of paper show where the riser is
it helps to visualize a straight line and draw the mark close to accurate. it isn't perfect, but it is easier than trying to use a ruler. a 90 degree level would be fine, too. the step after shows why the precision is not the important part here, but to find your line to use your yard stick to find the width of the riser, which is what you care about in drilling and screwing the two pieces together.
what would be thickness of the risers on these stairs?
how do you find the supports to screw to them?
If no access to underside then you can only assume the geometry of treads and risers, not of any possible extra support dtructures.
sorry, could you explain how did you use that card to find where to screw it please? thanks
if screwing down through the trees down into the riser you need to work out where the riser's front face is positioned relative to tread. but if the tread has a lip (especially if rounded) this is hard to do precisely with a tape measure. if you use a card to do this you can cut a notch out of card to make way for the lip while still keeping card flat onto riser. then screw in maybe 10 mm further back to allow for riser thickness.
Dominic Parkinson thank you
@@DominicParkinson what size screws did you use?
@@waledada6552 decking screws could be a good choice. circa 60mm length?
@@DominicParkinson okay. Thanks!
Call that creaky? Mine is over 85 years old and every step creaks in the gap at the bottom of the riser, not under the tread, so you only did half a job.
I can see what's going to happen, muggins will have to do the Hary Potter impression and go under the stairs. Also do my impression of Bilbo Baggins being attacked by a giant spider...
Hi, Would the following screw shown on link below work? www.screwfix.com/p/timbadeck-double-countersunk-carbon-steel-decking-screws-4-5-x-75mm-100-pack/86950
Looks perfect.
Just paint them on the top and below : ))
I guess by now all modern staircases fitted are now designed in a way to stop these awful squeaks from developing?
S
Hope u got paid from this video
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