I am installing Bruce engineered 3" X 3/8" flooring on my once carpeted stairs. After reading http://www.hardwoodinstaller.com/hardwo ... stairs.htm i am all ready to go. Sort of...

I have mortised steps and the 1" thick tread has an overhang greater than 1 1/2" (estimating as i am not at the stair) from the riser. If I cut the existing tread nosing back as instructed, a hole will be left (roughly 1" X 1 1/2"). This concerns me, but not as much as the fact that my new engineered nosing does not have as much overhang and is not as thick as the existing tread. This will leave a large hole and make my tread shorter at the same time.

I have read some posts about building out the riser with thicker material (say 3/4" pine or something) to cover the hole, but my tread depth will still suffer since the riser takes an additional 3/4" from top to bottom. right? I suppose this is where I am most confused.

Any help would be appreciated. Please let me know if additional info is needed.

TYIA

bwyran:

I've handled a few of these over the years and if you install some 1/2" plywood on the riser it usually takes care of it. Once the hardwood and nosing is installed it often covers. If tread depth is a concern you could just cut back 1/2-3/4" of the nosing and install something of similiar thickness against the riser and under the mortised tread and go from there.

Filling the riser, is just about the same as cutting off the existing overhang when it is all said and done. Since you have a big concern with cutting off the existing overhang, filling the riser is your only solution at this point.

Thank you for your responses. I went home and did some measuring. The existing overhang is 1 1/4" for the 1" thick tread. My new nosing has a 3/4" overhang and the thickness of the nose end measures 3/4" also. I had already purchased and primed 1/4" material to cover the riser.

This is what i am thinking, maybe you can tell me if i am way off.

1- Cut the existing tread flush with the riser.
2- Install the 1/4" riser.
3- Add a 1/2" shoe moulding (like this one http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/sto ... =100091348) to the top of the riser, flush with the tread.
4- Install the plank and nosing as instructed.
5- Fill any remaining gaps with filler.

I believe this will "build out" the riser without giving up tread depth. So the new overhang measured from the riser to the end of the stair nose would be 1/2" (moulding) + 3/4" nosing = 1 1/4"!?!?!