Hi,

I know it is hard to believe that with so many posts on stairs, someone could still have questions, but I do...and any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

My home was built with only plywood subfloor and carpet (gag!) I have removed the carpet and installed 3/4" solid oak over plywood subfloor. I plan to remove the carpet from the staircase and install solid 1" oak treads. I have read some really great posts on stairs, but am unclear on guidelines for tread depth, riser height and nosing overhang. Here are my questions: Again, thank you for any response.

1. The only step with stair nose will be the top step. The top step subfloor is flush with no overhang. Is there a problem with installing a piece of stair nose that will create an overhang on the top step?

2. Can I install a 1" tread on top of an existing plywood 'tread' that is currently under the carpet? Or do I need to remove the plywood and then install the oak tread?

3. Is there a standard depth and height for residential indoor staircases? Or otherwise a good rule of thumb?

4. Is there a standard height for the bottom step? The current floor is vinyl tile attached to 3/4" particle board over the plywood subfloor. (What were they thinking?!) When I remove the particle board and install the hardwood, the floor will be slightly lower (1/4" or so).

5. Is there a book or publication that you know of that gives detailed step by step on the process?

Thank you. This forum is a great resource. Did I say thank you?

Julie

Julie,
I'll let Gary answer your questions since he's the pro but you might want to rephrase using stair terminology. Here are the basics -

Boxed staircase - walls on both sides, with or without skirts.
Open staircase - wall on one side, railing on the other or rarely railing on both sides.
Stringer or carraige - usually 2x12 framing that supports the stairs.
Skirt - Baseboard like trim on the sides of the stairs. A boxed staircase would have 2 identical skirts, while an open staircase would have 1 skirt on the wall side above the treads and 1 mitered skirt on the open side, below the treads. Skirts are not structural - they are decorative.
Housed stringer - An inside skirt on an open staircase which is also structural (supports treads).
Tread - the horizontal stepping surface.
Riser - the vertical surface between treads.
Rise - the vertical rise of each step measured from tread to tread.
Run - the horizontal ditance of each tread measured from riser to riser.

I have Scott Schuttners book and it's the only decent book out there but be aware that his stair joinery is unecessarily complicated.

This book is normally only available if you buy parts from the manufacturer but I found an independent source and I'm waiting on it.

http://www.coffmanstairs.com/installer/installer5.htm

Also, it's always good to learn new things but I warn you that I have been doing basic carpentry (flooring, baseboard, crown molding, casing etc) for several years on my own houses and helping friends with theirs. I also have a full complement of shop tools - table saw, sliding miter saw, router table etc. I knew replacing my carpeted stairs would be difficult but that was understatement. It took me about 3 months just to get everything done except the railing working almost full time. Demolition of the existing stairs was extemely difficult and hard on my body and I sustained many hand injuries. Some of the existing framing cracked due to nail removal and had to be replaced. During much of this time I had the stairs w/o well attached treads and it was dangerous (I'm referring to an open staircase which is much more difficult than a boxed).

Building open staircases requires near furniture quality work built into the inexact framing of your house. It can be very frustrating to the uninitiated to say the least. You may want to consider solid flooring over existing treads. It's a fraction of the work and expertise level. The only real downside to this method IMO is the lack of a inside and/or outside skirt if one does not already exist. Of course it's not impossible to add skirts even when installing flooring over treads but I don't think it's common.

Some brief answers.
1) No problen. Install the riser first.
2) Yes, you can install solid treads over existing plywood BUT the rise and run must be within 1/4" of each other for the entire staircase.
3) No. Most stair builders try to acheive a 25" total. This is 2 risers and one tread. ( 7+7+11=25). This is the ideal but not always practical due to space constraints.
4) This gets into rise. The rise and run must be calculated to be EQUAL ( give or take 1/4") for ALL the treads and risers. With an existing staircase, this can pose a challange. You need to figure all this out in advance.
5) alexh answered. I do suggest reading a book first to see if you understand and are capable of this kind of work. There are no codes for residential flooring but there are codes for staircases because of the safety issues involved. Good luck.

Hi Gary,

Thank you very much for clearing this up for me. This is just what I need to complete the job. I have reviewed the book that was suggested and although it is overkill for this situation (I am not building a whole new staircase) I will be able to use it as a guide. Not to worry, I am very capable.

Thanks again,

Julie