Squeaky stairs

We have really loud and squeaky stairs. Anyone/any way to fix/repair it without replacing it? The wooden steps seem quite new and got newish carpeting on top.

Guest User | 5 years and 9 months ago

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stevecym | 5 years and 9 months ago

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oops, sorry, i just read back and saw that you have carpet on them. my guess is, it may be easier to pull the carpet and work from the top than try to go underneath. that is a job underneath if the ceiling is closed.

stevecym | 5 years and 9 months ago

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you can try this is you want: see if you can force some talc in where the riser and tread meet. I never did it on stairs, but it does silence squeaks.

stevecym | 5 years and 9 months ago

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and don’t put screws anywhere if you can avoid it. wood work like this is not meant to be held together with screws. they just cause problems later and things begin splitting and then some guy like me has to come in and charge half a fortune to come glue it all back together.

stevecym | 5 years and 9 months ago

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they rub at the back, where the tread meets the riser. what you do is have someone cut shoe molding or 1/4 round and not only apply it this way: run a bead of pl premium down the corner made by the tread and riser and lay the trim into it and shoot the nails in. that should do it. I have not done something like this in years and cannot recall if I had to do the top of the riser under the tread as well. to do this from underneath is a project.

steve
www.thetinkerswagon.com

Jasperrose11 | 5 years and 9 months ago

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Here’s a description, with pictures, of one solution a reader undertook for a squeaky staircase – https://www.brownstoner.com/interiors-renovation/creaking-stairs-repair-tips-ideas-gopro-construction-metal-brackets-victorian-staircase/

mattieweiser1

in General Discussion 5 years and 9 months ago

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My contractor suggested putting a couple screws through the treads to fasten it more securely to the center stringer. I have really old painted stair treads so I wouldn’t mind filling the hole afterwards with wood epoxy and painting again which we thought would have been easier than removing all the plaster from the underside of the stair. We didn’t go through with it after all… does anyone have any thoughts on this method?

jjq | 5 years and 9 months ago

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I should mention that tightening the “wedges” on the underside of a normal 16-18 step staircase is about a 4-6 hour job— Review bids accordingly.

jjq | 5 years and 9 months ago

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If you are in a 100 year old row house, usually the carpentry is exceptional and just needs a bit of tightening-up as I explained above.

We made the mistake of replacing a perfectly good staircase because of the squeaks.

THIS IS NOT NECESSARY, don’t let a carpenter or stair guy sell you on replacing the whole staircase UNLESS THERE ARE MANY SPLITS IN THE TREADS OR RISERS.

Have a contractor that specializes in stairs come out and take a look.

Unfortunately I can not recommend the guy who did ousts.

Guest User | 5 years and 9 months ago

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Who (which type of professional) would you hire to do that?

jjq | 5 years and 9 months ago

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on the under-side of the staircase there should be little wedges between the tread and the block which is anchored to the skirt board. These wedges can be reset (pushes in) to increase the pressure holding the treads in place. This will not require a new staircase but will require removal of the sheet rock or lath and plaster under the staircase.