Building Finished Interior Stairs the Easy Way
Finished interior stairs are perhaps the toughest challenge that a wood worker will face and are often the exclusive domain of the “stair specialist”. This is particularly true with the more complicated systems such as circular stairs. However, when it comes to straight runs, adjustable bracket systems greatly simplify the process. Using adjustable bracket systems allow a person with only basic skills to build a well finished interior stair with a high degree of accuracy and elegance.
Adjustable brackets are designed to be user friendly, fast, accurate and above all, strong. In fact, the brackets do most of the work. They automatically adjust to the exact rise and run and are approved as “adjustable joist hangers”. This allows the risers to act like floor joists, carrying the load across the stair between the stringers which means only two stringers are required for stairs up to nine feet in width. Additionally, each stringer requires only three to four end cuts (only six to eight cuts per stair!)….significantly eliminating dozens of saw tooth cuts which are often required for conventional stringers.
Starting with two parallel 2x6 stringer members, the adjustable brackets are first positioned using a spacing tool and then attached to each member with a single “pivot screw”. For finished interior stairs, the stringers may be ”paint” grade or “stain” grade but will have a tongue and grove or spline milled into the parallel mating surfaces so that once the brackets are adjusted, the mating surfaces will be pushed together to form a continuous, decorative, one piece knee wall stringer. The remaining screws are inserted and the end cuts are made. All the risers and treads are now square cut to the exact length using a chop saw. It is recommended that a stop is used for accuracy and efficiency. The treads are usually cut slightly shorter than the risers (1/64”) for fit. For fast assembly it’s best to first pre- assemble the stair and then lift into position whenever circumstances permit. The first stringer can be laid on the floor using blocks and one end of each riser is attached to each bracket so that the risers are in a vertical position in relation to the stringer. The risers are attached to each bracket using blind screws through the holes in the brackets. The second stringer is then positioned over the opposite ends of the risers and attached. A clamp may be used to pull the stringers tight against the riser ends. This one step will eliminate up to 80% of the custom fitting normally required for conventional stairs.
The stair is now laid on its back and (starting from the bottom step) the treads are laid in position, fitting perfectly without gaps. As each tread is positioned it is attached to the rear riser. Once all treads are positioned, the stair is laid on its side again and the end screws through the brackets are inserted. The fasteners attaching the tread to the top of the rise may be inserted as blind screws (using pocket holes in the risers) or blocks from the underside or simply using finished nails from the top.
The advantage of using blind screws is that a whole new layer of cost and time savings can be achieved by using pre finished risers and treads.
Once this process is complete, you will have an accurately finished stair, superbly detailed, extremely strong and best of all completed in half the time.
Author Bio:
Richard Truckner and Leslie Walker write articles for EZ Stairs®. EZ Stairs® products allow builders to build stairs with a wide range of materials such as redwood, cedar, tropical wood, treated wood, untreated wood, vinyl, steel, and composites. This stair building system allows for customized rise and treads configurations which can be adjusted to meet all building codes for any interior or exterior application- ICC approved. It is the only adjustable stair bracket system available anywhere. To help you figure out how many stairs you will need, the website provides a free stair calculator. EZ Stairs® introduced the new patented adjustable dual-purpose exterior/interior brackets in 2003. In 2004, it won Pro Sales Magazine's Editor’s Choice award for new product innovation in the construction industry. In 2005, it introduced its composite deck compatibility solution and was chosen for LBM Journal's 'Hot Products' Award at the 2005 International Builders Show, and again voted one of the fifty ‘Hot Products’ at the 2008 International Builders Show. For more information, visit www.ez-stairs.com, or call 866-693-9570.
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