Changing treads on prefab particle board stairs??

[Snipe Hunter]

How would you go about doing this? I've never worked with this type of stair system before. I'm guessing they're nailed and glued. Each end of the treads are set in a routed slot in the side wall stringers. I'm guessing glued in. I have oak replacement treads. The existing risers do not sit on the treads. The tread buts up against the riser. There is a small gap between the two. I can slide a business card between them so hey don't appear to be glued or nailed there. The Stringers look to be pine (spf).

I need to get these things off without destroying the stringers. I'm thinking about cutting the tread in half and try to work each piece out of the slot at the ends. If that doesn't work: I'll try a jamb saw and cut them out flush at the ends (I need a jamb saw anyway, right?) And then put nailers in to hold up the end of the new treads.

Any ideas before I jump in?  What you see on the ends of the treads is paint, not glue.

[jasfrank]

If those treads and risers are in pockets, I don't know how you would ever get new treads and risers  to go back in them. Or were you going to add cleats, then make skirt boards to cover up the sin?  I guess if I were doing it, I'd just disassemble the whole staircase and start from scratch. Maybe and maybe not less work, but then it'd get done the way I wanted it to.

[JosephP]

As I was reading your description, I was thinking "cut the treads in half".  Then you said that...so yeah...that is what I'd try first.  See what happens.

Sure doesn't look like anything after that first riser is pine...or is there a facade on the others?

Is it a safe guess that the entire staircase was assembled offsite and brought in as a single piece?  I think I'm leaning to the same camp as jasfrank - start over.  Maybe tear into one or two to see what is there with the mindset that you are just probing to see if it can be salvaged???

[Snipe Hunter]

I think I've got a solution. The new treads are 1" thick. The landing at the bottom is about 1" shorter than each current tread height. I plan on laying down 3/4" oak on the landing. If I put down 1/4" underlayment on the landing and 3/4" oak plank on top of it and put my new treads on top of each existing tread I get the same height treads all the way up to the top step. The upstairs has a thinner floor covering (vinyl plank) so the top step will be about 1/2" short but the nosing sticks up about 1/8" so in reality, the top riser will be 3/8" shorter than the rest of the treads. 3/8" is the max deviation allowable by code. I just have to cut the nosing off of each step so I can veneer the risers to match the treads. I plan on using 1/4" oak ply to cover the existing risers.

[Snipe Hunter]

lemme go double check that top step...

[Phil Thien]

I think I've got a solution. The new treads are 1" thick. The landing at the bottom is about 1" shorter than each current tread height. I plan on laying down 3/4" oak on the landing. If I put down 1/4" underlayment on the landing and 3/4" oak plank on top of it and put my new treads on top of each existing tread I get the same height treads all the way up to the top step. The upstairs has a thinner floor covering (vinyl plank) so the top step will be about 1/2" short but the nosing sticks up about 1/8" so in reality, the top riser will be 3/8" shorter than the rest of the treads. 3/8" is the max deviation allowable by code. I just have to cut the nosing off of each step so I can veneer the risers to match the treads. I plan on using 1/4" oak ply to cover the existing risers.

This should work great.

[Snipe Hunter]

Might have to plane down the top step about an eighth inch and split the difference between the top two but I think it won't be noticeable.

[Phil Thien]

Might have to plane down the top step about an eighth inch and split the difference between the top two but I think it won't be noticeable.

So the standard thickness will be 3/4, but the top two steps may be 5/8?

Cut a thin strip off the step, then plane the step down 1/8", then glue the full-thickness strip back on, now you won't be able to see a difference.

You should also bang-out on of these in your shop:


https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?...read+gauge

[johndi]

How tall will te risers be if you add 1" to each tread? Could be a code issue?

[Snipe Hunter]

How tall will te risers be if you add 1" to each tread? Could be a code issue?

 
It won't change because I'm doing it to every step except the top landing.

The landing at the bottom is 7" or 1" shorter than the step heights . Once the underlament and the 3/4 plank is on the landing, it will be 8". So now the 1st step will be 7" high but will be 8" once the new tread is on top of it. All steps will be 8" high measure from the new tread on the step below it.