The key is a fastener that won’t loosen or “back out” of the wood.
Is there anything more annoying than that squeaky spot on your stairs? You try and try to avoid it, to no avail. And especially true in the middle of the night when it sounds like nails on a chalkboard. There is a solution, actually several possible solutions is more accurate.
First – what is the most common cause of the dreaded squeak? In this post we are dealing with wood framed stairs only. Typically the squeak is caused by the fasteners – nails. The reason they squeak is because they are loose, which allows the framing (or finish) material to move. When the material moves it rubs on the nail, or the nail rubs on the material, or the wood framing and finish material are rubbing together, hence the hideous squeak. You guessed it, too much rubbing. Sorry, couldn’t resist.
The solution of course is to prevent this movement. The only way to solve this issue is to expose the stair framing. One asterisk at this point: If you have stairs that are a wood finish, you may be able to prevent some of the squeaking by using a trim screw. Locate the squeak, drill a pilot hole and install a trim screw (probably at least two inches long). You will have to fill and finish the hole you just created, and it might limit the severity of the squeak. But I seriously doubt it will solve the problem, especially long term.
Okay, back to stair framing. The stairs are made of several common pieces. The stair stringers (sometimes referred to as jacks) are the long angles pieces with notches cut into them that run from floor to floor. The notches receive the treads (horizontal piece you walk on), and risers (the vertical piece you usually stub you toe on). These are the three basic components of stair framing. Depending on the age of the stairs, the location, and the carpenter who built them, you may (hopefully) have a support piece nailed to the outside of the stringer. This piece is typically a 2 by 4, which is fastened to the wall framing, and the stringer is attached to this support. This piece (in typical framing) also creates the space at the outside edge of the stars to accept half inch drywall and a three quarter inch skirt board. Not all stairs have a skirt board. Typically used when you have wood-finished stairs.
Now that you have a good idea of how your stairs are constructed it’s time to focus on that pesky squeak. More to the point – how do you eliminate it?
As stated above, the cause is usually the fasteners. Once you have exposed the stair framing (this may involve removing carpet, wood finish, etc) inspect the fasteners and the overall construction quality. At this point you could simply remove the nails and replace them with screws. Quality 3 inch deck screws in the treads and 1 ½ inch deck screws in the risers would probably eliminate most of the squeaks. You could also use appropriate sized ring-shank nails, although I would recommend screws. The key is a fastener that won’t loosen or “back out” of the wood.
If you want to be absolutely sure that you are doing everything possible to eliminate that squeak, we need to take one more “step”. That step is removing the treads and risers. Be prepared to replace a few, some, or all of them. This is also a good time to check the attachment points for the stringers. Make sure that they are fastened properly at the top and bottom of the opening. If the treads and risers aren’t glued to the stringers (this is likely the case and part of the problem) apply construction adhesive, liberally, to the top and front of the stringers as you reinstall, or replace the treads and risers. The appropriate material for the treads is two by ten (or twelve), and one by something (may have to be cut to fit the height) for the riser. The treads and risers must be one piece of lumber each for every step. It might be tempting to use some scrap lumber leftover from another project – don’t! Good rule of thumb for the number of fasteners: three per stringer for the treads and two per stringer for the risers. DON’T FORGET to use construction adhesive!
One more issue when dealing with stair framing and squeaks relates directly to the stringers. If the stringers aren’t cut level and plumb, your repair will be much more difficult to accomplish. You may have to use shims to correct this issue. This leads to the last “typical” problem with squeaky stairs. How many stair stringers are present? If the answer is two, sorry, but you are going to need another one. This could change the scope of the project immensely, especially if the stairs are finished on the bottom side. I know, not what you wanted to hear. Regardless, you need to add that extra stringer. So, head to lumber yard and select the straightest piece with the fewest knots (good luck!) you can find. Measure the spaces for the treads and risers, the overall length and start cutting. Don’t over cut the inside corners, use a hand saw or a jigsaw to finish the cuts. You are probably going to need some help installing the new stringer, so you might want to pick up one of your buddies favorite adult beverage on the way home from the lumberyard.
This is a basic overview; please leave a comment if you have specific questions I didn’t mention.
Good luck. Remember, sawdust in your shoes is a good thing. Not so much in your eyes. Safety glasses!
Photos courtesy of the author