How to rebuild steps?

Cwhenson
by Cwhenson

After removing carpet, this is how the steps look that lead to my basement. They must have been too narrow, as an addition of approx. 1-3/4" was added to each step. But due to the way they are constructed, this addition only makes you feel as if you're falling head-first down the stairs. I am on a fixed income and professional help is not in the budget. I enjoy tackling some DIY home improvement projects but where do I even start?

Stairs to basement, as they looked after carpet was removed.

A close up of stairs.

This approx. 1-3/4" addition was added to each step, presumably to make them wider and more user friendly, but only makes them more dangerous.

  4 answers
  • You can pop them off and replace them with something shorter as it looks to me that your tread, from the photos, is still too short. Your tread depth plus riser height should add up to about 17.5". Typically treads are 10-11" deep which you should attempt to maintain for safety.

    • See 3 previous
    • No worries! You wouldn't be entirely rebuilding the stair, just replacing the treads so that they're all exactly the same. Varying tread depth is dangerous and can throw you off. Yes, you could likely keep the risers. It depends on how your stair is built, you may be able to screw them down into the side stringers. If you take a tread off, see how it's attached and repeat that with the new. I hope that makes sense.

  • If it was my job, I would sand all the stairs down and stain them and add a few coats of varnish. For the area you mentioned that has been added. You can add rubber non slip tread to the ends which will cover the add on and also prevent you from slipping. There are many options on the market. You can even add a wallpaper to the under side of the stairs for a nicer look. Good luck with your project. Here is a link to give you an idea what I mean.

    https://goo.gl/images/VixCWu


    https://goo.gl/images/zTPD4r

    • See 1 previous
    • Would it not be possible to add a whole new top to the step using a much thicker wood. Then you can have a larger overhang making the step longer. It might not look as pretty but it could work. Another option would be to extent every stair starting with the bottom and work your way up.

  • I would add 1x10's to the top of each stair. And cover the front with luan. Caulk everything and paint.

  • William William on Oct 03, 2018

    Becky and Anita's got it right. You state to Becky the steps are 10" to 11 1/4' deep. Which is what they should be according to building codes. The 1 3/4" was added to make them legal and a bullnose for the carpeting.


    This is what other Hometalkers did.


    https://www.hometalk.com/search/posts?filter=remove%20carpet%20from%20stairs