Hello all-

We are currently having maple hardwood installed. It was going to go up
the stairs as well but after removing the carpet on the stairs it was
determined that it would not be possible to put hardwood on the stairs due
to the type of construction. I appologize ahead of time because I am not
familliar with all of the terms. Apparently because the treads go into the
stringers and are not on top of them, it is not possible to replace with
hardwood. Does that make sence? Each tread has a bull nose and is nailed
from below to the riser above it. There are no nails in the tread itself
(at least none can be seen from above) and the ends go into the stringer.
He said he has seen someone once cut out the treads but when the job was
done the stairs ended up being completly replaced. I do not know if there
is any alternative. He is almost done with everything else and he was
going to talk to someone else for ideas on the stairs. If anyone has any
ideas please let me know ASAP.

Thanks-
-Chris

What wood is the stairs? Are they Oak? Perhaps they could be refinished with a
maple stain.

"Chris" wrote in message

Apparently because the treads go into the
stringers and are not on top of them, it is not possible to replace with
hardwood. Does that make sence?

Yes, they are not nailde from the top making removal very difficult at best.


Each tread has a bull nose and is nailed
from below to the riser above it. There are no nails in the tread itself
(at least none can be seen from above) and the ends go into the stringer.
He said he has seen someone once cut out the treads but when the job was
done the stairs ended up being completly replaced. I do not know if there
is any alternative.


I don't know of any easy alternatives. If you want to cover them with a
thin material, such as laminate or engineered wood, it can be done right
over top of the existing stair, You have to cut the bullnose off and
replace it with the new one made to match. I have this on my stairs.

For 3/4" hardwood, it would throw off the rise of the top and bottom steps
if you were to go atop the existing treads. The bottom step would be higher
than normal, the top lower than normal.

You may want to consider refinishing what is there to match or contrast the
other flooring.
Ed

I think he said the stairs were pine, a few of them have cracks the width
of the step. He did offer re finishing them as an option except for the
cracks.

I thought it would be possible to saw off the bull nose flush with the
riser, that wouldn't affect the strength of the stair, and just nail the
hardwood to the step. He has pieces that have a bull nose. They seem to
be the exact size. Then the same thickness of material would be added to
the floors and steps. That seems like it would work to me but I don't
install floors for a living so I might be missing something.

-Chris














Chris wrote in
1:

Hello all-

We are currently having maple hardwood installed. It was going to go
up the stairs as well but after removing the carpet on the stairs it
was determined that it would not be possible to put hardwood on the
stairs due to the type of construction. I appologize ahead of time
because I am not familliar with all of the terms. Apparently because
the treads go into the stringers and are not on top of them, it is not
possible to replace with hardwood. Does that make sence? Each tread
has a bull nose and is nailed from below to the riser above it. There
are no nails in the tread itself (at least none can be seen from
above) and the ends go into the stringer. He said he has seen someone
once cut out the treads but when the job was done the stairs ended up
being completly replaced. I do not know if there is any alternative.
He is almost done with everything else and he was going to talk to
someone else for ideas on the stairs. If anyone has any ideas please
let me know ASAP.

Thanks-
-Chris

"Chris" wrote in message
1...
I think he said the stairs were pine, a few of them have cracks the width
of the step. He did offer re finishing them as an option except for the
cracks.

I thought it would be possible to saw off the bull nose flush with the
riser, that wouldn't affect the strength of the stair, and just nail the
hardwood to the step. He has pieces that have a bull nose. They seem to
be the exact size. Then the same thickness of material would be added to
the floors and steps. That seems like it would work to me but I don't
install floors for a living so I might be missing something.

-Chris


If the floors are raised the same amount as the steps, it will work just
fine. The bull nose can be cut back flush with a sawzall. Sounds like you
have the solution.
Ed