Do it Yourself Stair Building

Building your own stairs can look like a daunting task if you have never tried it before, so if you have the desire and you want to build your own stairs, then this is just a short guide so that you get familiar with the names and procedures of the process. Always be sure to consult and know before you start, either with a pro at any of the home stores, or through the internet, because mistakes will cost you money and later, aggravation.

Therefore, the first thing to do is to know the component parts of the stairs and staircase, and this is for the straight staircases not the curved ones. The first one to know is the stringer. The stringer is the base that runs from the top to the bottom and holds the whole thing up. It is what the risers and the treads rest on.

To make stringers, you need two pieces of two by ten lumbers, if your treads are the maximum of 30 inches, you will need three pieces. You will need a two-foot framing square, and a sharp pencil and good blade. With the square, use the narrow tongue of the square to mark the rise of the stair and use the blade to mark the unit "run"... When you are cutting for the tread, (The part you step on), be sure to compensate for the thickness of the riser, (The part that rises up and is at the back of the tread).

Compensating for the thickness of the riser means you will not have tread sticking out over the edge of the stringer. When measuring for the riser, the bottom one and the top one are different because one allows for the thickness of the flooring at the bottom, and is therefore shorter, and the riser at the top is raised more to allow for the thickness at the finish floor level.

When you have cut your first stringer, test fit it and make sure there are no flaws because that will be the template for the other stringer, the reason that I stress this is because even a 16th if an inch contributes to the squeak factor, so take the time to make everything is right.

Being accurate is essential especially when calculating the rise and run. In most houses the floor height from floor to floor is nine feet approx. Usually, with stairs 15, 7 to 8 inch risers are the norm, but make sure you've allowed for the thickness of the flooring because each different type of flooring will throw your measurements off.

As I mentioned before these are just some of the names and procedures to know and use when you want to build your stairs. Of course, in this short space and without diagrams, it is impossible to go into detail, and that is why I say, talk to a professional and they will sort the details out with you gladly, systematically.

Autor: Thoreau Chuong

Thoreau Chuong enjoys writing about home improvement, home & garden, and other home related articles. If you live in Texas, request a free quote on our website home remodeling Dallas Texas or home remodeling Fort Worth.

Added: August 17, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/