Bamboo on stairs with warped stringers - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

tgeliot · 11-01-2008, 07:46 PM

OK so I've installed bamboo and tile throughout this condo, just have the stairs to finish. I did a single tread and the landing, and am ready to turn left and head on up the stairs. This is using special nosing pieces and regular flooring material, not whole bamboo treads. This is applied on top of the existing 3/4 sawn lumber treads.

On the one tread I've completed, I managed to fit the bamboo flooring nicely between the adjoining stringers with barely perceptible gapping at the end.

But holy cow these long stringers are a beast! They aren't parallel. The top/front edges are wider apart than the back/rear edges -- which means that every tread would have to be wider at the front than at the back, and even a bit wider at the top surface of the tread than the bottom. That much I'm ready for, with my home-built stair gauge. But wait, there's more! The stringers are not FLAT. That's right, they curve as they flare out, the angle between them growing larger towards the front of each tread.

Unless someone has a great suggestion here, I'm going to break down and buy some bamboo shoe molding to put over the inevitable gaps at the ends of the bamboo. The notion of trying to scribe the material to fit the stringers is just more work than I'm willing to invest.

Help!

Chris Johnson · 11-01-2008, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tgeliot

The notion of trying to scribe the material to fit the stringers is just more work than I'm willing to invest.

Why? Why not do the job right? Shoe molding or 1/4 round is a great way to say I was lazy and wanted to cover up a mistake.

If it requires you to repair the existing treads and stringers first, do it.

What would you do if it was your house?

tgeliot · 11-01-2008, 10:50 PM

This is a 43-year old condo, not a house. So rebuilding the stairwell as part of putting down a floor seems a bit much. What I would really love to do is figure out how to fit the bamboo boards against this curved surface, and I was hoping someone could suggest a clever method.

As to what I would do if it were my own home? I think I'd use the shoe molding.

Floordude · 11-01-2008, 10:58 PM

This is pretty basic stairs 101...

Take a scrap and cut it at the little angle until you get it right. now you know your angles. Measure and cut.

Mike Costello · 11-02-2008, 01:53 AM

I don't think I have ever run into a flight of stairs here in New England that are square.

Its not unusual and pretty standard stuff.
.
I use scribing paper and make a template of every stair. The could be serpentine shaped and you could tight fit them this way.

Floordude · 11-02-2008, 09:03 AM

What I learned the hard way about a real tight fit is, if the stair structure itself is not stout, the tight fit to the stringer can squeak!!! Especially if they painted it recently. I had to use a razor blade and get it into the crack and shave it to reduce the squeaks, and a very picky client.

PrecisionFloors · 11-02-2008, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Costello

I don't think I have ever run into a flight of stairs here in New England that are square.

Its not unusual and pretty standard stuff.
.
I use scribing paper and make a template of every stair. The could be serpentine shaped and you could tight fit them this way.

Same here, if the Stair Wizard can't do it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Floordude

What I learned the hard way about a real tight fit is, if the stair structure itself is not stout, the tight fit to the stringer can squeak!!! Especially if they painted it recently. I had to use a razor blade and get it into the crack and shave it to reduce the squeaks, and a very picky client.

Lol. I think I have worked for that client a few time myself.

Another trick is to back cut the treads at about a 5 degree angle. It allows you to get them very tight and dropped in without binding up on the skirts.