Sitebuilt Stairs - Techniques

UpNorth

Take a look a this picture, and ignore the way the detail implies the use of t&g floor finish for the tread and riser finish.

I want to ask about two things, the steel hanger clipping the carriages to the landing header, and the use of plywood substrate under both tread and riser.
Having only built a few of these, my method has been to use a full-width sheet of 3/4 plywood as the hanger for carriages, and the finish tread and riser parts are fixed directly to the carriages, with no sheetgoods substrates on there first.
What do you do, and why?

TempestV

The plywood treads do two things- they act as temporary stairs so that the final stairs can be done later and not screwed up during construction, and they allow for more nailing for the T&G.

Gus Dering

I agree about the use of the stairs during construction.

The plywood riser should be run to the bottom of the tread IMO. So it can be fastened from behind and the tread is supoorted by those fasteners in shear along with the goo.

LVL's are the best for the stringers with this cuz of the no shrinkage factor.

I would prefer to lay out the system so that the top tread that is shown at the upper floor elevation to be full width when at all possible. Mostly for the ease of lay out but there comes a point where you can shorten it to the point of reducing the bottom chord's width.

The ply wood just adds stability to the assembly. It can't hurt to have it.

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neolitic

I think it was drawn by someone
who never built a set of stairs,
and probably couldn't if asked to.
JMO....

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Warren

That hanger at the top should not be necessary if the bottom is secured properly. As long as the bottom doesn't move, where can the top go?
I think the plywood is unnecessary as well. I don't see the need for the top tread like that either. The deck should be the starting point for the stairs.

Gus Dering

Different strokes I guess. I have always found it easier to just lean the stairs against the floor system. Never liked extending them up into the bottom and blocking them out and all that stuff.

I am absolutely sure you have that all worked out for yourself. I am a simple man with an uncomplicated mind unlike the geometric brainstorm that you are.

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KentWhitten

Depends, but usually plywood risers and treads. Like Gus says, the riser needs to go behind the tread. I've done it the way you show it, once. Usually hang it with ply. Your sheetrock nailer at the top and bottom, unnecessary. Your flooring for risers, retarded.

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deckman22

What's with the full stringer & notched stringer? It looks like the "full stringer" is nothing more than a 2x6 nailer usually added on when the stairway goes up against a wall to have S/R & trim piece.

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AJAX

If I understand you correctly (we use diffrent terms) but, I don't bother with plywood. Why? Because it's more work. Just put stringers up one at a time and secure to sub floor and the double header at top. Why would you need more product?

Scribbles

wow you guys make stairs complicated, just rember that the crotch of the stringer is the weak point take cate of that, cleat the bottom dont use t+g, anywhere, plywood risers, 5/4 treads. keep it tight and glue evreything.

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bconley

We do it like figure "C" above, you need to know all of the flooring thicknesses,
with false treads and risers use 5/4 treads, use 3/4 sub floor for treads under full treads.
The stringers are usually (3) 2x12 with 2x4 nailer spacer on inside for drywall and skirt board clearance and stiffening. lots of glue on 1/2 ply risers

DFC

I do this. Except I use 1x4 nailer spacer. Why do you prefer 2x4?

neolitic

Drywall = ½"
Skirt board = ¾"
Total = 1¼"
2X = 1½"

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Joe Carola

Gus,

With all this framing material and finish material time and labor, how much doe it cost for a set of stairs the way you guys build them? It's amazing how much framing material has to go into a set of stairs. LVL's for stringers is insane for me to read when all you need is a set of stairs made out of pine to do the same job and will last just as long.

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Joe Carola

Railman

Around here, it's 2x10 routed stringers, with no center carriage. The stringers are shimmed, & nailed at each stud. My home of 21 years was done this way, with zero problems, & never will be. Stairs have the least live load, of any floor, or roof in a home. There is only a momentary load on them. 99.9 % of the time, no live load. Why all the extra lumber?
Joe

Joe Carola

Joe,

They use 5/4 outside stringers around here with nothing in the middle. Do you have any pictures of the building process?

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DFC

Right, my bad, missed the skirt board. Haven't framed for hardwood floors in awhile.