Cracked risers and squeaking stairs

[Smudge128]

Hi, new on here and not a tradesman just the average DIYer, not long moved into a new house that as been uncared for and the stairs are driving me mad. Nearly every step creaks, the stairs run up at the end of the kitchen and I can see all but 3-4 from underneath, those I can't are covered in plastered board in the kitchen. Looking at the underneath I can see it appears the remedial work as been carried out enforce and there are a couple of risers with large splits.

Is it worth calling in a chippy to replace all the treads and risers or is this a job the average DIYer can cackle without too much hassle.

 

[tony1851]

You won't be able to replace the treads/risers because they will be housed into the strings.
All you can do is to try and replace the glued and screwed triangular blocks underneath to see if that improves matters.

 

[HERTS P&D]

See below:
(watch both videos)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxehenfYdyg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRoCUl4sSDA

Andy

 

[Smudge128]

Thanks for the replies, as I see it I have a cupola of options.

Totally replace whole stair case = costly? And quite destructive as existing staircase is in centre of house and dissects the kitchen and lounge.

Remove existing noggins under stairs and replace as per video links, this seems the be most realistic option but I can't get to the top 4 stairs without removing the backing which forms part of the slopping kitchen roof.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

All you can do is to try and replace the glued and screwed triangular blocks underneath to see if that improves matters.

You can also tighten the wedges if they have come loose, another source of creakling. If there is a winder at the top, though, it can be a bit more awkward - in this part of the world the local practice (at least for terrace houses) seems to have been to assembly the winders on site by nailing - no wedges or glue at all, so they almost all creak!

Totally replace whole stair case = costly? And quite destructive as existing staircase is in centre of house and dissects the kitchen and lounge

Not so bad in cost terms if it is a modern-ish compliant stair, but it gets progressively costlier if your stair is a non-standard size, steeper and has a winder at one end. Centre staircases in terraced houses are particularly awkward to deal with and getting the old one out will be a very dirty job in any house where there have been coal fires (i.e. anything over 60 years of age) - not long done one and it was a really dirty job. If you replace you'll probably find it's not the stair which costs the money, it's all the remedial work around it.

Remove existing noggins under stairs a.

Noggins??? Wedges and glue blocks, yes, but where on earth are there noggins?? I thought for a minute you'd been carried away watching Becky!

 

[Smudge128]

Lol noggins is all I could think of to call the wedges.

I'm off to B&Q to get some timber, screws and glue.

My house is about 60 years old and from what I can see replacing the whole stair case will create a lot of remedial work, it also is slightly steeper that my last staircase in my last Ouse so maybe not standard by today's standards. To top 4 stairs the behind is covered with what I assume is plaster board and that forms the slope in the alcove in the kitchen but I would assume quite straight forward to remove and replace and patch repair.

It's driving me mad as without fail it wakes me up whenever someone come up them at night.

 

[IJWS15]

By "new" do you mean recently built or new to you.

Most recently built houses have factory made stairs with mdf risers tacked into the the tread. Carper fitters nail gripperrod to the riser and in doing so loosen the joint between the bottom edge of the riser and the treads so the stairs start creaking.

Fixed ours by screwing the bottom edge of the risers into the treads - 6-8 screws per riser - and GLUE the gripper to the risers, don't let the carpet fitter nail it on.