Long Farm and Furniture

Stair Tread and Railing Upgrade Process

This is the build of my stairway upgrade. This was one of the most complex in-place carpentry projects I have completed. I had to work out several issues through research and with the help of a friend.

The oak treads were structurally sound, but I added the tread covers to bring the stair heights into compliance with the hard flooring. The original height was for carpet. It was also an opportunity to upgrade the look of the stairwell and match it with the rest of the main floor.

The stringer cover creation was a challenge as well. I used hot glue to create a template in place, used that to make a hardboard template, then use that to make the MDF stringer cover.

Overall, I believe the end result was worth the work. Not only does it look better, it is a much sturdier railing with proper heights and gaps.

The plastic latice was a temporary solution to keep small kids from going through it. Temporary lasted about six years...
Oak stair treads and risers with white trim and brown wall 1970s stair ballusters attached to oak treads and risers Oak stair treads and risers with white trim and brown wall Tile floor stairway landing Notched out oak stair tread for old balluster attachment Filler block for notched out oak stair tread Cardboard template for stair stringer cover Cardboard template for stair stringer cover Hardboard template for stair stringer cover Cutting MDF stair stringer cover from hardboard template MDF stair stringer cover under construction Back cutting stair stringer template with Bosch router and Festool Mini CT MDF Stair stringer cover installation Gluing down stair tread cover with clamps and sandbags Dark oak stair tread cover with return Dark oak stair tread covers with returns and white trim Attaching stair handrail return with dominos Stair handrail return attached Craftsman style newel posts stained with golden oak and Minwax polyurethane Installation of craftsman style newel post Newel post installation lug dark oak floor Installation of craftsman style newel post Installation of craftsman style newel post on corner of stair stringer Installation of craftsman style newel posts with handrails Installation of craftsman style newel posts with handrails Installation of craftsman style newel posts with handrails Custom oak foot rail for metal ballusters Using Bosch GPL100-30G laser to make plumb marks for ballusters Installed hardie backer on stairwell landing Stone look porcelain tile installation on stair landing Stone look porcelain tile installation on stair landing Stair riser trim with dark oak treads and metal ballusters Base trim for craftsman style newel post Base trim for craftsman style newel post Stone look porcelain tile on stair landing with white trim and brown wall Stone look porcelain tile on stair landing with white trim and brown wall Trim returns for stair landing stone look porcelain tile

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