How To Repair Indoor Wooden Stairs

HOW TO REPAIR INDOOR WOODEN STAIRS FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT, WWW.CONSTRUXBUILDING.COM

INTRODUCTION Wooden stairs are normally long lasting and attractive in homes. Several kinds of wood such as; oak woods are commonly used for stair risers and stair treads. However, the type of wood you use may not be a problem because any wood used in building indoor stairs will meet your home's needs.

Indoor wooden stairs are normally thick and they are patterns that can stand against damages. The woods can suffer stress, old age, and traffic, which can lead to splits, gouges, and cracks.

Because of these problems, you may need to replace or repair your indoor wooden stairs for the safety of your family and friends. Even though you have been diligent in maintaining your wooden stairs, it is possible to experience a few problems that must be taken care of. These are basic things you should do.

REPAIRING SQUEAKY STAIRS When the wood becomes dry, steps that have been around old houses for years begin to squeak and creak under the foot. This is because the wood has suffered severe dryness and has shrunk due to old age. Squeaky stairs are caused by hanging out stair treads that come in contact with a stringer or stair riser every time someone climbs the stairs.

Stair treads can come off if the wood has already shrunk or when hardware begins to lose. The nails trying to come off may not be a big issue unless the creaking damage is very serious and causes the staircase to reach its breaking point or the hardware to completely come off.

Two methods can be used when fixing squeaky stairs.

They can be fixed above or below the staircase. However, when you repair them from below, the repair is less conspicuous.

REPAIRING A DUTCHMAN WOODEN STAIRS A Dutchman is a slim slice of wood from the species of riser and tread hardwoods. These woods can suffer splits or cracks. This can be fixed by driving a splice of Dutchman wood into it. Before repairing the stairs, use a knife to scrape or cut off several slim slices from one edge to another. The slices must have sharp ends like cracks.

After slicing, check if they are similar to the split or crack damage both in size and shape. If they are similar, use tape to hold one end of the split and attach it in such a way that it fits the crack that is to be repaired.

Put in a generous amount of wood glue in the crack area and pound in the Dutchman wood to hold the split firmly using a hammer. It is not bad if the splits from the Dutchman lay faced-down when hammering.

REPAIR YOUR STAIRS WITH WOOD FILLER You can fix hardwoods using wood fillers on splinters. The ideal wood fibers and are plastic-made substances that can stand the test of time. They are produced in a variety of colors that suits the risers and stair treads. They can be used on cuts that are 1/4 inches deep.

Force the wood filler into the affected gouge using a cement knife until the product is squeezed into the area to be repaired and rises 1/6 inches on top of the wood.

Afterward, allow the wood filler to air dry. Smoothen it out by sanding it, then paint the wood to conceal the patched area.

RESIN GLUE If the cracks or splinters on your wooden stairs are narrow, you can solve the problem using resin glue to hold them together. If you do not have resin glues, honeycomb can do the same job. This glue can be painted to suit the species of wood for your stairs.

Mix water and glue following the instructions in the producer's manual. After the mixing is done, the content resembles a thick syrup. Use a cement knife or a tiny brush rub on the area to be fixed. Push the glue into the splits and cracks until saturation is obtained.

Clean off the top of the riser or tread using a damp, soft material that is smooth enough to get rid of residual glue.

If you ignore this process, the glue will dry up and resemble a glass, making it difficult for you to identify the real patterns of woodgrain.

DENTS Dents are complex wooden stair problems. They cannot be repaired even though you use cement to hold firm.

Neither can resin glue or Dutchman work with dents.

However, dents can be completely removed if you have them steamed.

Dents can be professionally filled with drops of water. Lay a folded piece of cotton on top of the dent and use a hot steaming iron on the piece of cloth. Afterward, shift the iron toward the dent until heat is generated.

Keep with shifting the iron to ensure the steam has stopped. Inspect what you have done to see if you have done the right thing. If you have not gotten it right and the dent is still there, Do it all over again until you can no longer see the dent.

SUMMARY It is not safe to ignore cracks and splits on your home's wooden stairways. Old homes are likely to have cracks, squeaky noises, and splinters on their wooden stairs due to stress from old age. The good news is that your indoor wooden stairs can be repaired.

There are various methods of repairs, and this depends on the type of problem your wooden stairs are affected with. You can repair wooden stairs problems using Dutchman wood, resin glue, and wood fillers.

Squeaky stairs can be repaired by filling the affected area with powder before using wood over it.