How to fix creaking stairs
You will need:
-
PVA adhesive
- Mallet
- Screwdriver
- Power drill
- Wooden off-cuts
- Woodscrews
- Panel pins
- Hammer
- Old chisel
Central heating often dries out the timber in stairs and causes annoying squeaks and creaks. If you can reach the underneath of your stairs, it's an easy job to solve the problem.
Time to complete job: 30 minutes.
Approximate budget: Under £5.
First steps
Stand under the stairs and ask someone to walk up them so that you can mark the loose boards and diagnose the problem.
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Step 1: Replace the wedges
Often the thin wedges that are between the risers - the upright pieces - and the treads have worked loose or dropped out. Remove the wedges underneath each problem board and use an old chisel to remove as much of the dry glue as possible. Spread a generous amount of glue along both sides of the wedges and push back into place. Use a mallet or hammer to tap the pieces firmly into place.
Tip: You may need to saw thin angled pieces of new timber to replace the missing wedges. -
Step 2: Replace the triangular blocks
The stairs may also be missing triangular glue blocks along the joint between the risers and treads. Look for areas of lighter coloured wood to show where the blocks have come loose.
Saw some new triangular blocks around 75mm (3in) long. Use a piece of 50mm (2in) square timber and cut diagonally along its length to make the blocks. Fix to the stairs with PVA glue and one or two panel pins or screws. -
Step 3: Fixing a stair from above
If the underneath of the stairs has been plasterboarded, you may be able to reduce the creaking by making clearance holes in the front of the stair tread and screwing into the riser beneath to tighten the joint.
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