Floor finishing dilemmas and staircase fixes

[overlander matt]

Not posted on the site for a while. Good to see a few changes and progress on some projects - Malcolm's walls coming along and Feltwell's drainage tidy-up. I fear I am going to ask a question asked quite a few times before but there are a few nuances...

I'm doing some work on our main staircase which will also probably extend to the ground and first floor hall/landing areas (all oak). The floors and staircase treads/risers have all been finished differently over the years so whatever I do I would like to be consistent and choose the right product. The staircase was painted but I've cleaned off the worst of the paint with a view to finishing and installing a runner. Before I get there I have a tread to repair that has split end to end. Unfortunately, there is no access from below but the construction of the staircase suggests that I can remove a section of the string to access the tread in question (I don't think this is actually a string similar to a newer staircase but just looks like one). Has anyone else any experience dealing with old treads in this way?

Moving on then to the finishing. I've read a fair amount here in recent times about finishing floorboards which has altered my view that this was going to be a question of finding the right colour Osmo product. That's perhaps not the right approach so some guidance on what would be appropriate for us would be very helpful. There's obviously one very expert member here in Toby.

At present, I have a landing that was heavily sanded sometime after the 80s and a varnish (possibly water based as it's very clear). This is the worst of the floor areas condition-wise with gaps, splits and holes. The colour match is really poor with the banister and while I'm not a big fan of the varnish applied to the banisters, I'm in no position to put the work into refinishing that just yet -. Maybe next year! The landing needs sanding then it's a matter of what finish to choose. The ground floor has an older form of finish which is darker but not in great condition.

Any advice would be much appreciated, particularly about the right products to use. Thanks!

 

[Cubist]

Hi Matt, you have there what are called 'housed or closed stringers' in which the risers and treads are fitted into a shallow (8-10mm) rebate in the stringer timber rather than a full cutout, Typically, for these the treads and risers would be glued/nailed/wedged in place. The gaps you can see at all the leading edges of the treads and risers results from shrinkage of the timber and may suggest that wedges were used and have failed.

Bluntly put, without access to the underside of the stairs it is nigh on impossible to successfully close those gaps and make any other repairs without major surgery that involves cutting out some/all of the treads and risers. Sorry, but it may be necessary to remove the stairs completely to make the repairs you want.

 

[overlander matt]

Hi Cubist,

Thanks for your reply. I'm optimistic that there isn't a rebate and it's not the closed stringer design you mention - that would be very problematic... It looks like the string is just a plant on piece - albeit not terribly well cut given the large gaps - but I can at least see the wall. I'm planning on making a cut through above and below the 2-3 steps that I will need to manipulate. Our joiner has never seen one of these before but we had another staircase here that was built in a similar way and we're hopeful this will be the same. The disruption/damage will otherwise be terrible.

Fingers are crossed for when I get started. I'll post an update on the repair work.

 

[Cubist]

Hi Cubist,

Thanks for your reply. I'm optimistic that there isn't a rebate and it's not the closed stringer design you mention - that would be very problematic... It looks like the string is just a plant on piece - albeit not terribly well cut given the large gaps - but I can at least see the wall. I'm planning on making a cut through above and below the 2-3 steps that I will need to manipulate. Our joiner has never seen one of these before but we had another staircase here that was built in a similar way and we're hopeful this will be the same. The disruption/damage will otherwise be terrible.

Fingers are crossed for when I get started. I'll post an update on the repair work.

Good luck,I hope you're right and if that upper section is indeed a separate fillet sitting over the stairs you may alternatively be able to remove it completely to expose the full width and then make the repair. BTW - if the fillet is a later addition the joiner that made it did a very good job of scribing in the tread/riser pattern.

 

[overlander matt]

I agree it must have been a mammoth scribing job! I will probably tackle the tread next week once half term is over and I have some peace and quiet again.

 

[RBailey]

Good luck,I hope you're right and if that upper section is indeed a separate fillet sitting over the stairs you may alternatively be able to remove it completely to expose the full width and then make the repair. BTW - if the fillet is a later addition the joiner that made it did a very good job of scribing in the tread/riser pattern.

It almost looks like a section of skirting board cut to match. However, it also looks like they may have cut the nose off the tread to make it fit.

Good luck Matt.

 

[overlander matt]

Thanks Richard. That's exactly how it looks and we will learn more next week. There is a multitool ban in the house when the children are home for half term...

 

[Cubist]

The ogee on the top I agree is skirting or architrave but the faux stringer below that?

 

[88v8]

Not that it's terribly relevant to your conundrum, and you've seen the wood and I haven't... but that does not look like oak to me. Pine, perhaps pitch pine, but at any rate pine.

Nice feature on the landing, never seen that before.

Lovely fine balusters... they look more like oak. Not unusual in-period to have painted treads & risers and oak balusters & rail.

Is that the split tread in the pic... is it that bad... your inner perfectionist... I would be more visually concerned about the gaps between the planted stringer and the stairs. They look a right faff to fillet or cover with little lengths of bead.

 

[overlander matt]

I managed to get back on the staircase work yesterday with the children back at school... The 'string' is pine and is a plant-on which serves no structural purpose. The treads and rises are oak and are simply nailed together with additional nails between the balustrade side string and the treads. It's perhaps no surprise that the odd tread has split...

The tread in question was not supported underneath at the wall side so I will look to rectify that on each side. The split was a pretty bad one and has been glued and clamped. There is one more split tread that is not as bad (not full length but I'm not sure I want the disruption of removing it.

As for the gaps from the poorly fitting 'string' I've been cutting little fillets. It's difficult as the gaps are slightly bevelled and as such not much surface area for the glue. If I glue to the treads/risers then I suspect this will be the stronger bond and crack the joint with the string. Nothing is easy.