How to replace top wooden stair tread?

[ObiSteve_-7]

I need to replace the top wooden stair tread on a highset old Queenslander with traditioal wooden stairs. The top tread is worn from extended use and is visibly bowing when trodden on.

Any of the other treads would be easy to replace from the back of the stairs, but I can't see a way to slide a new tread into the grooves cut into the wooden side supports without lifting the whole staircase away from the front of the verandah, or undoing the bolts on the threaded rods that hold the sides together, and risking having the other 11 treads dropping out. Any advice on how to solve this would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

 

[EricL]

Hello @ObiSteve_-7 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about replacing your wooden stair tread.

Removing the stair tread is relatively straight forward as you can cut it down, but putting the new one is a bit tricky. To avoid a lengthy disassembly process, I propose cutting or removing the timber fascia that is in front of the top step. This will then allow you to slide the new step in from the back without compromising the structure of the timber steps.  

All you'll need to do once the new step is in is to re-install the timber fascia and repaint the step.

Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1 and @Nailbag for their recommendations.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[Dave-1 · Accepted solution]

Good Evening @ObiSteve_-7 

Now that is an interesting quandry... I do like @EricL's suggestion but I have a couple of others that may be worth having a go at.

Option 1

Install two 12mm threaded bars just underneath that step all the way through to the outside rails, once tightedned the step will be resting on the bars. You could even go as far to jack up the middle of the step when installing the bars and then backing off on the jack slowly.

Option 2

Using some 90 degree steel angle iron, mount that under the tread and bolt through to the timber. Id use 4 to 5 attachment points and then slowly do up all the bolts together as in a turn on the outside ones, then a turn inside ones then center and then outside ones just so they all get done evenly.

Dave

[Nailbag]

Hi @ObiSteve_-7 this is a difficult project that both @EricL and @Dave-1 have provided a few good suggestions to consider. A few years back I had a similar issue when preparing my parents old place for sale, except I had multiple treads to replace including the top one which backed on to a brick wall. As another possible solution which is relatively an easy one, but very structurally sound. I have stepped out in the images below how I did it using these products:

• High-strength Liquid nails
• 40mm x 40mm x 3mm Gal angle Iron
• Large gauge domed head gal screws 
• Flexible high-strength exterior gap filler
• Matching exterior paint

[ObiSteve_-7]

Thank you for your suggestions fellas, all greatly appreciated. Unfortunately Eric's suggestion isn't suitable, the fascia Is nailed directly to a 22 foot length of hardwood 7"x4" bearer cut in 1903 from local timber, cutting the facia out still doesn't give me sufficient room.

Cutting the current step out and replacing it with a slightly shorter one supported by gal. angle iron, with appropriate gap filling and painting would be a perfectly sufficient repair but I don't think I'll use it, it would be obvious on close inspection that it was a modern tech repair on an old building, and the front stairs directly face the street.

The extra 2 stair rods supporting the existing top stair tread is one that I hadn't thought of, and do like a lot. The building was a school classroom for 100 years, and while the current stairs aren't the originals, it does take a lot of kids foot traffic to wear old hardwood stair treads. The stairs already have 2 half inch (12.7mm) threaded rods at 1/3 and 2/3 up them so it will look like it could have been an old education dept. repair before they sold the site in 2007.

Thank you once again

 for taking the time to respond.

Steve.

[EricL]

Hi @ObiSteve_-7 

Please keep us updated with your progress, we look forward to seeing your stair step replaced.

Eric

[Nailbag]

Hi @ObiSteve_-7 Understanding your concerns for any visual sign of repair, your could make a shallow rebate at each end of the new tread with a simple hammer and chisel the width and depth of the top of the angle iron and then painted the same colour as the tread. This would do probably the best job of concealing the repair. Remember any single tread replacement is going to look different in some respects to the others, until its had some aging.

Failing this your only other option is to pull the stair case off, and then you might as well look at the condition of all the treads.

Regards, Nailbag

[ObiSteve_-7]

Thanks for continuing to consider this Nailbag. That's a good suggestion, but concealing any repair is not my purpose here. The place is 121 years old, has had many repairs and modifications, that show openly. It's a bit of a wonky donkey of a place. I think my reason for preferring the 2 extra stair rods under the existing worn tread is a style thing, using the tech level that was readily available then, in a way that is right out in the open.

I'll keep the current worn tread that shows a bit of the places history, but remove the safety issue in a way that still would let me do the other style of full repair with more modern methods later if I change my mind. The rate of tread wear has slowed right down since the school closed of course.

Thank you once again.

Steve.

[Nailbag]

Hi @ObiSteve_-7 I can fully understand your point of view. Ultimately utilising the rods to make the treads structurally sound is the most important.

Regards, nailbag

[ObiSteve_-7]

And if I later decide to do a complete repair, I will probably cut the existing tread out, extend the existing rebates for the tread though to the front of the side rails, get a new tread cut to the imperial dimensions of the others, slide it in from the front, cut a couple of wooden filler pieces and slide them into the extended rebates and complete with modern glues and gap fillers.

Thank you to all who took the time to make suggestion.

Steve.