How to stop stairs from creaking?

[Melbut74]

Everytime we walk up and down the stairs they creak.  I have access to under the stairs, so was wondering if there some kind of bracket or similiar I could use to fix the problem.

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Melbut74. It's wonderful that you've joined us, and many thanks for the question about repairing creaking stairs.

There are a few methods which you could try. The first I can think of would be to screw the front of the tread to the riser. Ideally, it would be best to drill a clearance hole in the top of the tread, larger than the shank size, for the screw to pass through and then a smaller pilot hole in the top of the riser. When the screw is inserted, it will pull the tread down onto the riser. If you don't drill an oversized hole in the tread, the screw will just grip into it and not pull it down. I presume these stairs are carpeted, so care would need to be taken to split the pile and potentially cut a small slit to access the tread. From underneath the stairs, you can also screw the riser into the back of the tread with the same clearance hole method. 

Another method would be to use a stout angle bracket and fix it on the back of the riser spaced slightly away from the tread. I'd then have a couple of people stand on the tread, and you can then screw the bracket into the underside. Be careful to select a screw size no longer than the thickness of your tread. The reason for spacing slightly away from the tread is the same as the clearance hole in the previous method. You want to screw to pull the tread down.

Plastic wedges can also be hammered into gaps to limit movement and creaks. If the noise appears to be coming from where the tread is jointed into the side stringers, screws can be placed at a 45-degree angle through the tread and into the stringer.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[Melbut74]

Thank you so much for your reply.  I think I might try the second option. Which screws would you suggest?

[MitchellMc]

@Melbut74,

You'll need to use a screw that is no thicker than your tread or riser. Are you are to determine that from under the stairs? I can't imagine they would be any thicker than 40mm. Zenith 10G x 30mm Gold Passivated Countersunk Head Timber Screws would be a reasonable guess, but you really need to work out the thickness. Otherwise, you'll have screw points sticking through, which could cause injury.

Mitchell