Hey!
New here on the forum. Hope I'm posting in the right place.
I'm renovating my ugly pine staircase at home. I've painted it white and made my own steps in edge-glued oak. I've also struggled with getting rid of the creaking. I've put in new screws in the risers. I've also put a quarter-round molding between the riser and tread on the underside and screwed it in securely. Got an agreeably quiet staircase and felt satisfied.
There are some gaps here and there between the stringer and the wall. There are some wedges between the stringer and the wall in a few places. But it can gap up to 1cm in some spots. The wall is quite crooked.
To the problem. To cover the gap between the stringer and the wall, I've put a trim. The wall is so crooked that I've had to bend them quite a bit and nail them with small brads. Now, when I go up the stairs, the trims move and rub against the wall, so they creak more than they did before. If you press the trim with your fingers in some places, it creaks a lot. I have also put a white trim under the treads in front of the riser and installed LED lighting behind to have illuminated steps. I suspect that these trims also creak when I walk on the treads.
What can be done? Do I have to install the trims so they gap against the wall and then use painter's caulk or something like that to hide the gap? I've also heard that you can use candle wax on the trim so it can slide (feels like a temporary solution)?
New here on the forum. Hope I'm posting in the right place.
I'm renovating my ugly pine staircase at home. I've painted it white and made my own steps in edge-glued oak. I've also struggled with getting rid of the creaking. I've put in new screws in the risers. I've also put a quarter-round molding between the riser and tread on the underside and screwed it in securely. Got an agreeably quiet staircase and felt satisfied.
There are some gaps here and there between the stringer and the wall. There are some wedges between the stringer and the wall in a few places. But it can gap up to 1cm in some spots. The wall is quite crooked.
To the problem. To cover the gap between the stringer and the wall, I've put a trim. The wall is so crooked that I've had to bend them quite a bit and nail them with small brads. Now, when I go up the stairs, the trims move and rub against the wall, so they creak more than they did before. If you press the trim with your fingers in some places, it creaks a lot. I have also put a white trim under the treads in front of the riser and installed LED lighting behind to have illuminated steps. I suspect that these trims also creak when I walk on the treads.
What can be done? Do I have to install the trims so they gap against the wall and then use painter's caulk or something like that to hide the gap? I've also heard that you can use candle wax on the trim so it can slide (feels like a temporary solution)?
The creaking is wood rubbing against wood, so if you can avoid any "rubbing," you also avoid the creaking. In your case, I would probably leave a few millimeters between the trim and the wall, apply some latex, and then paint.
You could also try buying plastic moldings (available at hardware stores). They look like wood, and I guess they might not have the same "creaking tendency" as wooden moldings? They are also easy to bend.
However, I wonder why the molding moves when you walk on the stairs? The carriage is supposed to be completely fixed, and if the molding is attached to the carriage, it shouldn't be moving?
You could also try buying plastic moldings (available at hardware stores). They look like wood, and I guess they might not have the same "creaking tendency" as wooden moldings? They are also easy to bend.
However, I wonder why the molding moves when you walk on the stairs? The carriage is supposed to be completely fixed, and if the molding is attached to the carriage, it shouldn't be moving?
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