Hi, I have a staircase that is built at an angle down from the mezzanine to the basement.
One stringer is against the outer wall in the basement.
Since the previous owner put up a lot of fake half-timbering against the exterior walls, with some mold growth behind them, I want to check how the staircase looks against the wall. See pictures.
I haven't been able to see how the staircase might be anchored to the wall. It probably rests on the vertical post under the stringer, but this support is also against the outer wall. I don't see any screws in the stringer. Could these be hidden in the steps, or could the stringer be hooked onto pre-drilled screws in the wall? Does anyone have any idea?
How should I proceed to safely detach a part of the staircase? If it's reasonably behind, I'll put a board with tar paper to prevent future moisture, I was thinking. Wise?
Thanks, thanks!
Jimmy
One stringer is against the outer wall in the basement.
Since the previous owner put up a lot of fake half-timbering against the exterior walls, with some mold growth behind them, I want to check how the staircase looks against the wall. See pictures.
I haven't been able to see how the staircase might be anchored to the wall. It probably rests on the vertical post under the stringer, but this support is also against the outer wall. I don't see any screws in the stringer. Could these be hidden in the steps, or could the stringer be hooked onto pre-drilled screws in the wall? Does anyone have any idea?
How should I proceed to safely detach a part of the staircase? If it's reasonably behind, I'll put a board with tar paper to prevent future moisture, I was thinking. Wise?
Thanks, thanks!
Jimmy
Know-It-All
· Stockholms län
· 822 posts
The staircase is probably self-supporting so it doesn't need to be attached to the wall. When our new staircase (U-staircase) was installed, one section at a time was mounted and then hooked into each other. I can't see if you have an L or U-staircase but it could be that it's only attached at the top.
Oh... yeah, the staircase is attached at the top and then it's likely an L-shape, a long part at the beginning from the attachment downward, then it turns 90 degrees and ends at the floor. The last part is the one visible in the pictures. The question is whether you can detach the piece that sits against the wall, or could it be both nailed and glued, do you think? Maybe it's best not to do anything and stick your head in the sand?
It looks difficult. I had a similar one, but it actually went out. We started tearing it down, but in the end, it wasn't worth trying to patch it up. If it has been unprotected against stone, it has absorbed moisture. If there's also mold, it's probably best to throw it out. I considered painting it to "seal in" the smell, but as I said, it ended up being tossed out. A new staircase is a relatively simple construction.