Pull out nails (creaking stairs)

[DarkMatter]

Hello,

Background
I have a creaky staircase that I'm trying to fix.
I've determined that most of the creaking seems to be due to the treads flexing a lot.
In another thread I found while searching, it is suggested to loosen the risers and press them up against the overlying treads.

Problem
The nails are very deeply set.
How can I get them out without damaging the riser?
There are about ten steps and at least 4 nails in each.
Almost all are set as shown in the image below.

Image - example

 

[krillek]

Nail puller is an option, but some damage is likely to occur.

Another method I used to extract two 80 mm screws that some genius had driven into an 18th-century chair to reinforce it was to drill with a small metal drill (I think I used 2-2.5 mm) in the middle of the head and down into the shaft, maybe 7-10 mm. In the hole, I inserted a small wood screw. It was enough to pull out the screw/nail with a crowbar using a small piece of wood as protection. Time-consuming, but it came out without damaging the wood more than it already was.

 

[DarkMatter]

A nail puller is an option but there will likely be some damage.

Another method I used to extract two 80mm screws that someone had driven into a 1700s chair to reinforce it was to drill with a small metal bit (I think I used 2-2.5 mm) in the center of the head and a bit down the shaft, maybe 7-10 mm. In the hole, I inserted a small wood screw. It was enough to pull out the screw/nail with a crowbar with a small piece of wood as protection. Time-consuming, but it came out without damaging the wood more than it already was.

Thanks for the tip!