Silent staircase, wedges?

[Bambi]

Hi,

I have a problem with my staircase creaking and making a lot of noise. Sneaking upstairs when someone is asleep on the second floor is impossible .

It's a U-shaped staircase in pine, I think, with space between the steps and no back piece.

I understand that the wood contracts in the winter, causing more gaps between the steps and the frame, but is there a way to wedge or somehow make the staircase quieter with some traditional trick?

 

[ToA]

When my parents painted their stairs, they encountered similar problems. Their solution was to remove the board that prevents you from sticking your head between the steps (they were nailed) and screw them on.

 

[fridde]

When my parents painted their stairs, they had a similar problem. Their solution was to remove the board that prevents you from putting your head between the steps (they were nailed) and screw them in place.

I did something similar on our stairs. From the underside, I've screwed a wooden strip between the step and the riser (with lots of screws and glue). I've also screwed the bottom of the risers to the steps.

The stairs are completely silent now, which is a huge difference from how it was before. Now I just need to fix the floor on the upper floor, so I can sneak around quietly...

 

[_bystrom_]

I did something similar with our staircase. I have (from the underside) screwed a wooden strip between the step and the riser (with lots of screws and glue). I have also fastened the lower part of the risers to the step.

The staircase is completely silent now, which is a huge difference from how it was before. Now all that's left is to fix the floor upstairs so we can sneak around...

If I understood the OP correctly, it's about a staircase with open steps - no risers.
The problem, in that case, lies either with the steps being loose in the stringers or the stringers rubbing in their fittings or joints.
Step one is to locate which part is squeaking, then we can discuss solutions.
PU glue, however, solves many problems as it expands and hardens...

 

[Bambi]

That's correct, byström,

The whole staircase creaks when you walk on it, so it needs a thorough check-up. It's now over 3 years old, so it should have settled by now.

The stringers don't really sit against the wall because it's not entirely straight, so they've installed a cover strip to hide the gap. But if the stringers are stable and the steps are wobbly, can you apply PU glue where the steps meet the stringers, or can you drive a screw in at an angle or something similar to lock the steps into the stringers?

 

[_bystrom_]

I wouldn't try screwing, it's easy to fail with that. It's usually about extremely small movements that cause creaking, and a well-placed screw can lock it enough to remove the creak, but I think the method with PU glue leaves less room for failure, plus it solves the problem in the long term, which screwing rarely does...
I also think it's completely silly not to glue everything together when assembling it, almost every staircase creaks!?
It's not exactly a piece of furniture you need to take down or move, so why don't they fully glue... hmm.