Hello,
I've been having an issue with increased creaking over the past year. The house was newly built 5 years ago. I've looked into other threads about creaky stairs but haven't found a solution that seems to fit my staircase. I believe the creaking comes from where the treads meet the risers (it's hard to bend down and listen while having to put weight on it at the same time). I guess that the treads have a groove underneath that the risers fit into. I can't easily lift a step and check since there's latex laid down as you can see in the picture.
I was thinking of placing blocks against the risers and then inserting wedges to press up the treads. The problem is that the risers are MDF (I think) and are about 13mm thick, so I don't think screwing into them would be good.
From what I see in other threads here, I should avoid gluing. Are there other solutions?
Thankful for all responses.
I've been having an issue with increased creaking over the past year. The house was newly built 5 years ago. I've looked into other threads about creaky stairs but haven't found a solution that seems to fit my staircase. I believe the creaking comes from where the treads meet the risers (it's hard to bend down and listen while having to put weight on it at the same time). I guess that the treads have a groove underneath that the risers fit into. I can't easily lift a step and check since there's latex laid down as you can see in the picture.
I was thinking of placing blocks against the risers and then inserting wedges to press up the treads. The problem is that the risers are MDF (I think) and are about 13mm thick, so I don't think screwing into them would be good.
From what I see in other threads here, I should avoid gluing. Are there other solutions?
Thankful for all responses.
We have similar problems, though our risers are in laminated oak. I have read a bit about what can be done, and in the past, they seemed to plane the riser into a slight arch to prevent creaking.
I'm considering removing one or two risers to see if I can plane a gentle curvature and see if it helps.
The challenge is that there are already screw holes, so either I fill them and drill new ones when I've set the riser under tension, or I make new holes. It's underneath a staircase, so it's not very attractive with a lot of holes...
I also got a tip to remove the riser and place a thin strip of felt in the groove and reinstall. According to the person who suggested it, this allows for some movement without creaking, but others said it would be temporary, so I'm not sure if it's worth trying.
Regardless, there are other things that are prioritized higher, so I guess it will be in the fall/winter when I can tackle this.
I'm considering removing one or two risers to see if I can plane a gentle curvature and see if it helps.
The challenge is that there are already screw holes, so either I fill them and drill new ones when I've set the riser under tension, or I make new holes. It's underneath a staircase, so it's not very attractive with a lot of holes...
I also got a tip to remove the riser and place a thin strip of felt in the groove and reinstall. According to the person who suggested it, this allows for some movement without creaking, but others said it would be temporary, so I'm not sure if it's worth trying.
Regardless, there are other things that are prioritized higher, so I guess it will be in the fall/winter when I can tackle this.