The stairs in the house creak so much that even the ghosts find it a bit creepy. Therefore, I have googled how to fix it so you can sneak up the stairs without waking the others in the house. One trick I found and plan to try is to screw and glue square molding on the underside so that the treads do not rub against the risers. The only problem is that I can't find anywhere to buy plain square molding! The only place I could find online is some sauna company selling 21 x 21 planed and rounded square molding in aspen, which feels very unnecessary. There must be a way to get a regular pine molding for about a tenner per meter.
Does anyone have a good tip?
Sincerely,
Fred
Does anyone have a good tip?
Sincerely,
Fred
Look there! I searched the Byggmax site before starting the thread but didn't find anything then. Unfortunately, it's a discontinued product and none of the stores within a reasonable distance have as much as I need.Stuff said:
"Planhyvlat" turned out to be the key! Once I learned that, it was easy to find the right molding on K-Rauta's website. Just K-Rauta is my nearest hardware store, so there will be a trip there soon to purchase about 15 meters of planhyvlat 21x21!
Thanks for the help and I promise to follow up when the project is completed.
Best regards,
Fred
Thanks for the help and I promise to follow up when the project is completed.
Best regards,
Fred
That's right, I promised to follow up when the project was completed.
Phase 1 is done. The square molding was finally procured at Byggmax. These were cut to the correct lengths and pre-drilled, then screwed in place with PU glue. Once everything had cured, I would now estimate that 70% of the creaking is gone! The stairs feel more stable and the ghosts have relaxed!
Unfortunately, most of the remaining creaking is in the upper part of the stairs, while the lower part is almost completely silent. I would have preferred it the other way around since the upper part is closest to the bedroom. Therefore, the project will move into phase 2 where I will hunt creaks in the upper part. A test with talc in all the gaps, which I read should work, was completely ineffective, it was just a hassle to clean up. I'm now considering dropping regular wood glue into the gaps from above, possibly slightly diluted so it can really seep deeply with the help of capillary action. I don't think it can hurt...
Then I realize that I will never get the stairs completely silent, but that's not the goal either; a wooden staircase in an old house should have some creak. However, I want to be able to sneak up the stairs without waking people sleeping nearby.
Phase 1 is done. The square molding was finally procured at Byggmax. These were cut to the correct lengths and pre-drilled, then screwed in place with PU glue. Once everything had cured, I would now estimate that 70% of the creaking is gone! The stairs feel more stable and the ghosts have relaxed!
Unfortunately, most of the remaining creaking is in the upper part of the stairs, while the lower part is almost completely silent. I would have preferred it the other way around since the upper part is closest to the bedroom. Therefore, the project will move into phase 2 where I will hunt creaks in the upper part. A test with talc in all the gaps, which I read should work, was completely ineffective, it was just a hassle to clean up. I'm now considering dropping regular wood glue into the gaps from above, possibly slightly diluted so it can really seep deeply with the help of capillary action. I don't think it can hurt...
Then I realize that I will never get the stairs completely silent, but that's not the goal either; a wooden staircase in an old house should have some creak. However, I want to be able to sneak up the stairs without waking people sleeping nearby.
Isn't it possible to learn which steps creak and which do not?
That way you can skip the worst steps when you sneak home in the early hours
That's what they always did in the Famous Five books http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fem-böckerna
Injecting some glue, PU, or epoxy between the treads and stringers might also help a bit. If you can reach, that is.
That way you can skip the worst steps when you sneak home in the early hours
That's what they always did in the Famous Five books http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fem-böckerna
Injecting some glue, PU, or epoxy between the treads and stringers might also help a bit. If you can reach, that is.
Well, it's several of the first steps that creak, so it requires a big step/jump to skip them. Then the problem is that the creaking's intensity varies a lot, making it very difficult to pinpoint exactly where the creaking is generated. Therefore, the approach is to use the scattergun method... spray glue wildly and hope it sticks where needed.
Now stage 2 has also been completed. My partner was away for a few days, so I thought it was a good opportunity to get some glue into the gaps since only I would be using the stairs. I mixed some regular white glue with water and injected it into the narrowest gaps with a syringe. For the wider cracks, I used undiluted glue and let it set overnight. If 70% of the creaking disappeared after phase 1, then maybe 85% has disappeared now! Two of the steps high up in the staircase had a significant creak when stepped on (which was the most disturbing) that is now gone! There's still a little creaking and squeaking, so another round with glue probably won't hurt, but the improvement from when I started this thread to now is beyond expectations. I'm considering using epoxy instead of white glue, having used it in boat-related contexts, and it's very good as an adhesive. It might possibly be a bit too hard, so I'll talk to the supplier first. Otherwise, it will be white glue again.