Wood species and finish for stairs

[phalynx]

I just rebuilt my stairs to a more permanent solution.  The old was just temp and wasn't completely thought out for the final product.  Plus, my wife decided she hated the angled stairs going up and the transition.  So, I replaced them with a landing and changed the rise a little.  I build the new stairs with 3 stringers and used 3/4" plywood for the base tread.  I plan on using a real wood for the top tread (sandwich) and the kick plates (the parts that cover the vertical rises).  I was thinking about using 3/4" Oak for these pieces because of of the durability.  Would pine be a solid/rugged enough wood for this as well?  Oak is certainly expensive enough and pine is cheap.  I do love the look of Oak.  Also, with either species, what would you use to finish the wood after the stain?  I was thinking a varnish or laquer might be too slippery? 

thoughts?

[PEG688]

  You haven't provided much info about the stairs , are they interior stairs?


How wide?

3/4"  for treads will be  pretty weak . Generally treads are 5/4" or full 1" stock or thicker. With 3 horses the span between on a 36" wide stair would be beyond 3/4" materials span -ability.


Stair tread stock in 5/4 " thickness should be available in Pine , Red Oak , Maple , and Cherry from a regular lumber yard , at a "Borg" type / big box store they may have Pine in stock , and OSB in 5/4" thickness.

 
So fill in  more about your stair system and maybe we can answer your question better.

As for a finish , yes varnish , or Poly may be slick. But again IF it's a cabin  maybe leave them unfinished , maybe a carpet runner down the middle??

Depends on your end use/ situation.


   

       

[phalynx]

  You haven't provided much info about the stairs , are they interior stairs?


How wide?

       

The stairs are indoors and are in a 36" width.  I currently have 3/4 plywood as treads and intend on glueing and screwing 3/4 oak or pine or something on top of the 3/4 plywood making a 1 1/2" thick tread.
The use is our home, not just a cabin.  It needs to hold up to children abuse.  Our ground is sandy so I am concerned with the natural sandpaper action of children's feet and sand on the stairs.

[PEG688]

  Ah , so you set up all your risers for a 1 1/2" thick tread.

  I'd recommend you take off the 3/4" temp treads and put back on 1 1/2" thick ones.  The main reason for this is you'd have to add a separate nosing piece to cover the seam / joint between the ply and the solid wood.

What was your idea for hiding the 3/4" ply??


  I don't see a easy effective way to cover that plywood up, that makes $$ sense or build-ability sense.


For the risers , generally they are 3/4" thick board , they could be plywood , a good grade like C-2 , or satin ply (the replacement for AC ply) seeing your going to paint them.


  As far as the finish and the sand , I'd not change my suggestions , maybe add a couple of more coats , BUT the more you put on , generally , the smoother / slicker the finish becomes.

  You could add some sugar the the  next to last coat  , lay the finish , sprinkle on some sugar , after it dries , the finish , vac off , wipe clean with water , then apply the final coat . So you'd have a non skid effect.

I'd do a sample to check out what it feels like / looks like / to figure out how much you want to sprinkle on , etc etc .


  G/L PEG

 

[PEG688]

Your photo wasn't showing went I looked and started my last post.

You should do something like this to attach the horses to the landing , ( use some of the ideas )

 



 


 
 


 


Yes this is a wider exterior stair , and the rim in this case was doubled up , I added length or width to the top tread to account for that .

Your landing rim is a single so you could run three vertical 2x6 down attached with lags or thru bolts to the landing , then add a horizontal piece , maybe two pieces of 3/4" ply sandwiched together for a net 1 1/2" piece to attach the existing straps and stair horses to.


That stair  MUST wiggle when walked on. It needs more support , it IS unsafe IMO the way it is. It could collapse as is.

G/L PEG

[phalynx]

The idea for the plywood was to have it as the base, then the finished riser would go directly on top of the plywood.  The plywood is flush with the stringers. The risers would go up to the to the next plywood tread up, cut flush with the top of the 3/4" plywood.  Then, I would add the top 3/4" oak or whatever cut where it would overhang the finished riser by 1/2 to 3/4" and round it over on both sides for a finished look.  No plywood would ever be seen.  That was the plan.  I figured I would have less problems with warping and cupping if I used plywood and thinner wood on top.  Plus I figured glued pieces would be stronger than 1 1 1/2" piece.

As for the stair strength, I am completely shocked at how sturdy it is.  I weigh 260 lbs and it doesn't move at ALL when I jump on it.  Those are 1/8" steel plates and not just simple straps.  Even still, I will probably add some 2x4 studs under the platform and the stringers.

[PEG688]

  Ah , I see , sounds like your  plan will work.

I'm pretty sure your not getting inspected , as I'm sure the 2x4 joist on the landing will not pass. They may work fine , but not be code pass-able.

But your plan may work for you in your situation.

Hope my suggestions helped.

G/L PEG       

[phalynx]

Thanks Peg,,  yeah, no codes.   What about the species of wood.  Would pine be rugged enough or is it too soft to expect it to last?  Pine is about a 1/3 of the price of Oak.  I do love Oak though.

[PEG688]

Pine would last years , yes it's soft , the multiple coats of finish will help , but yes it is softer than Oak .

So it's a dollar , design / looks thing  both will work , you'll have to decide whats "best" for your house.

Although IF you run the tread with a 3/4 nosing / overhang ,,  the Pine 3/4" tread may not work , the added thickness ( = strenght)  of 5/4" and / or 1 1/2" may be needed.  For the nosing / overhang .

So you plan of 3/4" over the existing 3/4" ply and a nosing overhang with 3/4" treads maybe / surely Oak or Maple would be stronger.

Jeesh, , that makes no sense does it?      I'm writing in circles 



But then again your plan is outside my normal thinking to doing stairs that meet code and are the traditional / normal way of doing things.


There are reasons , looks / strenght / preventing squeaks ( as your laminating idea MAY / or great-ens the possibility of squeaks between the ply and lumber , use lots of glue ( which goes against the ALLOW for wood movement part of working with solid wood ) so as you can read your idea goes AGAINST many of the rules of thumb ingrained in this carpenter / woodworker.

  Nothing is new under the son / sun (depending on your beliefs )   and you "plan" has been tried and has failed for some of / all of my reasons. That does NOT mean in your case you will experience any or all of the potential failures I touched on.

  So I hope thats clear   


You've gotten this far , so with this added info I'm sure you'll do OK.

G/L PEG