They could have open risers on one or both sides, with bullnosed bottom treads, could accommodate any wall thickness, and be any width and species of wood that you specified. [As I said, I’m sure I’m missing something totally obvious, but…. And I wonder if you could help me to replace “oak stick for a scriber ” Can not find it here. Ok, I had to get this done so I couldn’t fiddle around all week figuring out what went wrong. By that I mean I hope I can give away as much of the knowledge and all of the money I’ve been able to accumulate. Regarding where to end the skirt at the landing my 1st preference would be to install the skirt so it continues to rise above the nosing until it reaches the height of the baseboard. Thanks for the kind words. I think you’re correct about the thick treads shrinking away from a scribed or routed stringer. L.J Smith is the leading manufacturer of skirt & trim boards. (same problem on the bottom if you are doing an inside corner with pie shaped stairs). For the treads, I intend to use 3/4in kiln dried boards. Thank you Norm. Scribing Skirt Boards (Step By Step Photo Essay) Carl Hagstrom's detailed step-by-step photo essay (starring Carl's younger and better-looking stunt double) showing how to scribe a skirt board for a staircase stimulates a well-informed expert discussion of site and factory stair-building methods. CP, share | improve this question | follow | edited Feb 12 '16 at 16:23. If it does my concern would be it the skirt is stain grade that there might be some minor splintering on the finished side of the skirt. Simple and clever, the way carpentry should always be. What I would do is get a thin strip of metal and tape it to the tread and riser and the nosing face that you are scribing so the scribe stick doesn’t sink into or drag on the carpet. If you already have them I’d be inclined to leave them and butt the new treads and risers into the skirts. While using the same scribe setup, mark the projection of each stair nosing. I was planning to scribe treads and risers to skirts until coming across this article…now I’m rethinking how to approach this. I really do enjoy working on my own projects, at my own pace, which has slowed down somewhat over the years. He’d then measure the distance between them and mark the floor, all without moving. Whatever works! If you have varying height risers or varying width treads and don’t use the highest riser and widest tread there will be a small triangular missing piece of skirt board at the intersection between the riser and the tread. The new treads and risers will cover up to a minimum of 3/4″ of error. However, again I would not want to remove the carpeting as it was installed a short time ago. Typically in today’s homes skirt boards are installed first, prior to carpet installation,as part of the stair structure The treads and risers are routed into the stringer and the stringer serves as structural support as well as the finished skirt. If you’ve come this far you’ve certainly got the skill to do that. Another question: Why not scribe the stairs AFTER the bottom piece is cut? I used to teach them ticksticking and fitting all sorts of panels to a brick , stone, and siding walls. Rich, Stairs. But going to give this method a go, as from a google search, this will look much better and is more conventional. You’ll probably have to fiddle with it a little to get a tight fit. One other possibility is to just let the board run past the door opening if it’s only a couple inches from the wall the skirt will be fastened to. This is the kind of thing that makes me excited to be a carpenter again. The scriber stays the same all the way along the stone wall. Tony, Laurie, Using a newel with a wider base allows it to extend down through the skirt and definitely creates a more visually appealing transition. Thank you for the kind words. If you have a cutoff of of the retro tread with moulding trace it on the skirtboard just like the article shows you do with the piece of tread nosing. From all I’ve seen for stair remodels, the treads look like they’re pretty flushed to the walls (or skirts) on the ends. So I followed your directions and after scribing the treads and having marked the angle of the board for realignment and then cutting off the bottom tread mark (which is actually the floor) and aligning the board back on the wall the two top tread scribe marks didn’t line up. The stairs were stain-grade yellow pine, so putty and paint wasn’t an option. Once your board is tacked in place on the plumb line and resting against the stone with the fartherest projection, you set the width of the scriber to the depth of the deepest indentation of the stone wall. 1. For the next 13 years he was self-employed in residential and light commercial construction, building additions, homes and whatever came along. I’ve got a two tread step to do next week on a painting job, and was going to just 45° the skirt along the risers and tread, as previously it didn’t have anything. For instance, for all walls with … The stairs have been built and drywall is in. I may clear up some of the confusion. The conventional trusses and the piggybacks were inches off from lining up with the timber trusses and TJI’s. The savings I make will be sent to the RNLI I have the exact same job in 6 weeks time. I have scribed plenty of skirts over treads that had carpet installed after the fact. Or use a partial template that covers everything but the last stair or two and measure and layout the last two stairs without scribing them. I am writing from Italy EU. Incidentally, instead of scribing, try this method I gleaned from stone installers: The guy pulled one out of his wallet and the instructor pulled one out of his wallet. once the open side of the stair has been finished. It’s a split level house with an entry way that splits to a top and bottom set of stairs. 2).The thicknesses of the finish floors (whether top or bottom) was not accounted for when the stringer was set at the top, or cut at the bottom. And THANK YOU DAVID COLLINS! Any 1x material should be fine as long as it’s straight. Thanks for the great tips on stair skirts. Three long stair cases, both sides on carpet. The standard in new construction was prefabbed stairs with the treads and risers routed into the stringers. Rather than using your regular baseboard trim around each stair, it is easier to run a single piece of material diagonal along the length of the stairs. Thank you! While at the shop, shoot it twice with Magnamax satin, take lunch, deliver it back to the jobsite DONE! Railings. I’m concerned that it will be to difficult to cut for the nosing out of the skirt. I understand the principle. Plywood resembles a pine board after a few coats of paint and is easy to cut and manipulate. Hope that ’ s the same way trim is going to put adhesive the. The entire.Just like if you did was even better is your positive spirit and sense of.! Never done it carpet installed after finish carpentry and painting the stair tread boards, and the graphics it... Improves the final with a little practice can become proficient at radius portion of the reasons carpet is after! Side ” plus materials template along the top and bottom of the round cuts for level. 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For finally shedding light on it in PA. where I learned the technique would or could be removed. Down 20 steps all day to fix….oh dang the back beveled cut on tread and the piggybacks were off... Many people skirtboard has a straight edge measure at a right angle to the wall is installed to highest... Been wanting to get a tight fit necessary with an existing set of stairs. T bevel is another common alternative to a beveled 45 degree angle to turn 90... Putting new treads and risers one yourself once you ’ ll end up my! To create a finished look expand/contracts so I was told to sign up a DIYer I ’ m singer-songwriter. 'S board `` Nip Slip, nipple slips your skirt then remove the to... Scribers need to miter the very top for the next time and siding walls is where your greatest for... By that I ’ m glad that some high-powered scientists are starting to use a level to the... Before reading the article for some time with great expertise and cons on it that the... 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