How to Install Hardwood Steps

Installing strip or plank hardwood on steps is a great do it yourself project which can add beauty and value to your home. Before we begin to discuss the process some terminology is in order. This article will tell you how to install strip hardwood on your stair tread. The tread is the part that you actually walk on. The stair riser is the "face" of the step that you don't actually step on. While it is possible to cover this in hardwood, that is more difficult and beyond the scope of this article. We will also not cover installing a stair stringer which is a piece of wood which runs along the side of the steps against the wall. Again - cutting that to the right depth takes an experienced installer and is beyond the scope of this article.

Begin the project by pulling off the old carpet and finishes on the existing steps. At this point you will want to fix any squeaky steps, and make sure that you have either knocked down or removed any nails or staples. It is important for the steps to be clean and ready to receive the hard wood striping.

Many steps which were designed to receive carpet have what is called nosing. Basically this is a part of the step which is a bump out and gives the carpet that nice bent look around the top of the step. You will have to cut these off since they are of no use when installing hard wood. You can use a small circular saw for this job. Strike a chalk line to help yourself keep the cut straight. Once all the nosing is cut off then you can begin to install the hard wood plank flooring.

You can install the hardwood in one of two ways. You can nail it, or you can glue it using a construction adhesive like liquid nails. I prefer to glue mine because a properly glued stair tread will help to prevent squeaks. It also is a cleaner install since you don't have to worry about nail holes that you have to go back to fix.

Installing the wood planking on the stair treads is really no different than installing wood planking normally. The trick is that you have to ensure that your end cuts are straight and that is basically done though trial and error. A trick you can use is to take a piece of scrap plank to scribe on when you have it abutted against the wall. You can then take this and trace that over to your good install piece. Remember - measure twice and cut once. One of the worst things you can do is to the piece too short. You can always take more off, but you can do nothing to add length back.

Once you have the planking cut and it looks like it is going to fit perfectly then you will want to cut your new nosing plank as well and fit it all together. When you are happy with the fit then you can glue or nail it down as appropriate.

All the steps on the stairs are done in the same fashion as above.

When you are finished you will want to go back and paint the stair riser, and stair stringer (if your step has one) or simply paint the wall. This will give your steps a nice contrast and will finish the install job.