Saturday, October 17, 2009

Building a Set of Stairs

I've started building the main-floor stairs. Although it appears simple enough, building a set of stairs is definitely not an easy task. Getting all of the "underneath" parts to fit together so that the rise (the distance from the top of one step to the top of the next step) and the run (the distance from the front edge of the step to the back edge) are all correct is pretty tricky.

I'm using LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber) for the stringers. It's very strong and won't warp or shrink. The steps will be made of two layers of 3/4" plywood. Everything will be glued and screwed together. When they're done, they should be strong and squeak free.

The first task was to build the landing. It's constructed of 2x8's and is supported on the outside walls by the same ledger beam that supports the floor. The inside corner is supported by a stub wall. There is a post in the basement that sits directly below the stub wall; so the corner of the landing is supported all the way down to a concrete footing in the basement. The floor of the landing is made from two layers of 3/4" plywood.




No comments:

Post a Comment