Summary: Learn how to make repairs to a staircase, prevent stairs from creaking, replace and add a stair wedge, repair a creaking step or stairs, repair a damaged step or stairs, repair a broken baluster and repair a loose newel post.
Staircases are complex structures and require expert knowledge to replace, so do not consider doing it yourself unless you have the necessary skills. However, it is safe to make minor repairs or to replace banisters and handrails if they are damaged or out-of-keeping with the style of your house.
Apply wood adhesive to both sides of the wedge and knock it firmly into place.
Drill four holes through the reinforcing block and screw it firmly in place.
If you cannot access the underside of the staircase, it is possible to remedy a squeaking or creaking stair from above.
Hold the power drill at right angles to the tread to avoid splintering the riser.
The front edge of a tread is called the nosing. It is the nosing in the middle of the tread that usually becomes worn or damaged.
Mark cutting lines around the area to remove.
Use a jigsaw set to the correct depth and keep to the guidelines ensuring the cuts at each end are at 45°.
Use a wood chisel to pare away the waste wood in the corners.
Once the glue has dried drill pilot holes into the edge of the new piece of nosing and screw it to the tread.
A baluster is any one of the short posts or pillars that support the handrail. To secure a loose baluster, try fixing it tighter into the fillets (strips of wood between the balusters) on the base rail.
Use a chisel to prise up a fillet.
Fit a new baluster and reposition the fillet, securing it with panel pins.
The large posts at the top and bottom of the stairs are called newel posts and give structural support to the staircase. If you have a particularly long staircase a newel post should be fitted every 2.4m (7ft 10in), but they are generally found at the foot of the stairs and on the landing.
Modular newel posts are generally made up of three parts: the newel base; the newel turning (the main part of the post); and the newel cap, which is usually spherical and fits on top of the newel turning.
Use a socket spanner to remove the nutin the newel turning.
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