
Volume 13 Issue 8 ISSN 1923-7162 |
Welcome to Dave's Shop Talk's Home Improvement Newsletter of questions from our members on their construction projects, a Tip of the Month and a home remodeling article, both from our website at http://daveosborne.com.
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To install a downspout onto a gutter, drill the appropriate sized hole first and install a thimble.
To get rid of the smell of smoke in a house, vinegar works wonders on odors. Setting out small pans reduces odors very well. Another good idea is cotton balls soaked in vanilla extract.
Hi Lee,
Your total rise is floor level to floor level. It seems that the difference between 13 rises at 7 5/8 and 13 rises at 7 15/32 = 2.03". This may be the way you are measuring the total rise. The stringer should be lower than the thickness of the tread which is cut off the bottom of the stringer. So you need to allow for that in the total rise.
You are duplicating an existing stringer so you need to measure each rise and each run on the existing stringer and duplicate them, even if there is a slight error - duplicate it exactly.
When we layout a stringer we step down the stringer marking the rise and run. You need to step down the new stringer with the exact rise and run of the existing stringer or it won't fit.
Hope this helps,
Dave
Hi Chris,
You don't have to figure anything in regarding the use of riser boards. They are nailed or screwed on after the stringers are made. You have to allow for the thickness of the tread, by cutting the thickness off the bottom of the stringer, then dropping the stringer down from the upper floor, 1 rise + the thickness of the tread.
I install the stair riser behind the tread. It looks better first of all, but more important is the fact that the riser actually helps support the next higher stair tread. The riser goes behind the lower tread and is nailed to it and fits under the upper tread supporting it as well. The stair risers are nailed onto the stair stringer first, then the treads nailed on after.
Start at the bottom riser, narrower than others, then put on the next riser up. Now nail the first stair tread on the stair stringers and nail the riser onto the tread. Use glue to prevent squeaks. Work your way up the set of steps this way.
Dave
You're welcome, Chris.
It is better to be sure rather than cause a costly error.
Dave
Hi Chris,
You caught me just before leaving on a boating vacation. I will be bringing my laptop, but need wifi. When we stop for gas at the marinas is the only time I can connect to email. This is just a warning - don't give up on me, but allow as much as a week to get back to you.
I personally don't like a skirt on an exterior set of steps. I live in a rainy location so a skirt tends to trap water in the corners rather than running off and causes ice build-up in the wintertime.
The size of stringer depends on the slope of the stairs. The minimum is 2x10. The requirement is to have 3 1/2" of wood left under the treads/risers intersection. For a long stringer like 16' go with a 2x12, anyway. You probably need to support the center of the stringers with posts, as well. The skirt inside is usually 1x__, because it goes against the wall. Outside, I would go with 2x__. Yes, the skirt should rise above the nosings so you could go with two 2x8s and a narrow molding to go over the joint, or just go with a 2x12 and lift it up on the stringer a couple of inches.
On exterior stairs, I prefer to overhang the treads over the stringers by 4 1/2" or so, rather than installing a skirt. This cuts down on the span between stringers, too.
Here are some drawings which you may find helpful:
Dave
Hi Ron,
Our summer has been awesome! We just got home from a boating/fishing trip up the northern coast of BC. We met lots of Americans at the marinas. We stopped at one small marina and we were the only Canadian. Our 27' boat was dwarfed by the large yachts - up to 82'. The Americans were from Colorado, California, etc who leave their boats at Anacortes, WA and travel north from there.
Rather than lag bolts, I would go with long deck screws about 4 1/2".
Dave
Hi Dennis,
You are probably correct. It wouldn't hurt, anyway.
Dave
(taken from our website: DaveOsborne.com
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