Best tool to remove these stairnoses ?


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Hi, I've been installing some 3/4" wood flooring to my entire upstairs. First time really working with wood but keen and learning. Anyway I'm now almost finished and at the stairs, and i need to remove the stair nose to make it flush with the riser, so that i can install the new solid wood 3/4" stained stair noses. 

I have the following tools i was thinking that would work, reciprocating saw, with 6" blades.  Jigsaw, circular saw, and an oscillating tool. I also have a couple of chisels, if need be. 

As i said, i'm a woodworking noob. During this floor install was the first time i've ever used a table saw and mitre saw. Floor came out great. But that's cos i did all my research. So really not sure which tool would work best and give me the cleanest cut to get rid of those stair noses.

There's about an inch that needs to come off, but as you can see by the pic, the stair case trim will eventually get in the way. 

Only just purchased the circular saw and reciprocating saw specific for this job. What would you more experienced guys use ? Just want to make this go as smoothly as possible, without damaging the stair case. 

 

 

 

Stairnose (1).jpg

Stairnose (2).jpg

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I'm not a home builder or renovator, but I would consider removing & replacing the old stair tread and riser facings entirely. If that isn't practical, I would probably go with a circular saw + straightedge, followed by an inexpensive flush trim saw at the ends, and a sharp chisel for final cleanup.

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If youve got to attach a new nosing then you want a nice clean cut. I would remove the treads if possible, then rip them and reinstall. But if theyre locked in and you absolutely have to cut in place, id say use your oscillating tool with a straight edge that has a square face a few inches tall to rest the blade against. With a good blade and a nice reference surface u can cut pretty straight with those tools. Then cleanup with a sanding block.

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My guess is that removing the treads will destroy the stairs. They are a structural part & will be glued/screwed/nailed in place. So, your going to have to trim them in place.

Screw a straight edge to the tread & plunge cut with the circ saw & go as far as you can to the other end. Then, using a hand saw, finish the cut. To avoid damaging the stringers (sides of the stair assembly), put a piece of heavy poster board against it for protection. You'll then need to us a chisel to remove the last little bit next to the stringer.

Rinse & repeat with the rest of the treads.

For securing the nosing, construction adhesive may be the best choice because it will fill gaps better than wood glue.

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2 hours ago, drzaius said:

My guess is that removing the treads will destroy the stairs. They are a structural part & will be glued/screwed/nailed in place. So, your going to have to trim them in place.

Screw a straight edge to the tread & plunge cut with the circ saw & go as far as you can to the other end. Then, using a hand saw, finish the cut. To avoid damaging the stringers (sides of the stair assembly), put a piece of heavy poster board against it for protection. You'll then need to us a chisel to remove the last little bit next to the stringer.

Rinse & repeat with the rest of the treads.

For securing the nosing, construction adhesive may be the best choice because it will fill gaps better than wood glue.

Thanks, this is kinda what i was planning to do after watching some YouTube video's. Perhaps use an oscillating tool at the finish cuts. I'll be using construction glue and a 15ga finish nailer. Want to make sure the new stair noses are on good and proper ! 

In terms of a straight edge,  i may try and use a sacrificial plank  of wood (or two) and cut it to the correct width size on the table saw and use that as my guide for the circ saw.   Hopefully i don't hit any nails on the circ saw ! :)

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one question I would ask is how far back does he round over go before it hits the riser? it would be a shame on your first cut finding that the riser is to close and you will not be able to remove all the round over. I would use a combination square and depth check before doing any cutting, just my two cents,

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On May 31, 2016 at 8:18 AM, drzaius said:

My guess is that removing the treads will destroy the stairs. They are a structural part & will be glued/screwed/nailed in place. So, your going to have to trim them in place.

Screw a straight edge to the tread & plunge cut with the circ saw & go as far as you can to the other end. Then, using a hand saw, finish the cut. To avoid damaging the stringers (sides of the stair assembly), put a piece of heavy poster board against it for protection. You'll then need to us a chisel to remove the last little bit next to the stringer.

Rinse & repeat with the rest of the treads.

For securing the nosing, construction adhesive may be the best choice because it will fill gaps better than wood glue.

I've never done stairs and therefore shouldn't be commenting, but aren't the treads nailed onto a 2x structure. Also, wouldn't adding another tread on top of the existing one, make the rise too high on the first step?

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2 hours ago, K Cooper said:

I've never done stairs and therefore shouldn't be commenting, but aren't the treads nailed onto a 2x structure. Also, wouldn't adding another tread on top of the existing one, make the rise too high on the first step?

Most stair that are destined to be covered by carpet consist of the stringers with 'dados' routed in them to accept the risers & treads. They are then wedged & glued into the stringer. The risers are just 3/4 plywood & the treads may be ply or solid wood with a bull nose on the edge. The riser is secured to the tread from the back with a dado, glue & screws/nails. Sometimes without a dado.

Good point about the rise. If hardwood is being put down on the stairs as well as the floors at the top & bottom, then the rise remains constant. I not, then the stairs need to be rebuilt to maintain the same rise all the way up. To do less is not only against code, but would make for a very poor job.

It takes verrrry little variance in risers to make stairs dangerous.

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37 minutes ago, drzaius said:

Most stair that are destined to be covered by carpet consist of the stringers with 'dados' routed in them to accept the risers & treads. They are then wedged & glued into the stringer. The risers are just 3/4 plywood & the treads may be ply or solid wood with a bull nose on the edge. The riser is secured to the tread from the back with a dado, glue & screws/nails. Sometimes without a dado.

Good point about the rise. If hardwood is being put down on the stairs as well as the floors at the top & bottom, then the rise remains constant. I not, then the stairs need to be rebuilt to maintain the same rise all the way up. To do less is not only against code, but would make for a very poor job.

It takes verrrry little variance in risers to make stairs dangerous.

I totally agree about the heights of the risers.  They should all be the same to be safe.  Look closely to see if the treads are, indeed, set into dados in the stringer.  They very well could be but in my 1980's house, they are not.  if they are, the stringer is structural and Dzarius is right about probably have to rebuild the stairs.  If they are not, they probably rest on top of the stringers and you should see fasteners in the treads near the ends.  If this is the case, then the treads can be removed and replaced fairly easily.  If you try to pry one up, just go slow until you have determined exactly what you have. Gluing new nosings onto exisiting stair tread sounds "iffy" to me.  Good luck.

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8 hours ago, Ronn W said:

I totally agree about the heights of the risers.  They should all be the same to be safe.  Look closely to see if the treads are, indeed, set into dados in the stringer.  They very well could be but in my 1980's house, they are not.  if they are, the stringer is structural and Dzarius is right about probably have to rebuild the stairs.  If they are not, they probably rest on top of the stringers and you should see fasteners in the treads near the ends.  If this is the case, then the treads can be removed and replaced fairly easily.  If you try to pry one up, just go slow until you have determined exactly what you have. Gluing new nosings onto exisiting stair tread sounds "iffy" to me.  Good luck.

When I replaced our carpet with hardwood & slate I had to deal with this exact issue. The nosing I used is 3" wide x 1" thick with about a 2" x 1/4" rabbit on the back that goes over the tread. I used construction adhesive & countersunk screws with plugged holes. I'm sure they would have been fine without the screws because of the large glued surface.

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10 minutes ago, Michael Schaefer said:

I had this same problem recently and used a router with a flush trim bit to remove most of the nose, then cleaned up the ends with a chisel and a flush cut saw.  My stairs were the kind involving the dado described above....this was not a fun project, at all.

Saves having to mess around with a straight edge.

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Once you cut off the stair as straight as possible you can use a rabbeting router bit to put a 3/8" x3/8" rabbet on the tip of the existing stair, then clean up the part that you can't reach with the router by using a chisel. You can cut a matching rabbet on the stair nose before you attach it.

The rabbet will add some strength, but more importantly it will make it easier the get the visible portion of joint tight than trying to make a perfect butt joint. 

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They just covered this in the latest Fine Homebuilding Magazine.  Should still be at your local Barnes and Noble.  The treads were removed from the stringers because different riser heights existed.  The noses were removed via table saw and I cannot remember how the new nosings were applied.  I think they were splined and glued.  

drzaius,

He dadoed a tread under the nose to receive a riser and on top near the back to receive a riser.  Rabbits were milled on the tops and bottoms of each riser.  A tread was installed, then the riser was pocket screwed to the tread while having access from the back. 

I suppose this is all well and good if you remove the treads.

I wondered if you could pocket screw the riser to the tread first, then install the assembly as long you marked exactly where the tread should go via a jig.  

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So much depends on the stair construction. I have seen many with riser set on tread with rabbets on the bottom of the riser and back of the tread that interlocked. Housed and shimmed has already been mentioned. If the tread can be removed, this is a simple project. Try that first. 

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