By Brian Simkins
In old horror movies, the squeaky stair tread was a sound effect that was used to send a sense of fear and dread into the heart of the monster's next victim. The slow, high pitched creak was used by film makers to foreshadow the approach of some unknown, yet ever impending doom.
While the squeaky stair in your house probably isn't something to be afraid of, it can be annoying. There are rare occasions that the squeaky stair can be indicative of a larger structural problem, but most of the time it is a fairly simple thing to eliminate. Before tearing apart your staircase in a panic, looking for structural problems, try these simple solutions to see if you can restore the quiet to your flight of stairs.
Typically, the cause of the squeak can be found in a tread that has warped. The tread is the part of the stair that you actually step on. When the tread begins to dry out over time, it either cups, forming a slight "U" shape, or it bows, forming an upside down "U" shape. When this happens, the wood is pressed back towards its original shape every time someone steps on it. As the wood is pressed back into a flat piece, it rubs slightly across the surface that it is resting on. The structural pieces that the tread rests on are called stringers. When the wood from the tread rubs on the wood that makes up the stringer, then you have a squeak.
Cupped Tread. To determine the location of the squeak, try a simple experiment. Locate the tread that is the squeaky culprit and take a heavy step on the very edge. If this produces the squeak, then the problem is most likely a cupped tread. The solution is to fasten the tread to the stringer tightly, thus pulling the cup out of the tread.
By looking closely at the surface of the tread, you can locate the position of the stringer that is supporting it underneath. Simply find the nail or screw holes where the tread was originally installed and plan to make your repairs on that same line. On staircases with finished wooden treads, it is advisable to pre-drill a small hole. Finished wooden treads are often made of oak and could easily split if not pre-drilled with a hole that is slightly smaller size than the screw you are using. Use a thin screw - #6 is a good diameter - with a fairly small head, so that you can countersink the screw and fill the hole with wood putty. This will allow you to preserve the finished look of your staircase. In a situation where the tread is cupped, sink the screw at the very front and at the very back of the tread. You are trying to pull the "U" flat.
Bowed Tread. If, during your experiment, the stair does not squeak when you step on the edge, but instead when you step heavily in the middle, then the tread is most likely bowed. The repair process is similar to fixing a cupped tread, only in this instance the nail goes in the middle of the tread. The goal is the push the middle of the bow flat.
Fill the Gap. There are instances where these solutions are not enough to pull flat a tread that is very old, very hard, or very dry. In these cases, the squeak will actually be caused by the tread rocking back and forth when someone steps on it. There is no elasticity left in the wood that will allow it to be secured tightly to the stringer with a screw. The best option here is to find the place where the gap between the tread and the stringer is the largest, and use a shim to fill that gap. A shim is a small wedge of wood that is narrower at its tip than at its base. By sliding a shim into the gap until it is tight, the space that allows the tread to rock on the stringer will be eliminated. Once the space is filled and the shim is tight, pre-drill a small hole, and sink through the tread, the shim and into the stringer, thus tying all three pieces together. Use a coping saw to gently remove any excess pieces of the shim that may be protruding.
These are simple solutions that will solve most squeaky stair problems. While there is no longer a guarantee that you will be able to hear the monsters coming up the stairs, there will be the peace of mind that comes from eliminating unwanted structural noise from your home.
Brian Simkins is a freelance writer living in Chicago. He enjoys using his 14 years of home improvement experience to educate and equip new home owners.
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Thank you for the detailed information. I appreciate the fact that you differentiated between Cupped and Bowed treads. Though, you could use an illustrator for those who need visual aids.