It’s almost Halloween, so perhaps, you want to leave that squeaky stair alone until after the holiday—just to add a little extra spook to your house. But once the trick-or-treaters have all gone home, give yourself some peace and quiet by fixing the squeak.
Before breaking out the tool belt and peeling away risers, first familiarize yourself with the anatomy of stairs. This Old House has a great explanation.
It’s possible that your creaky step need only a squirt of liquid graphite or a dusting of talcum powder, so give that a try before diving in too deep. If that doesn’t work, dig out your hammer, screwdriver, and nailset, and determine your plan of attack. Depending on where the stairs are located in your home, it may make the most sense to repair the staircase from below or at stair level. For example, if your stairs are left exposed on the underside, it’s easiest and most effective to fix the squeak from below, but if your steps have been encased, you’ll need to make repairs from above.
After examining the lay of the land, follow these instructions on Old House Web. The friendly folks over there have even ranked their advice from easy to hard, so you can figure out which method is most appropriate for your skill level.
Better Homes and Gardens also features easy-to-follow directions. And if your stairs are carpeted, This Old House has good advice.
When you’re finished, walk up and down the stairs a few times to enjoy the silence. Ah, beautiful, huh? No need to thank me the next time your midnight snack run goes unnoticed!
Until tomorrow,
The Home Know-It-All
Simple information to help people deal with stairs. Can't help but love it. But then, I'm a stair geek... More stairs 101 here: http://www.arden.net.au/resources/Articles/Stairs-101.aspx
Posted by: Matt | December 06, 2010 at 01:17 AM