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Staples Galore
Staples
and more staples, oh my! Carpet padding is usually
attached to steps with a staple gun. After
removing you will probably get little chunks wedged
under the staples. To remove, needle nose pliers will
work or what our installer,
Tony Garrison (Tampa, FL area), is using. For other
staples, you can remove, but pounding them flush with
the wood works just as well.
Squeaky
Stairs?
Considering carpet covered the steps, upon removal you
may actually hear
a few squeak. Carpet and it's padding
can sometimes muffle the slightest effect. Once it's
removed sounds can increase. At this time do a thorough
inspection of your stairs. Stairs also need to be flat
much like the hardwood floor downstairs. Some framers
don't look twice when these are installed. Some may
figure it will be carpeted, so why bother. Check for
flatness with a straight edge of some sort. This
includes across the step, and also the with. Corrections
can be made with a belt sander, chisel, planer or
complete replacement of the substrate tread. Squeaks can
be repaired by simply inserting wedges under the step.
Remove
The Nosing
In order
to install strip or plank on our stairs the existing
nosing has to be removed. In this case the framers
used 2" x 12's and the tread itself overlaps the riser
by about 1" Using a tape measure, measure out the tread
from each side of the step to the riser. It will vary on
every step and is important to be exact.
Please excuse the mess, the treads were not prepped
prior to doing this step. Think there is enough paint
overspray there? Anyhoots, each and every tread will
measure different. We found they varied anywhere from
13/16" up to 1 1/4"
Next step is to transfer measurements to the top of the
tread itself and place your marks. Using a nail and
chalk line, if you're working alone, snap the line. This
will provide a guide as to how much material will be
taken off the step with the use of a circular saw
(pictures below).
Using a
circular saw in such a small area can be intimidating.
Use extreme care if you're not familiar. I would suggest
hiring a carpenter to do the work if you're not
comfortable. Only use sharp carbide blades when cutting.
Our suggestion; buy a new one if the other one is worn
out.
Preventing injury can be as easy as setting the blade
depth of the circular saw to how much you have to
remove. Our example calls for the blade to be set about
1/8" below the tread thickness. Always make sure any
power tools are unplugged when making any adjustments.
Once you are satisfied with the desired depth, make sure
the locking mechanism is tight and keep your fingers
away from the blade. It is important to keep the saw
itself, on a parallel plane with the step when making
the cut for reasons we'll explain later.
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