How to Build Your Staircase

While a staircase is simple and uniform in assembly and appearance, even a small discrepancy between the stairs can cause a potential tripping hazard. As a homeowner, it is therefore essential to regularly consult the building codes and to consistently follow all the necessary calculations for creating the proper dimensions of a staircase. Since one small error or incorrect measurement can compromise the entire staircase, many homeowners trust a Sacramento Stair Company to do the job right, from start to finish. The professionals at your Sacramento Stair Company iStairs are experts in building safe and quality staircases, as they maintain strict adherence to the proven step-by-step stair-constructing formula.

The basic composition of a staircase is made up of three parts: stringers, treads, and risers.

Stringers are traditionally cut from 2 x 12’s and make the sloping foundation upon which the other parts of the staircase, as well as the weight of the stair-climbers, are supported. Typically, the stringers are placed perpendicularly on the joists, around 16 inches towards the center. Also keep in mind when deciding the width of the stairs, that most experts recommend the wider, the better. The treads essentially compose the width of the step and are situated atop the stringers, with the risers strategically placed underneath the front lip of the tread so as to protect the end grain of the notched part of the exposed stringer.

Sacramento Stair Company iStairs is among the experts who believe that risers are absolutely necessary because the stringers are almost guaranteed to split and crack sooner without them.

Calculating the rise and run of the deck (for example) is the first step of the stair building process. Measure the rise simply by extending a board from the edge of the deck and then measure the distance from the top of the deck, to the ground. Since the average rise of each individual step is usually 7 inches, divide the rise from the deck calculated earlier by seven, rounding down to the nearest number.

For example, if the rise of the deck were 57 inches, then the number of steps would be 8. The actual rise is then determined by dividing the deck’s rise with the number of stairs, which in the previous example, would be 57 divided by 8, to concluded that the actual rise will be 7 1/8 in. per step. Since the optimums run of each step, or the width of the step being walked on, is 10 inches, in our example then, the total horizontal run of the staircase would be 80 inches (8 steps x 10 in.).

Next, determine how many intermediate landings in the staircase are necessary according to the overall length of the staircase. Sacramento Stair Company iStairs’ experts estimate that a landing is usually necessary every seven or eight steps. After framing the stringers to the either the joists directly or to blocking attached to the joists, the treads are then screwed atop the stringers, followed by the fastening of the risers underneath the lip of the tread. While the process is basic and straightforward, it is best to trust that the knowledge and professional skill of the experts at your Sacramento Stair Company iStairs when it comes to making a flawless staircase.