How to Refurbish Staircases

Repairing staircases maintains their safety.

A home's staircases require repair and refurbishing when damage occurs, stair parts wear or loosen and if they are no longer esthetically pleasing. Used often, staircases will show outward signs of wear and become creaky over the course of time. Fortunately, refurbishing this part of a home is not as difficult or daunting as it may seem.

Things You'll Need

• Hammer
• Screwdriver
• Wood glue
• Fine-grit sandpaper
• Extra-fine-grit sandpaper
• Tack cloth
• Wood putty
• Flexible putty knife
• Belt sander
• Medium-grit sandpaper
• Pry bar
• Circular saw
• Finishing nails
• Caulking gun
• Paintable silicone caulk
• Paint
• Stain
• Paintbrush

Instructions

Handrails, Balusters and Newel Posts

1. Inspect the banister, baluster and newel post for loose nails, and hammer them back into place. If screws are loose, remove the screw and dip it into wood glue before screwing it back in. The handrail is the top of a banister that holds the balusters and newel posts in place. The balusters are the vertical supports under the handrail. The newel posts are the main vertical supporting posts located in the first upright position at the top and bottom of the stairs.

2. Sand the handrails, baluster and newel posts with fine-grit sandpaper to remove the old finish, and then sand with extra-fine-grit sandpaper to smooth the surface.

3. Wipe the handrail, balusters and newel posts with a tack cloth to remove all sawdust.

4. Apply paint or stain to the handrails, balusters and newel posts.

Creaky Treads

1. Remove carpets, runners or other stair coverings from the stairs.

2. Inspect the stair treads, which is the part of the stairs you step on when climbing up or down the stairs, for loose nails.

3. Hammer in finishing nails at a 45-degree angle to the side support frame, called the stringer, every 3 inches. Use a countersink tool to sink the nails slightly below the surface and fill in holes on top of the finishing nails with wood putty, building the putty up slightly higher than the surface of the tread. Allow the wood putty to dry for one to two hours.

4. Sand the treads with a belt sander loaded with medium-grit sandpaper, followed by a thorough sanding with fine-grit sandpaper. Sweep up sawdust and wipe the treads down with a tack cloth to remove all dust.

5. Paint or stain stairs.

Broken, Cracked or Damaged Treads

1. Wedge a pry bar between the stair tread and the riser, which is the vertical area on the stairs running perpendicular to the treads.

2. Pry the old stair tread off the staircase.

3. Use a circular saw to cut a new stair tread to fit the space and nail into place. Drive finishing nails in at a 45-degree angle to the stringers and risers every 3 inches. Use a countersinking tool to sink the nails in just below the tread surface and fill the holes over the finishing nails with wood putty. Allow the wood putty to dry completely, usually one to two hours.

4. Load a belt sander with medium-grit sandpaper and sand the stair treads, then sand the treads with fine-grit sandpaper. Use a tack cloth to remove all sawdust.

5. Apply paint or stain.

Tread Gaps

1. Sand the stair treads with medium-grit sandpaper followed by fine-grit sandpaper. Use a tack cloth to remove sawdust from the treads.

2. Load a caulking gun with paintable silicone. Apply a thick bead of caulk into the gap.

3. Use a plastic-gloved finger to press the caulk in and smooth the silicone surface, making it flush with the existing tread. Allow the caulk to dry fully, usually two to three hours.

4. Apply a coat of paint to the stair treads. Do not stain caulk because it will not adhere.

Split or Cracked Risers

1. Hammer popped nails back into the risers.

2. Sand the risers with medium-grit sandpaper, followed by fine-grit sandpaper. Remove sawdust with a tack cloth.

3. Fill in minor cracks and splits with wood putty, pressing it in firmly and deeply with a flexible putty knife. Build the wood putty up slightly higher than the surface of the riser and allow to dry completely, generally one to two hours.

4. Sand the risers with medium grit sandpaper, followed by a sanding with fine-grit sandpaper. Remove sawdust with a tack cloth.

5. Paint or stain stairs as desired.

Tips & Warnings

• Fill a zippered bag with flour and place sandpaper around the bag to sand balusters and newel posts. The flour will conform to the shape of the post, making sanding easier.

• Address stringer issues with a stair installation professional.

References

• "Floors, Stairs & Carpets"; Time Life Books; 1994

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish