Since we moved in to our house, the floorboards have gotten creakier and creakier. Today marks the first day of getting rid of the creaks and groans.
First step was to pull up the carpet on the stairs. It was easy to see why we have been having issues here. There are loose risers for a start. The previous owners appear to have tried to fix the problem, with metal angle brackets, blocks of wood, ineffective wedges, extra nails and screws. Even a roofing screw!
The main problems appear to be:
- Plastering done before the stairs were installed (one of the risers was actually the plaster wall below!).
- A water issue at some point in time. Perhaps the window that exploded on us had done it before?
- Adjustments roughly done to allow for carpet instead of stained/painted steps. It looks like the stairs were originally intended to be stained or painted, then they have changes their minds.
- Loose pieces of timber.
We will be getting all of these things fixed over the next few days, and will end up painting rather than re-carpeting. The steps are all pine and should come up nicely. They just need to be sanded back and have holes filled. Some of the risers need to be replaced. One small plasterboard wall will need to be be removed to allow access to the underside of the second half flight, so that they can be properly repaired.
I will share the finished product when done.
