Hardwood Stairs

Installing hardwood floors and stairs is an instant home-equity boost.

Hardwood Stairs Female: Hardwood stairs are a great way to add style to any room and it is a great selling point that can really boost a homes value. If you are thinking of installing hardwood stairs in your home, here are a few things to keep in mind. First, you’ll need to measure each tread and riser to get an exact fit. Then use a table saw to cut each piece to size. For a perfect fit, use a grinder to trim the ends. You want to dry fit each tread and riser to make sure there are no gaps and the stairs are level. Start from the bottom stair and work your way up. Male: Now, we want to use no shortage of glue. Amy Matthews: Glue is cheap. Male: Glue is cheap and we don’t want to squeeze. Female: Construction adhesive welds the stairs in place and prevents squeaks. Male: Construction adhesive actually expands as it dries. So, that’s another reason why it’s nice to use. Female: Then use a finish nailer to fasten them in place. Here is great tip on adjusting your riser to help level your tread and eliminate gaps. Male: Now, this is why we start from the bottom because you can’t see underneath here but there’s a small gap. So, what we want to do is lift this up so we have a nice, tight sealing underneath here. Female: Wood flooring comes in every price range from $0.99 a square foot for pine to about $5.00 a square foot for cherry. Here, we are using red oak to perfectly match the floors upstairs. You’ll need pre-made treads and risers for standard stairs but for more complicated projects like this 90 degree turn, you’ll need to use traditional three inch flooring planks with a bullnose end. Amy Matthews: Wow, that’s going to look incredible. Female: After you sand and finish, your stairs will be the center piece of your room. They will also last longer than carpet and build equity in your home. Amy Matthews: Installing hardwood floors in your home is always an instant equity boost. I am Amy Mathews from DIY Network’s Sweat Equity.