How to Fix a Squeaky Stair: Once you've determined the site of the squeak, consider these five ways to stop it–or at least quiet it down.

1. METHOD 1: Dampen the squeak with lubricant.
2. METHOD 2: Screw down the treads.
3. METHOD 3: Nail into the risers.
4. METHOD 4: Fix creaky stairs from underneath

Why Do Stairs Squeak?

With all the wooden parts, it’s pretty much inevitable that stairs will eventually start to squeak. Unlike our own ever-tightening joints, age tends to bring looseness in stairs. This causes the wooden treads to rub against the risers and stringers, and all of it to grind against the nails and screws that hold it all together.

In addition to simply being walked on, seasonal contractions and expansions of the wood further contribute to the loosening of the joints. It can all add up to a heck of a racket. Stairs that were constructed with glue in addition to nails and screws—less common the older your house is—generally are less prone to squeaking, but wear and time do tend to take their toll.

So what do you do to beat the squeak? Most of the time it really isn’t a difficult problem to fix. The noise doesn’t mean your stairs are necessarily about to fall down; they just need tightening up.

Also Read: Arched Window Types

Find the Squeak

Before you can fix a squeaky wooden stair, you’ll need to find where the squeak is coming from. The location of the squeak may also dictate the type of repair you do. Slowly climb your stairs and note which steps have squeaks and where the squeak is coming from exactly, marking each with masking tape or a sticky note.

Then, stand in the middle of each squeaky step and rock front-to-back and side-to-side to determine if the noise is coming from the side, the back, or the front. Typically, if the squeak comes from the back of a step, this means it is loose from its riser. If the squeak comes from either side, it usually means the step is loose at its stringer.

A riser is the vertical space between each step, and the stringer is the board on each side of the staircase that is attached to each riser. The stringer, which is saw-toothed shaped, keeps the staircase together and adds support.

Also Read: Cost to Level Pier and Beam House

How to fix squeaky stairs: What's a riser and tread?

Stairs consist of a number of components but it's typically two parts – riser and tread – that need to be dealt with when trying to stop the squeak. A stair riser is the vertical piece of wood that acts like a back board and is nailed into the back of a tread to provide support for the next tread above.

A stair tread meanwhile is the horizontal part of the step, the part that you step or tread on as you go up or down the stairs.Armed with this information, take a look at the three options below to fix the creak in your stairs. It's worth reading all three before deciding which option is the best route for fixing your creak.

1. Add under stairs support to your creaky treads
2. Add screws to treads and risers
3. Just use wood glue to stop squeaky stairs

How to Stop Creaking Stairs from Below

Step 1

The first step is identifying the loose stairs, or at least where the noise is coming from (it’s usually from one or two stairs, they don’t have to be next to each other). It helps if you have someone listen from underneath and mark out the areas where your wooden stairs are creaking. You might find that the stair tread or riser has become loose at the part where the glued wedge supports the joint. If this has happened, simply remove the wedge, clean it, apply some new wood glue and fix it back into its original position.

Step 2

Once the wedge has been glued back on, identify the triangular block that should be positioned at the angle between the treads and the risers. Again, if these are not glued on properly, simply remove and clean them. Then, open them up, line some glue where the old glue or adhesive used to be.

Step 3

When the glue or adhesive has set, apply the block back onto the stairs. If your stairs do not have any blocks (none were ever attached), then you will have to make some, which is very easy. The blocks should be around 75mm long and can be made from scrap wood. Once made, glue and position them in place.

Step 4

If the joint is still too weak or needs reinforcing, apply some glue between the back of the tread and the bottom of the riser. Next, grab three screws (preferably the same type and size) and drill them up through the tread and into the riser. The combination of glue and the three screws will give ample reinforcement to the block and should stop your wooden stairs from creaking.

Also Read: How Often Should I Water My Foundation