Simplifying Stair Rise And Run Calculations  When I first started my career in carpentry, building a set of stairs seemed like a complicated and daunting task. We're not talking finished oak, curved or spiral staircases. I'm talking about your normal carpet covered straight run staircases or porch and deck staircases.

Pressures Of Building Track Homes  The house you live in was probably a mass produced home built as part of a housing track. The track home is a rapidly built house in phases. These phases if possible will over lap the other home building trades. If possible you will have the plumbers working on the same house as the electricians and the framers.

Screws Versus Nails  Some nails over time seemed to loosen up and do not have the holding power that a screw does. Over time both will corrode through the process of oxidizing or rusting. When framing a set of stairs using nails will definitely be faster and more efficient. It would be extremely difficult to screw a set of stairs together and time consuming.

Building Stairs Safely  If you ask most of the people how they hurt themselves on a construction site, they would tell you, that it was because of their careless working habits.

The Purpose of Stair Nosing  What is the purpose of stair nosing? Well for one it makes the stairway looked nice. I like the look of the carpeting as it rolls over the stair nosing and onto the riser.

The 17 1/2 Inch Stair Rule  Here's a simple rule that allows you to build a comfortable set of stairs. If you can stay within a half-inch of this simple stair rule, you will find that most of your stairways will be comfortable to walk up and down.

Inspecting a Stairway   The first thing you want to do when inspecting a stairway is to give it a visual inspection. Look for anything out of the ordinary, along with any irregularities. Again you're going to be looking for anything out of place, missing, loose, broken or damaged.

Dangers Using Wood Stair Cleats  I would imagine most people don't even know what it wood stair cleat is, in construction we have so many words that describe the same thing. A stair cleat is another word for a thread bracket.

Metal Stair Tread Brackets  Metal stair tread brackets are used instead of wood cleats and for plenty of good reasons. Wood stair cleats or tread brackets often become a safety hazard over time, as the wood starts to deteriorate.

2 X 12 or 3 X 12 Stair Treads  If you've built as many stairways as I have, this is a very simple question to answer. Should I use 2 x 12 or 3 x 12 for my stair treads? Without a doubt I would use the 3 x 12 for a couple of reasons.