Have you ever run up and down a particular set of stairs and it just doesn’t “feel right”? As humans, we make the assumption each stair tread & riser is the same height and depth on any particular set of stairs. Construction laws determine the appropriate height and depth as well as variation maximums from one stair to another.
If stairs are not calculated and installed at the proper measurements, the risks to personal injury greatly increase. In many cases, the stair stringers are already installed by the time we come along. But in remodels, sometimes people want to adjust the height, depth, or completely move the stairs somewhere else. It’s a perfect time if we are already removing the tread and installing new hardwood. As the hardwood installers, it then becomes our job to correctly calculate the height and depth so that each stair tread is within code and fits the space.
Recently we had to take off the stair treads and adjust the risers of an elderly couple’s stairs. The person who originally installed the hardwood on these stairs didn’t calculate them correctly and one stair was significantly shorter than the others. This becomes even more of a hazard because the elderly often already have a hard time navigating stair heights.
If you or a loved one has a staircase that doesn’t fit within code or feels like the heights are outside a comfortable range, we encourage you to get it looked at and adjusted, if necessary.
