A.
All materials must be No.2 construction grade or better.
• Interior stairs: Douglas fir, Red oak, 11/8" plywood
(risers and treads only up to 72" long)
• Exterior stairs: Redwood, Cedar, pressure treated lumber.
Do not use plywood for stringers. For screws, see Step 3 in
the box instructions.
The treads may be carpeted or finished with
a laminated flooring surface. When using solid oak stringers,
the treads may also b solid oak.
The underside of the stair may be finished
with sheetrock. 1 X 4 battens are attached longitudinally
to the bottom of the risers and sheetrock is attached to the
battens. Moulding may be used to finish the edges.
2.
Q. How do I finish the stairs?
A.
The exterior stairs (Redwood, Cedar, pressure treated lumber)
are either stained or painted. The interior stairs, (when
using finish materials such as Oak), may be stained or painted.
When using unfinished materials ie-Douglas Fir, a finish material
such as 1/4" plywood (stain finish) or M.D.F. Board (paint
finish) is laminated onto the stringers and finished with
mouldings (see box instructions).
3.
Q. How do you finish interior stairs using the EZ Stair brackets?
A.
You should have the following tools:
• power saw
• power screwdriver
• hammer
• builders square
• tape measure
• level
• pencil
6.
Q. How many bracket sets will I need?
A.
You'll need one bracket set for each tread- left bracket ,
right bracket and spacer.
7.
Q. How do I purchase bracket sets.
A.
The bracket sets are available in single sets or contractor
packs of 8 sets of brackets, as well as a contractor spacer
pack with 8 reusable spacers:
• single packs- 1 left and 1 right
bracket, 1 spacer
• contractor pack-8 left and 8 right
brackets (brackets only)
• spacer contractor pack- 8 spacers
(spacers only)
The spacers are reusable and may be kept for use with future
purchases of brackets.
8. Q. What is the
minimum/maximum thickness for risers and treads using hardwood
or plywood?
A.
Dimensional Lumber....................minimum
thickness, 1-1/2"
Hardwood..................................minimum thickness,
5/4" ( this normally finishes 1" to !-1/8" thickness)
Plywood (interior only)................minimum thickness,
1-1/8"
9. Q. What kind of screws do I use?
A. Pan head screws which have a flat bearing
surface. Round head screws will also work fine.
10. Q. What will the stairs cost?
A. See our store page for the bracket
cost and refer to this
chart to see the cost comparison to
traditional stair building.
11. Q. - The EZ Stairs system includes
the brackets and spacers. What additional materials do I
need to build my steps?
A. For interior or exterior stairs you'll need the following*
Wood:
You'll need (4) 2x6's length will vary depending on your
project.
2x8 risers and 2x12 treads can be used for exterior deck
steps.
Composite material can be used too-make sure you review our
composite instructions.
For interior stairs, many DIY'ers and Professionals will
use _"
plywood risers and treads up to 42" wide. The outside
stringers
stay at 2x6's...again (4) of these are needed. Of course,
if you are
looking for the strongest possible steps you can build 'indoors'
just go with the same 2x lumber we recommend for exterior
use.
If you want to buy pre-made risers and treads, see
the Stairtek website.
Screws: *
Exterior we recommend ACQ approved/coated and /or stainless
steel.
Interior standard steel screws will work fine.
*See assembly brochure for exact sizes and the amount needed
will
vary according to the number of steps being built*
Tools:
Power Drill / Hand Saw and/or Skill Saw
Due to the EZ Stairs design, minimal amount of 'cuts' are
required.
We recommend having your risers and treads 'pre-cut' in advance
(by
your local supplier) to the exact width you want your steps.
That being done the only cut's remaining on the job site
will be
the end cuts to your 2x6 stringers. A basic skill saw or
hand saw
can be used. A standard hand held power drill will work well.
12. Where can the tongue & grove stringer
can be purchased for interior stairs?
A. Usually for larger projects, the T&G
is specially milled and it takes special knives. I would
suggest selecting and color matching your stringers and have
a 3/8" wide x 1/2" deep grove milled in the matching
edges of each stringer. Next, have a spline milled to fit
in the groves. This will accomplish the same function and
will be less expensive than having special knives cut. The
lumberyard can do this for you.
A.You can use 2x12's for stringers. Mark
out the stringer as you would for a cut stringer. Next, you
must mark "allowance lines" for your tread thickness
plus 3/4" and riser thickness plus 3/4" by marking
lines, parallel to the cut stringer lines. Place the brackets
at the new allowance lines and attach all brackets except
the top and bottom. From the top and bottom allowance lines,
mark and make the end cuts as you would according to the
EZ Stairs instructions. Attach the top and bottom brackets
at the allowance lines.
14. Can I use 1" thick treads instead
1-1/2" with
your system?
A. Yes. 1" thick oak for instance, is
considered 5/4 thick (1-1/4") material which is fine
to use with our system.
15. What do I do if the riser height is greater
than 7 1/4"?
