# Setting tile on interior stairs



## Mike Finley

I've got an upcoming kitche remodel that will include tiling the floor. The floor of the kitchen leads down to the living room by means of 3 stairs about 36 inches wide.

What is the best way to handle tiling on these stairs.

There is linoleum on them now with just cheap metal edging.

Assuming the stairs are solid how would you finish them? Some kind of Shulter edging and wood on the riser? Or some type of nosing with tile behind it?


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## K custom home

Mike, I have had stairs done a couple of different ways. It really depends on the homeowners taste and what type of tile you are using. Schluter makes a few different nosing depending on your needs. Last time I bought nosings I think they were about $75 a peice (8'). I don't like to butt tile to wood due to the woods movement. The joint between the tile and the wood has to be caulked and I try to use as little caulk as possible. If you grout it will crack out. I guess you could lay a matching shoe, but I just don't like the look of the three different materials together (wood, tile, and metal). 
First strip the stairs bare.
If you're only doing a few steps: the treads are deep enough, and your treads are secure to the risers you can cut back the treads flush with the risers and install 1/4" backer to both the treads and risers. Make sure to screw backer to the riser and tread nose to tie together and tape inside and outside joints(no need to mud as it will be filled with setting mud--double mudding will kick the tile up too high here). Lay your tile on the riser first and and whatever Schluter you want on top and out flush with front of riser tile. (Leave enough space for the tread tile to slide under riser tile with a uniform joint--also leave a joint between riser and Schluter. Lay your treads and grout. This is very tedious but will turn out very nice. Makes sure the joint between the riser tile and Schluter is filled solid so it cannot move. You may have to patch the stringer with bondo if the tread was sitting in the stringer (dado).I have never done this to a full staircase as it would be uncomfortable without the tread overhang, but for your app. it should work.

The possibilities are endless--hopefully the money is too :Thumbs:


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## Tom R

Good stuff there, K, - - just want to point out that the 'movement' of wood is 'controllable', - - 'attachment' closer to the tiled edge of the wood, - - leaves the nosing edge of the wood to do most of the movement. 

Even so, - - as you say, - - a 'caulked' joint there is imperative.

Personally, - - I like the look of oak risers (dadoed into) oak nosings with tiled steps.

Again, 'control' is the key here, - - the 'riser' attachment should be near the top, - - leaving the bottom free to move (rise and fall), behind the tile.

If I get a chance, - - I'll stop by a customer's house over the weekend, - - and take a picture of one I did, - - it's about a 9' long tiled step (curved at both ends) wrapped with an oak riser and an oak nosing.


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## Mike Finley

Tom, did you ever get a chance at the picture?

This is a short stair case, 4 stairs leading from living room up to kitchen. The treads are dadoed into the sides of the stringers so there are no open sides of the treads to deal with. Has linoleum on it now with metal nosings so I can't see much of anything without exploritory surgeury which isn't an option. I'm worried about movement, the thing creaks quite a bit when you walk on it.

What about cutting the treads back flush with the risers and using a chair rail tile to simulate the overhang of a stair tread? Do you thing that would be foolish and just be waiting to be knocked off by someone?

Also doing the tread and risers in tile would seem to not be a good look here, sort of reminds me of a Turkish bath or something. I would almost suggest to the customer to do oak treads and tile risers but that opens up tearing the stairs apart which might be more than I want to do at this time.


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## K custom home

Mike, I forgot to mention that this really only looks good with a stone(marble, slate, granite, or limestone), which is what is most popular here right now.

I wouldn't trust the chair rail at all. We used 5/4 maple for nosings once. The maple was dadoed on the face for a place to screw the nose to the tread. After the noses were screwed and glued to the tread; the splines were glued in the dadoe and sanded flush. In this instance the spline was walnut to contrast the maple. This was a contemporary home and probably won't work for you. I am just givinig you ideas so you can run with your own. You're going to have to play architect and come up with something that works on that job. I wouldn't trust finish nails and glue on a nosing. (screws/glue/plugs)(biscuits and glue if you can clamp well)


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## Tom R

Sorry, Mike, been so damn busy I forgot all about takin' that picture, - - but I WILL try 'poppin' over that customer's house tomorrow afternoon and see if I catch them. Just keep in mind, they're not exactly neat-freaks, - - probly' a cluttered mess and 'dog-ridden' tile grout (if you know what I mean), - - anyway I'll try and catch them tomorrow.

Yeah, - - I don't know, - - nosing tiles seems a little dangerous on stairs (especially 'creaky' ones). 

If you really wanted to get fancy you could go with oak nosings and oak 'dividers' between tiles (grout lines would have to be caulk, but that would alleviate some of the deflection concerns).


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## Mike Finley

Doing a little more research it seems the TCA recommends only applying CBU to plywood stairs and never to dimensional lumber stairs. So it appears I could cut out the treads and risers and start over.

But, I think I am leaning more towards tearing out the treads and risers, adding a 3rd stringer if it is not there, then putting in oak treads and tile risers. The customer has oak flooring on the lower level where the stairs terminate so it would be a nice transition to the tile on the kitchen floor on the upper level I would think.

The current treads are dadoed into the 2 stringers now, so basically I'm thining that I would cut off flush with the stringers using a recip saw and but in cleats or blocks on the stringers for the new oak treads to rest on?


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## Tom R

Mike Finley said:


> The current treads are dadoed into the 2 stringers now, so basically I'm thining that I would cut off flush with the stringers using a recip saw and but in cleats or blocks on the stringers for the new oak treads to rest on?


Yeah, that would work, but it almost sounds like you should start over and make the whole damn thing offsite and just install new. Starting to sound like another one of them 'they-get-to-save-the-money, you-get-to-spend-the-time' deals.


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## Tom R

Here's a few pics (they 'cleaned up' when they found out I was comin' :cheesygri ) What's the use??


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## Tom R

Sorry guys, - - I guess I could've 'brushed' away some of the mess, - - but I thought it was kind of hilarious ( :cheesygri ), - - bein's I already warned ya'. It's a friend of mine's sister, - - great gal, - - just not real 'domesticated'.

This job was done about 11 or 12 years ago, - - I did the wood and set the tile, - - she did the grout (she works at the local tile shop).

Though I didn't ask, - - I figure she must have 'sealed' it, - - I'm surprised it's still white (somewhat/mostly).


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## Tom R

Think these pics will sell you any jobs, Mike?? :cheesygri


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## Mike Finley

Geez, you need to get them a gift certificate for a maid for Christmas, or maybe just buy them a vucuum cleaner? Lol


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## Mike Finley

Tom R said:


> Yeah, that would work, but it almost sounds like you should start over and make the whole damn thing offsite and just install new. Starting to sound like another one of them 'they-get-to-save-the-money, you-get-to-spend-the-time' deals.


It sort of sounds like it would be an option, but the stringers are attached to other parts of this landing on the kitchen level, hard to explain, but for certain would be a nightmare to remove totally from what I can see. I will reply back here with how it turns out.

Thanks for the pictures, that's a nice solution you did there.


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## Tom R

Mike Finley said:


> Geez, you need to get them a gift certificate for a maid for Christmas, or maybe just buy them a vucuum cleaner? Lol


Yeah, and if the mess ain't bad enough, - - how about them color combinations??

I also did some fancy architectural columns in that house and a kitchen remodel, - - but there was just never a 'good day' to take pictures.

The funniest part is, - - when I was takin' that first picture (with the 'dust-ball' and all) she says to me "Do you need that out of there"?? :cheesygri 

Toughest part of this job sometimes is the 'straight-face'.


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## 747

Tom I agree with the color combo. I was thinking that would look awesome with some granite floor tiles. The wood looks outstanding the way you did it. Like some shining black granite floor tiles wraped with that wood we be awesome. Once again the wood looks outstanding.


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## Tom R

Thanks 7, - - I could have even made that wood look better yet, if I had 'provided' it. The customer wanted me to use some oak he already had, - - which worked out OK, - - but with a longer and/or wider length to begin with, I could have had a 'grain-match' where the 'joint' is formed for the curve on the nosing.


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## adamsb

i dont think so Tom.


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