# Slat Stairs With Open Risers - need help how to finish/put hardwood or laminate on



## cn7 (Jun 13, 2016)

I tried talking to a few local guys for ideas but am now caving to the internet .

The railings / running board of these stairs were stained and refinished with spray stain and poly. If it was known beforehand that the guy who did the work was gonna take over 3 months to do it, the whole staircase would have been replaced! Plus the residents lived in the mess and chemicals throughout the whole thing.

Originally, the stairs and top floor of this condo were carpeted while the the rest is tile; however, now the idea is to put hardwood or laminate on the top floor. Trouble is... Its weird going from tile floors, to carpeted stairs, to wood floors. 

Ideally, the stairs would have the same flooring as the top floor, but since the stairs are open slats and the quality of the wood used for the slats is poor, there is obvious difficulty.
Aslo, there are gaps where the slats go into the running boards.

Please see the pics.

Please recommend a doable solution. I'd hate to have to get someone else to actually take the whole staircase apart to switch out the slats.

Thanks a million for any input! :thumbsup:


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## cn7 (Jun 13, 2016)

bear with me since image uploads failed


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## cn7 (Jun 13, 2016)

Fixed upload.


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## XJCraver (Dec 21, 2010)

Which code is your jurisdiction under? Open risers are a no-no.


*R311.7.4.3 Profile. *The radius of curvature at the nosing shall be no greater than 9/16 inch (14 mm). A nosing not less than 3/4 inch (19 mm) but not more than 11/4 inches (32 mm) shall be provided on stairways with solid risers. The greatest nosing projection shall not exceed the smallest nosing projection by more than 3/8 inch (9.5 mm) between two stories, including the nosing at the level of floors and landings. Beveling of nosings shall not exceed 1/2 inch (12.7 mm). Risers shall be vertical or sloped under the tread above from the underside of the nosing above at an angle not more than 30 degrees (0.51 rad) from the vertical. *Open risers are permitted, provided that the opening between treads does not permit the passage of a 4-inch diameter (102 mm) sphere. *

You'll need a graspable rail too, and I'd double check the guard spacing before I called my inspector.


Since you didn't ask for any of that though, I'll answer your question: It's going to be tough to make those look good by covering them with anything. I'd "get someone else to actually take the whole staircase apart to switch out the slats".


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## cn7 (Jun 13, 2016)

I'm not going to do this myself. I am looking for a solution to at least advise. So far, no one has come up with an alternate solution. If they have to have the stairs taken apart, they may have been better off putting in new stairs... compound that with the refinishing saga.

This staircase has been in place since the early 80's. All the units in this development are the same.


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## B.D.R. (May 22, 2007)

Unfortunately, I can see that full removal wold be faster and easier. 
That railing would fail here also, but would be grandfathered if no one touches it. 


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