I need help fixing squeaky stairs, might need to reinstall them

[Kirito]

I got a house and the stairs from 1st floor to the loft are really squeaky and not very sturdy looking. There is no carpet on it yet and I wanted to fix them or make them stronger before getting the carpet

I try to open one of the vertical panels by removing the screws as I was removing I heard a wood piece drop a bit. I have attached photos and would love some ideas what to do and what are the cause of this problem. the bottom of the stairs is nice looking and I really want to see if I can fix them from the top.

One horizontal stair panel is broken as I can see the big line in the middle. Stairs are 25in wide if it helps to know

How much would it cost to get it done and can a normal person fix this himself with some time and online help? I don't even know what needs to be done to make a good stair

 

[Kirito]

I am new as well so don't know any rules in this form

 

[tell80]

The risers (the verticals) haven't been Routed (slotted) into the stringers - could be the treads (the horizontals) have not been routed in either.
Is the back of the flight open so you can see from below how the treads are supported, and how the risers will have backing.
The stairs appear to be dropping slightly to the left but maybe its just the camera?
Gaps have opened up here and there.
The wood the stairs were built with is very poor quality.
24 inches wide (600mm) is narrow but allowed.

Its possible that the stairs might be re-built but it would be safer to replace them.
I notice what looks like a landing at the top.
Unfortunately, what you propose as DIY work would be doubtful with the knowledge you've revealed.

 

[Kirito]

The risers (the verticals) haven't been Routed (slotted) into the stringers - could be the treads (the horizontals) have not been routed in either.
Is the back of the flight open so you can see from below how the treads are supported, and how the risers will have backing.
The stairs appear to be dropping slightly to the left but maybe its just the camera?
Gaps have opened up here and there.
The wood the stairs were built with is very poor quality.
24 inches wide (600mm) is narrow but allowed.

Its possible that the stairs might be re-built but it would be safer to replace them.
I notice what looks like a landing at the top.
Unfortunately, what you propose as DIY work would be doubtful with the knowledge you've revealed.

hey thanks for the information, I really wanted to try and fix them at low cost, the stairs are useable but just really squeaky, the bottom of the stairs are covered not sure if I can open this up without breaking it underneath, there is no panel per say to open, I have attached a photo. the stairs leads to the attic room which was converted before i got this place hence stairs were still without carpet

 

[Deleted member 174758]

At first sight I thought that those stairs look have maybe been overclad; the risers appear to have a few nails in the front whilst the treads are square edged which is all rather odd. The gaps are not encouraging either, and the nails make it look as though the whole lot has been nailed together. I'm with tell80 - you need to remove the underdrawings to see what is beneath - and that is almost always the case if you want to do a thorough fix of squeaking stairs. At present I think it is 50/50 that you'll have to replace them

Edit: Make that 80/20

 

[Kirito]

At first sight I thought that those stairs look have been overclad; the risers appear to have a ferw nails in the front whilst the treads are square edged which is all rather odd. The gaps are mot encouraging either. I'm with tell80 - you need to remove the underdrawings to see what is beneath - andnthat is almost always the case if you want to do a thorough fix of squeaking stairs. At present I think it is 50/50 that you'll have to replace them

The underdrawing, is it easy to open and close, from the photo can you tell anything, Seem like its been closed off and painted

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Not always easy to open. It is generally either plasterboard or sheet material (hardboard or plywood) although I have come across lath and plaster in the past as well. If it is a plasterboard or a sheet material it should be possible to cut out an inspection hole to see what is under there which can be repaired afterwards, however you need to expose the bottom of the stairs completely to fix the problem properly. TBH your stairs look a complete mess, and tell80 may well be right - it could just be a DIY nailed together bodge job, or it could be an older staircase which has been overcladed (the stringers etc might be indicative of this, although I am not hopeful).

In any case, and this is a discussion I have had quite a few times in the past (about opening up the underdrawings, that is), most often squeaking is caused by loose wedges and/or missing glue blocks - which cannot be accessed from the top - with split treads being another cause. This is what should be on the underside of your stairs:

You might try drilling some holes in the treads and spraying in expanding foam from above - but if that doesn't work (and there's a good chance it won't) then a conventional repair might well be out of the question because everything will be covered in expanding foam. That's why I, personally, would never use that stuff for a "quick fix"

 

[Kirito]

Not always easy to open. It is generally either plasterboard or sheet material (hardboard or plywood) although I have come across lath and plaster in the past as well. If it is a plasterboard or a sheet material it should be possible to cut out an inspection hole to see what is under there which can be repaired afterwards, however you need to expose the bottom of the stairs completely to fix the problem properly. TBH your stairs look a complete mess, and tell80 may well be right - it could just be a DIY nailed together bodge job, or it could be an older staircase which has been overcladed (the stringers etc might be indicative of this, although I am not hopeful).

In any case, and this is a discussion I have had quite a few times in the past (about opening up the underdrawings, that is), most often squeaking is caused by loose wedges and/or missing glue blocks - which cannot be accessed from the top - with split treads being another cause. This is what should be on the underside of your stairs:

View attachment 263482

You might try drilling some holes in the treads and spraying in expanding foam from above - but if that doesn't work (and there's a good chance it won't) then a conventional repair might well be out of the question because everything will be covered in expanding foam. That's why I, personally, would never use that stuff for a "quick fix"

do you any estimate how much it would be to get it all done if done professionally, just trying to get an idea how much it going to be

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Personally I'd just replace the stairs, for which a stair kit is probably the cheapest way to go, take a look at someone like Stairplan. Typically a basic flight of stars would be £350 or so, depending on size, but you'll also need to budget for two newels, handrail, spindles, etc and maybe a man-day for a joiner and the same for a helper to install it.

Your biggest issue, though, is that the replacement normally must be fully regulations compliant (see here for regs). My own local BCOs will not normally accept a "like for like" replacement for an unapproved a DIY staircase and might also want the floor lifting at the top of the stairs to prove that the underlying structure is sound enough to carry the load. So you are still down to having a look at the underside of the stairs to confirm whether or not it was a bodge job. how bad a bodge job it is