Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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PREASSEMBLED STAIR TREAD MEMBER
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a tread member for a staircase, in which
the tread member is preassembled from strips of wood material and includes an
integral nosing member for covering an existing tread of the staircase.
BACKGROUND
When finishing traditional stairs with hardwood floor material, it is typical
to make use of commercially available elongate wood strips with tongue and
groove
profiles on respective lengthwise edges thereof. When covering stairs in this
manner,
the hardwood floor material must be installed on the treads at the same time
as a
surrounding floor area when the required tools and equipment available by the
flooring installer are already available. Careful attention is then further
required to
protect the stairs from other trades when constructing a building for example.
Installation is time consuming as each individual piece must be cut to length
then
nailed into place as it is installed. A lot of waste is generated as many
boxes of
material must be opened to find full length straight boards which can be used
to span
a full length of each tread being covered. When picking through boxes of
hardwood
floor material, of the type which are commercially available to include
various lengths
of wood strips, the installer will typically end up with too many leftover
short pieces
which are either wasted or which are required to be installed on surrounding
floor
areas. Accordingly higher material costs results for the customer.
The edge of each tread is required to be finished with a nosing member
having a groove along one side for fitting with the tongue and groove
connections of
the hardwood floor material and a rounded free edge of slightly greater
thickness for
only partially overlapping the front edge of the tread being covered. The
depth of the
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traditional nosing member is typically only 1 inch in thickness at the free
edge so that
when used in conjunction with 3/4 inch hardwood floor material, the nosing
member
only covers approximately '/4 inch of the 1 ~/2 inch thickness of the
conventional
material used for the treads. In addition nosing members are only sold in 8
foot
lengths which means that on a traditional 3 foot wide staircase, 2 feet of
every 8 foot
length is typically wasted.
Typical tongue and groove hardwood floor material also includes a bevel
along the edges which requires refinishing by a professional due to the
difficult
sanding and filing required to refinish beyond the thickness of the bevel in
order to
have a flush finished floor surface.
Due to the minimal overlap of the nosing along the front of each tread,
conventional nosing members tend to loosen or teeter as the nosing is made
from a
separate piece added onto the flooring boards and anchored in place
separately. The
resulting covered treads of the stairs are thus formed of several pieces which
in time
will move and result in gaps in the step. In addition any warping or cupping
in the
construction material used to form the treads will translate into a similar
cupping of the
hardwood floor materials supported on the tread as the individual strips are
free to
move relative to one another with the warping of the treads. The resulting
movement
is evident by the squeaking noises which are common to staircases which are
covered with traditional hardwood floor material.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a
preassembled tread member for use on a staircase comprising a plurality of
existing
treads joined by respective risers, the tread member comprising:
a rectangular panel having a bottom side defining a length and a width
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of suitable dimension for spanning a top side of one of the existing treads,
the panel
comprising a plurality of elongate strips of wood material joined to adjacent
ones of
the strips by adhesive; and
a nosing member joined along a lengthwise side of the panel by
adhesive, the nosing member including a rear surface which projects downwardly
beyond the bottom side of the panel for covering a front edge of the
respective
existing tread.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided
a method of covering an existing tread on a staircase comprising a plurality
of existing
treads joined by respective risers, the method comprising:
providing a plurality of elongate strips of wood material;
forming a rectangular panel by joining each strip to adjacent ones of the
strips using adhesive;
joining a nosing member along a lengthwise side of the panel by
adhesive such that a rear surface of the nosing member projects downwardly
beyond
a bottom side of the panel; and
securing the bottom side of the panel onto the existing tread such that
the nosing covers a front edge of the existing tread, subsequently to the
nosing
member being joined to the panel.
The tread member according to the present invention is formed of a
plurality of strips of wood material and a nosing member which are
preassembled into
a single integrated laminated piece of material which is simpler to install
and which
maintains its unitary construction over time to prevent teetering of the
nosing member
or squeaks and deformations which result from strips of hardwood floor
material which
are individually mounted in place onto the treads. Due to the simplicity of
the
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installation which does not require a special hardwood floor installation
related tools,
the tread member can be readily installed by a home owner or an onsite
carpenter at
the end of a building project to reduce the risk of damage to the stairs by
other trades.
Only basic tools are required to install the tread member resulting in easier
installation
and considerable time savings. By preassembling the tread member prior to
installation, almost no waste results as the materials can be laminated
together at a
factory using long pieces of source material cut to near exact length. The
stair can be
distributed unfinished but pre-sanded so that the top surtace is already flush
requiring
minimal effort and causing minimal mess to the surrounding area when
installing as
no significant onsite sanding is required other than to remove minor
scratches.
Preassembly of the nosing ensures that the nosing is properly anchored to the
strips
of the wood material forming the panel of the tread member and accordingly the
nosing does not rely on independent mounting to prevent it from teetering over
the life
of its installation. By laminating all of the components of the tread member,
including
the nosing member, the resulting one piece construction covers minor surface
imperfections of the tread and squeaking or gaps in the installed tread
members are
not of concern.
The nosing member may include a flat rear surface which abuts the
lengthwise side of the panel such that a seam between the nosing member and
the
panel lies in a common plane with the rear surface projecting downwardly
beyond the
bottom side of the panel.
The nosing member may project downwardly beyond the bottom side of
the panel between 1 ~/z and 1 3/4 inches, but preferably by 1 5/8 inch for
fully covering
1 ~/2 inch thick existing tread material.
There may be provided a plurality of screw fasteners joining the nosing
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member to the rectangular panel, the screw fasteners being inserted through
the
bottom side of the panel and into the rear surface of the nosing member so as
to
remain hidden from the top side of the panel or the front side of the nosing
member.
Preferably the nosing member has a depth between the rear surface
5 and a front surface thereof which is less than 1 inch, in the order of 3/a
inch such that
only a small portion of the assembled tread member is cantilevered in its
mounted
position on the existing tread.
A front surface of the nosing member, opposite the rear surface, may
include an irregular shaped profile routered therein, by routering the nosing
member
prior to joining with the panel.
A top side of the rectangular panel is preferably pre-sanded such that
the strips of wood material are flush with one another along the top side, but
unfinished, prior to delivery to the customer.
Each of the strips preferably comprises a cut piece of a hardwood which
is less than 12 centimetres in width and which span a lengthwise direction of
the
pane. Accordingly, each strip of wood material preferably spans a full length
of the
panel, a full thickness of the panel and only part of a width of the panel.
One or more strips may include a pattern routered in a top side thereof
which spans a full length of the panel. The pattern is preferably routered
after
assembly and flush sanding of the top sides of the strips.
One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a partly sectional side elevational view of a staircase upon
which the tread member is installed.
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Figure 2 is a top plan view of the staircase upon which the tread
member is installed.
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the tread member.
Figure 4 is a sectional view of the nosing member.
Figure 5A through 5D are sectional views of various profiles of nosing
members.
Figures 6A through 6F are top plan views of various examples of
routered patterns in the tread member.
In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts
in the different figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to the accompanying figures there is illustrated a stair covering
kit generally indicated by reference numeral 10. The kit 10 is particularly
suited for
covering a set of stairs 12 with hardwood floor material to provide a finished
appearance to the stairs.
The stairs 12 are typically of the type including a pair of elongate
stringers 14 which support a plurality of horizontal existing treads 16
spanning
between the stringers at vertically spaced positions therealong. Existing
risers 18
span vertically between the forward edge of each tread and the rear edge of
the next
adjacent tread therebelow. The treads are typically manufactured of
conventional 1 1/2
inch thick commercially available lumber.
The kit 10 includes plurality of tread members 20 for covering the
existing treads 16 and a plurality of riser members 22 for covering the
existing risers
of the stairs respectively.
The tread member 20 comprises a plurality of elongate strips 24 of
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hardwood floor material which span a full length of the tread member in the
order of
approximately three feet in a conventional stair case and a full depth of
three quarters
of an inch. Each strip has a width which is less then twelve centimetres
between
adjacent side edges thereof. The strips of wood material are formed of solid
wood
which is laminated to adjacent strips by adhesive to form a rectangular panel
having
dimensions which span the full top side of the respective existing tread 16 to
be
covered. Typical panels 26 which are assembled from the strips are generally
rectangular having a width of approximately 12 inches and a length of either
thirty-
seven, forty-nine or sixty-one inches to accommodate three foot, four foot and
five
foot wide staircases respectively with sufficient additional material to
accommodate
any misalignment of the existing staircase.
The strips 24 forming the panel 26 are oriented in the lengthwise
direction of the panel to span the full length thereof but only a portion of
the width. The
side edges of each strip define a perpendicular surface which is flat between
the top
and bottom sides of the strip. The sides are abutted against the sides of
adjacent
strips when fastened by adhesive with no additional fasteners being required
to
assemble the strips into the panel 26.
A nosing member 28 is secured along a lengthwise edge 30 of the
assembled panel 26 for covering a front edge 32 of the existing tread 16. The
nosing
member has a depth of approximately 3/4 inch in the widthwise direction of the
panel
26 so that the overall width of the assembled tread member is approximately 12
3/4
inches. The nosing member 28 has a flat rear surface 34 which abuts one of the
sides
of the strips 24 along the lengthwise edge 30 of the panel such that the flat
rear
surface 34 projects downwardly beyond a bottom side 36 of the panels by a
distance
of approximately 1 5/8 inches as a result of an overall height of
approximately 2 3/8
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inches. Accordingly a tread of commercially available 1 ~/2 inch thick lumber
will be
fully covered by the nosing member.
The abutting seam between the nosing member and the strip 24 along
the lengthwise edge of the panel is co-planar with the remainder of the rear
surface
34 projecting downwardly beyond the bottom side of the panel so that the
overall
thickness of 3/4 inch of the nosing member along with the rear flat surface
thereof
permits the opposing front surface 38 to be easily routered prior to assembly
of the
nosing member onto the panel.
In addition to adhesive which secures the nosing member onto the
panel, a castle drill is used to form two sloped bores 40 projecting from the
bottom
side 36 of the panel near the lengthwise edge 30 to which the nosing is
attached. The
bores 40 extend at an upward and forward incline towards the nosing member 28
and
has a sufficient depth that a screw 42 received therein is fully hidden flush
with the
bottom surface of the panel so that nothing projects past the bottom side and
interferes with mounting of the bottom side on the top side of the existing
tread. The
internal end of the bore 40 is spaced inwardly from the lengthwise edge 30
mounting
the nosing member thereon such that when the screw is received in the bore,
the
screw overlaps a portion of the last strip 24 of the panel as well as the
nosing member
into which it projects to ensure a firm grip across the seam therebetween. The
screws
42 are inserted through the bores in the bottom side of the panel and
subsequently
into the rear surface of the nosing member such that the screws are not
visible from
the top side of the panel or the front side of the nosing member.
All of the strips 24 are assembled into the panel 26 with the nosing
secured thereto by adhesive prior to installation. The preassembled thread
member
can be sanded smooth on the top and bottom sides thereof once assembled at the
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factory prior to being received by the customers so that only minimal sanding
is
required upon installation at the construction site. Also at the factory prior
to
installation, one or more of the strips 24 may include a pattern 44 which is
routered in
a top side thereof to span in a lengthwise direction. The pattern is
preferably routered
after assembly and flush sanding of the adjacent strips and nosing member so
that
the flush sanding does not remove a significant portion of the routered
pattern 44. A
light sanding to remove scratches afterward will not significantly affect the
pattern 44.
The tread member is distributed to the customer in a form in which the
strips and nosing member have been assembled and sanded along the top sides
thereof to be flush with one another but without stain or other finishing
material being
applied thereto so that a customer can customize whatever type of finish is
desired in
the environment of the installation.
The riser members 22 comprise panels which are substantially identical
to the panels 26 which form a portion of the tread members. Each riser member
22 is
thus formed of a plurality of strips 24 which are laminated to one another by
adhesive.
The strips are similarly oriented in a lengthwise direction.
In order to install the kit, the tread members are first measured and then
cut for mounting in place overtop of the existing treads of the staircase. For
each
existing tread, the width is measured between the front and back edges thereof
and 1
inch is added to this measurement. The additional inch accommodates for the
3/4 inch
thickness of the nosing plus an additional 1/a inch buffer to accommodate
minor
misalignments. Any suitable table saw may be used to cut the side edge of the
panel
forming the tread member opposite the longitudinal edge supporting the nosing
member thereon.
The length of the existing tread between the stringers is then measured
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to determine the overall length of the tread member. The squareness of the
front edge
of the tread relative to the stringer is checked before cutting the tread
member to
length as both ends may require some cutting if the existing the tread is not
square to
the stringers. Once the length and width of the tread member are cut, the
tread
5 member is dry fit into place overtop of the existing tread so that the
bottom surface of
the panel forming the tread member rests on top of the topside of the existing
tread.
Any cupping of the top surface of the existing tread is covered by the rigid
preassembled panel of the tread member.
To complete the installation, two strips of double sided, pressure
10 activated tape are applied in a length wise direction at spaced apart
positions along
the existing tread to span generally between the two stringers. Flooring
adhesive is
applied between the strips, for example PL 400 adhesive. The tread member is
then
dropped in place onto the existing tread at which point weight applied to the
step will
activate the tape to secure the tread member in place until the adhesive sets.
In some
instances, nails may be used to secure the tread member in place on the
existing
tread, however these are only required to be small placement nails as the
adhesive
alone would be sufficient to hold the tread member in place on the existing
treads.
Similar steps are accomplished for mounting each individual riser in
place between the adjacent treads. The panel forming the riser member is
measured
and cut to height and is subsequently measured and cut to length to be first
dry fit
between an adjacent pair of existing treads. For installation, double sided
tape and
flooring adhesive is similarly applied to either the existing riser or the
riser member
being mounted thereon. Pressure will again activate the tape to hold the riser
member
in place until the adhesive sets.
Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein
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above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made
within the spirit and scope of the claims without department from such spirit
and
scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying
specification shall
be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.
