# Stair tread movement



## Getting better (Dec 3, 2009)

I'm building (rebuilding) a set of stairs with solid cherry. The treads are ¾" thick and 11" wide. I've stripped off all the old stairs and am down to a very solid 2x frame. I'm wondering if I'm over obsessing about wood movement. On the one hand, I would like to lock the treads down with adhesive and plugged screws to prevent squeaking, on the other hand I'm worried that the treads will crack over time if I do that. I'm thinking I could glue the whole tread and put a staggered row of screws (probably four) down the center of the tread leaving a ¼" of space under the riser for expansion. I'm comfortable that will allow for movement but may not hold it down tight enough to prevent squeaking. One of my advisors suggested I just lock down the whole thing with glue and screws and not worry about movement. I live inland in Southern California and we don't have a lot of humidity variation here. Does anyone have experience/advice on how to do this?


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## Big Dave (Sep 16, 2006)

I just use construction adhesive and finish nails to hold in place till the glue dries.


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## GearWorksguy (Aug 30, 2011)

I echo Big Dave's point of construction adhesive and finish nailing the treads. See the following site for an installation video of finished stairs.

http://www.stair-treads.com/


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## Getting better (Dec 3, 2009)

Thamks guys, you just saved me a lot of work


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## GearWorksguy (Aug 30, 2011)

My pleasure.:smile:


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