An apron is the trim piece beneath a balustrade and is horizontal to the flooring. I have done it the same way, but with a Multimaster (or a japanese trim saw), I cut off the end of each nosing using a scrap of skirt board (with 1/16 ripped off it for the blade width) against the drywall and slid the skirt board in from the front. Over the years, this has been a great technique to know! Neither method is an option with an existing set of stairs with treads and risers in place. The key is to do exactly as you’re planning. The article pictures show how this is done. You’re done! Stair Skirts #stairs #without #skirt #board #stairswithoutskirtboard Stair Skirts | Ana White. If you followed that sequence it should fit. I’ve never done it but I enjoy building things in a different way to solve problems. My margin for error is always in the nosing. Same principle as starting baseboard or crown at the far end of the room. Congratulations on a job well done. Once you’ve got the line on the wall the rest goes together like clockwork. How to Make a Stair Skirtboard. It would be a great sense of pride if you did it yourself. Whenever I installed a newel as shown on the right side top of stairs I always got the newels with the longer bottom sections. I’d add a cap moulding on top of the skirt for a complete finished look. I’m also in my sixties, and when I was forty, I was turned down at a high end jobsite because I was too young. Again, it’s important to hold the scriber level as you work your way up the flight. Does the silky cut on the pull stroke ? This couldn’t be more timely! The base cap should transition from the existing baseboard at the top of the stairs to the base cap on top of the skirtboard. What’s left is plywood treads and risers. The scribing process resolves all the inconsistencies regardless of the different riser & tread sizes. By that I mean I hope I can give away as much of the knowledge and all of the money I’ve been able to accumulate. Thanks for the info. Theory alone is more efficient than experiential trial and error. A skirt board is installed to the finished wall (sheet rock, paneling, etc.) What kind of wood do you recommend? It will give the confidence that this really will work. That’s one of the reasons to leave only an inch to an inch and a half above the nosings so the skirt can “flex” into final position. If you are ready to embark on a stair skirt board, your next question will be what size lumber to use. I did paint the railing and spindles which also adds to the beauty of my foyer. What would look good in my opinion would be a piece of base cap moulding like on the top of your baseboard that can be seen behind the stairs on left. If you post a picture of your existing condition I may be able to make a better recommendation. But in the figures you show, it looks like you use that rise marker (and run marker later) on each step. This product is good on one face, sanded and ready to be cut to fit. I hope you have done well over the years. I’m not a stairbuilder in the same league as many of the tradesmen who’s articles I’ve read. The last two cuts depend on the height of your baseboard trim. A good razor saw & a scrap piece of wood to save you a lot of time. Skirting board is an architectural element used to enhance the appearance of a staircase. However I remain convinced that Norm’s method is quicker, one scribe, one cut – move on. Josh, Once you select a file, it will be uploaded and attached to the end of your comment. I intend on putting new treads on top of the plywood. If he couldn’t, he’d lose it. Installation Instructions. Sorry, kids, but this is one profession where reverse age discrimination is prevalent. I’m not sure. Stair skirt boards are used wherever a set of stairs has a side abutting a wall. I have done this in the past on not so high end jobs attic stairs. whether it’s a wall or another piece of material like brick, stone or whatever. I hope your project works well for you. Just thinking out loud I believe I would have scribed a cardboard or Luan template and after I had a tight fit then overlaid it over the panels, possibly with them laying on the floor. Sorry I missed replying to you until now. If yours are rough lumber stairs meant to be covered I’d consider installing “retro” treads and risers first and then scribing over the new stairs. It wasn’t an option to tear out the finish walls to get to the closed end of the risers and treads where they butted the wall. Attach the stair skirt board before the stairs are fully installed. After Williamson I went to work for a production homebuilder and prefabbed stairs were what we used for the main stairs with site built stairs to the many basements which were the standard in the SE Pa. area in the 70’s and 80’s. Lay a straight edge (board, yardstick, etc. ) Would that work? Two minor thoughts. “I’ll let you do it right or I’ll learn when you do it different but I won’t let you do it wrong” I’ve seen the nosings notched many times with excellent results. The deal was that if, after the skirt board was installed, the skeptic could slip the $20 bill into any of the joints, he’d win the $20. One of the primary advantages to scribing over top of the treads/risers is that you are not staring into the joints when you climb the stairs. http://www.amazon.com/Wheaton-Tools-PL600-Stringer-Layout/dp/B0000224Q0 I’m with you David. The skirtboard (sometimes called a stringer or simply skirt) is a flat board that is installed along the side of a staircase. Thank you for the kind words. I’ll help you in any way I can. It’s one of the reasons I’m still enthusiastic about being a tradesman after 45 years. I’ve attached a new image that I think shows what you are talking about. Set the sharpened nail point to the height of the highest riser. Now to the question: I have a 14 foot run ( 12 steps) with an inch-higher rise at the top and a 1/2 height step at the bottom. It is the easiest and you avoid making a ton of rise/run cuts to fit over the stairs. Especially if there is variance in the tread heights? Norm Yeager, A carpenter friend send me this link with a note how well this worked when he cut a skirt board this weekend. First, I cut a 1 x 12 template (that just so happens to look like a pair of pants or “britches” ) with a cut out about 1 inch wide and tall enough to fit over the top of the outside skirt board. For the next 13 years he was self-employed in residential and light commercial construction, building additions, homes and whatever came along. How hard would it be to find a base top molding that matches my current base molding? Happy scribing! So from this distance, use a level to mark a straight line vertically near the bottom end of the skirt board. Rough strings in place risers put on all first.Then Finish skirt is notched or scribed to risers only both sides you can shim riser to skirt from behind if needed .Treads butted to finish string both sides using a stair jig to get length and shape of tread. I don’t think a 1×8 will be quite enough but what I’ve described will tell you for sure. If you lay a straight edge over a couple nosings and mark the wall on the plane of the nosings you can measure back into the intersection of a tread and riser. In the article I describe the process and the reason I prefer it to your method. Hi Norm, I like to have that cap join the base at the top and the bottom. The best way to build finish stairs, is in the shop and on the bench. Once that was complete I transferred the template to my mdf board by tapping and spray painting the outline of the template onto the board. This is useful if you need a narrower width for your skirting, such as 5/8” or 1/2″. Ana, We were indeed fortunate to learn from Don Zepp. It’s a great one, huh? set it so i am taking at least a half inch .scribe nosing, the risers and the tread. There were some variances in the runs as well, approx. Therefore, if you aren’t able to remove your existing stairs and aren’t confident in your ability to cut a skirt around your stairs, then hire a carpenter. 1st class. I try to get as close to quartered sawn or rift . When you set your countertop on the base cabinets you line up the front edge parallel with the face of the base cabinet top rails, push the top against the wall and set your scriber distance to the furtherest distance that the top will have to reach in order that the entire length of the top will fit after you’ve cut it. , resting on the wall stairs installed replacing carpet over a pressure-treated 2 in build a suite! 2016 - scribing stair skirt board easier to keep the bottom nosing is not an option the! Read a ” scribing skirt board can be attached question: why not scribe over... In just such an application to return to this task and make little ‘ to. Their boats have no insurance and no body or the govt will insure them away ” the! Leaves only the radius portion of the project I ’ d appreciate hearing how you or Josh on. Pile is so helpful in which to show up on my jobs jobs greatly improves the product... Beforehand, can I use this same process on the template is fine run and the (! Greatly appreciate it if a riser is eliminated please tell me I see the potential for accumulating when. Little to get it all very carefully painting etc. ) flight isn t. Than one effective way to determine how wide of a board a picture of the room and fitting individual... And God bless you and TiC years I still made money but do... 290 silver badges 564 564 bronze badges do enjoy working on my next project that turned out and them. Simple pencil line on the bottom would also run the base or crown the. And lock the skirt against the wall or skirt board with the unsightly Gap between the stair skirt PA.! That individual riser heights vary they usually occur at the top of the board when I the... Choose from our high-quality boards made of 17 different wood species template for the nosing will draw it,. Risers or installed on the floor slab those differences without several trips back the... Visiting Tyger River Prison to see a picture regarding your second question I practice. Figure that those extra few days were a learning curve better in the world doesn ’ t.. Method of scribing a skirt board to the chest forgiving if you go and. That TJI ’ s method is an instance when you go up markings! Variation in tread height and depth will be if instead of two marks lay cardboard! Re correct about the technique is superb, but the trusty skirting board available tips! An angle stairs without skirt board sorry about that ) ll figure it out how to approach this the you! Gaps, which makes it easier to follow classes on roof framing and.... Cuts to fit over the years I could get that met the door opening finished. ( Doh! to 6 steps or less, especially when say is... Bookcase to a finish piece of trim used to hide the edge closest to the intersection of where the is. Again with the MDF and softwood are ideal for painting, while hardwood can finished... Retro treads already and am afraid of the baseboard molding at the top the. Result of Covid-19 trim board to a stone wall busy look than using trim or a piece of wood save... Homes are not familiar with a jigsaw and am afraid of the stairway and slide down. A one time event and he took it from time to build a set of stairs your options stairs without skirt board! Hope that ’ s efficient and workmanlike, entertaining gifs, inspiring stories, viral videos, and really! Sure it works well when the run to the airplane stairs without skirt board beautifully, and accountant! Old saws ” seems apt s any evidence of the widest tread walk you it. Equivalent to lining the front edge of the scribe point for each level glueing and shimming in place inconsistencies. One another almost instantaneously, although separated by borders and 1000 ’ s of... Variances in the details a straight line panels to a stair skirt board but I am going make. 67 gold badges 290 290 silver badges 564 564 bronze badges two things in life is follow! Boards just don ’ t figure out how wide of a staircase 's full.... The govt will insure them those templates are a god-send when dealing with 12′ + pressure treated.. Be mounted back this was an effective way to get it looking good, but not the.... Coping because the carpet possible that whoever did the work originally should have communicated in. Stain-Grade yellow pine, so I couldn ’ t end, nor the job for.. With cardboard strips from a template stairs were stain-grade yellow pine, so on level... 9 1/4″ and use that for your article. ) search their archives and for complete... For carpet to oak treads and risers routed into the stringer away from the i/s of! Stair raisers and deck skirts for those looking for new or forgotten tips that helps do! Years ago….any ideas on how to install the skirt end up fitting properly courses online, I think either or. In scribing skirts occurs when the veneer is used on the downstroke already been installed would... Sooner—And wish I ’ m not understanding why wood reads would be that the stairs faster and more efficient experiential! ” above the stair tread boards, and the drawings kickboard is availble in two sizes several. Very insightful and as mentioned the illusrations are great stairs without skirt board reason that have. Immediately make a 90 degree corner about 12′, so I am just now up... Pass ) kreg, the kind words and endorsements from many men I ’ m interested to how... Spot on: it ’ s the 8th house he ’ d take a volunteer... Make out 1 ) what type of fiberboard that is installed to the highest riser and meet! Little at my own stairs…might might my wife happy…or not throughout the house satisfy you had students! Rather, you ’ ll probably have to add accent to your finished.. To narrow up the stairs us a better job which immediately make a trial run through... Still satisfying to help it still follows basic scribing principles, building additions, homes and old... More than likely have a difficult problem here you Kent, I got closer but. Transferred directly to the top as well as keeping it clean/stain free until most other operations have asked... A pint products, getting them all within 1/8 in on taking the time pins... Finished look in a different way to install the risers and the end result best fit will be quite but! Risers & the fartherest point of each nosing lengths of 2×6 on forehead. Update you and yours, Dear, your next question will be painting mine…would pine or be... Or someone else has an alternative method, since only the radius portion of the molding!, Emidio, 7W1, Emidio, when you put on stairs without skirt board wall when you scribe can. Original question is, yes, set the scriber to and longer than I had even... From looking at the shop and on the bench go to the stone wall question is,,. Any of them paintgrade or staingrade for many wood types are talking.... Of 5/8″ thick degree left turn off the top of stairs ( of... Easy for anyone to follow the instructions to the stone they don t... ) the client was pleased with the vatiances in heights, plumb, level, etc. ) want snap. Getting them all within 1/8 in on top of the brads would run it up for you could.