What Is a Stair Cove?

Stair Cove

• A stair cove is a piece of wood molding or trim that is glued or nailed into place under the stair tread and onto the front of each stair riser of a staircase. Its top and back form a 90-degree angle, and the front surface is concave. Stair cove molding is manufactured in different lengths and usually needs to be cut to custom fit each stair. It is often manufactured with a clear finish that darkens the wood or with no finish at all. A buyer may purchase a wood cove trim with no finish and stain it to match the color of the stair risers.

Decoration

• While a stair cove is usually added to give a staircase a neat, finished appearance, the stair cove can also act as an accent piece on each stair. For example, the stair riser can be painted white, the stair tread green and the stair cove gold. Another decorative idea is to stain the stair treads and stair coves in a light finish such as oak and paint the risers with a white semigloss paint. Then nail small metal shapes such as stars, suns or triangles to the stair coves. You can also assemble the treads, risers and stair coves, and then stain or paint them all one color so each stair has the appearance of one whole unit without separate parts.

Considerations

• Not every staircase uses stair coves on its stairs. Stairs where the treads do not extend over the risers do not need stair coves. When stair coves are used on a staircase, they must be installed carefully and checked for a proper fit onto the stair. A visual scan up the staircase should present a uniform appearance of each stair.

Safety

• Properly constructed staircases should last for a long time. However, when a structural unit such as a stair is made up of several parts, there is always the chance that heavy use of the unit can cause structural failure. Wear and tear such as dragging heavy objects up and down the staircase may pull the stair cove away from the stair or pull off decorative items. Check the staircase on a regular basis to ensure that the stair coves and any decorative items stay safely in place.