Making Stairs

Measure from the upper landing or to which you want to attach the stairs straight down to the floor to get the rise of the stairs. If something sits in the way of making a measurement from the landing directly down to the floor, use a level to hold the tape measure at exactly the same height as the landing in an area where you can reach the floor without obstruction.

Divide the rise of the stairs by seven to get the number of steps you should incorporate into the staircase. If the number comes out a percentage, round up. Divide the total rise that you measured by the total number of stairs that you figured and note this number, which represents the actual height for each stair.

Draw a vertical line on a sheet of paper to represent the rise of the stairs, using a scale like 1-inch for 1-foot. For a 6-foot rise, for instance, draw a 6-inch vertical line. Draw directly out from the bottom of this line the distance that you want the stairs stretch across the floor, such as 10 inches if you want the bottom of the stairs to sit 10 feet from the upper landing. Use a protractor to ensure that the lines sit at a 90-degree angle.

Lay the ruler between the top of the vertical line on the paper and the end of the horizontal line on the paper and draw a line between the two points. Measure the length of this line and translate the measurement into feet. In the case of a10 and 6 inch lines, for instance, the sloped line equals just under 12 inches and should be translated into a foot per inch.

Cut two supports, also known as stringers, for each side of the stairs by trimming 2-by-12-inch wood boards to the length of the slope that you figured. Slide a stair gauge on a carpenter’s square at the measurement equal to the height that you figured for each stair and then on the other arm of the square at the width that you would like to make each stair from to front to back, such as 12 inches. Place the square at one end of the board so that both gauges sits against the side, mark both sides to create a “V” on the board, and then move down the board, marking “V”s that touch at the edges.

Cut the “V”s out of each of the stringers. Place the stringers against the wall so that the flat sides point toward the floor and connect the stringers to the upper landing and floor with hex bolts.

Cut 2-by-12 boards down to make steps, or treads, to place between the stringers. Let 1 to 2 inches of each tread hang off each side of the stringers and secure the treads to the stringers with 2 to 4 screws through the top of each tread.