DIY Network

Wood-Trimmed Stairs Marvelous moldings make stunning stairs. From "B. Original" episode DBOR-406

Who knew stairs could look this good?

Stair risers – the part that faces you as you walk up the stairs – may be the most neglected bit of woodwork in the house. But no longer: Michele Beschen makes these hard-working lengths of wood into a sophisticated focal point by sheathing them in top-to-bottom moldings.

This project is a natural for an entryway or anywhere else with a prominent stairway. Scroll down for Michele Beschen's easy how-to, and start creating stairs with style.

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Wood-Trimmed Stairs

Materials:

variety of wood trims
measuring tape
scrap board
miter saw or hand saw
pencil
air nailer or hammer and nails
wood putty
polyurethane

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E

• Measure the height and width of the stair riser and count the number of risers on the stairway. Use these figures to determine how many rows of trim it will take to cover each riser and how much will be needed to do the whole stairway. Michele Beschen worked with a 14-riser stairway with risers measuring just under 42" wide; the total trim cost for the project was about $250.

• Select a variety of trims in different patterns and widths at the local home improvement store or building center. Don't choose trims that will stick out too far from the surface.

• Since there are so may pieces of trim to cut to the same length, a measuring jig will save time on this project. To build it, use a piece of scrap board that is longer than the riser width:
  
  • Attach a small piece of scrap wood at one end with a few nails (figure A). You will rest the molding against this piece when measuring. Make sure this piece is squared off with the board, or none of the molding pieces will come out square.
    
  • Measure from the small piece of scrap wood to the desired length and make a mark.
    
  • Use a carpenter's square to draw a straight line at the mark (figure B).
    
  • Instead of fumbling with a measuring tape, simply measure the trim pieces against the jig, mark the length and cut them to fit (figure C).

• Wood trim is usually fairly soft and easy to cut with a hand saw. However, a small miter saw makes the work go much faster.

• Cut a number of pieces in different trim styles and dry-fit them to the stair riser (figure D). If there is an exposed edge on the stairs, line the trim pieces up perfectly wit that edge.

• To install the trim, start with the bottom piece, position it and install a nail in the center. Press firmly to hold the trim straight, then work your way out to the edges with nails. Michele Beschen used 1-1/4" nails in an air nailer; use finish nails if nailing by hand.

• Construction adhesive also works to install the trim pieces, but makes it much more difficult to remove the trim at a later date.

• Once the first piece of trim is secured, place the next piece on top of it, press down to avoid any gaps between the trims and nail into place. Continue until the riser is covered.

• Continue up the stairs until every riser is trimmed out; you can use the same arrangement of trims on each riser, or change it as desired. Dry-fit the trim pieces periodically to make sure the measurements are still accurate; some staircases vary slightly in width as they go up.

• Fill the nail holes with wood putty (figure E), let the putty dry and sand if necessary. If there are exposed trim ends, decide whether to leave them alone or cover them with small, vertical pieces of trim.

• To finish the project, either stain the trim or leave it natural. Seal the trim with a polyurethane floor sealer.

Don't toss out those small trim remnants: Use them to dress up drawer fronts, wooden boxes or other pieces of furniture.