Wood is a natural material. It is environmentally friendly, but at the same time subject to environmental influences. Therefore, wood products need special care. This applies not only to furniture, but also to complex structures (for example, stairs). Constant walking down and up do not pass without a trace. Over time, scratches, bald spots and dents appear on the surface of the steps. Is it possible to return the previous form of this design? Experts give a positive answer. And further in the article it will be described how the repair and restoration of wooden stairs is carried out.
What to look for
When performing an operation to restore a wooden staircase, special attention should be paid to the choice of a grinding machine. It can be of different types:
- eccentric circle;
- vibration grinding;
- delta grinder.
For beginners, experts recommend using the first type of those listed. Such a machine allows you to get the highest quality result when restoring a wooden staircase with your own hands. But professionals, as a rule, use a belt sander. After all, to cope with it, you need to have certain skills.
It is important to pay attention to the processing of wood before applying varnish. The surface is recommended to be pre-moistened, due to this, those fibers that were previously pressed during grinding will rise again.
What you need to prepare the surface
At the first stage, we need to prepare sandpaper (abrasive wheels for a grinder). P40 paper is required to gently remove old varnish and scratches. To eliminate traces of coarse grinding, select P100 sandpaper. And P180 will prepare the material for varnishing.
Work sequence
When working, it is important to observe certain nuances:
- First you need to use a disk with P40 paper. So we will remove the old varnish from the surface. In this case, the grinding wheel should be exactly on the sole. Otherwise, its edges will become unusable.
- The tool must be evenly led along the stairs. The pressure should be negligible.
- The grinding pad is polished rack. Attention is removed and the edges. Work must always be in the direction of the fibers.
- At the next stage of restoration of wooden stairs, they are cleaned of dust. For areas between the bowstring and the tread, it is recommended to use cotton fabric.
We cover the steps with varnish
As mentioned earlier, it is better to pre-treat the fibers with water. Which varnish is better to use? Experts recommend the use of matte, as it has greater resistance to abrasion and reliably protects the steps from dampness. As for the number of its layers, it is better to cover the steps with varnish in two or three runs.
- For fine grinding of edges (this work is carried out before applying varnish), grinding cloth is used.
- Then the stairs are cleaned of dust with a clean rag. Cleaning starts from the uppermost stage.
- Then moisten the surface with a rag. then grinding with P240 paper is performed.
- The varnish itself is thoroughly mixed before application. After that, pour it into the paint tray.
- The composition is applied first to the edges. They are thoroughly treated with a brush. Matte varnish is distributed in the direction of the wood fibers. If the composition is applied to the edges of the treads, the bowstrings are closed with a wide spatula. The steps themselves are varnished with a velor roller. They need to work in two directions.
What next?
The restoration of wooden stairs does not end there. After the listed works, proceed to the railing:
- They are treated with special oil. If the ladder is not subjected to high loads, solid oil can be used. It will make the material more pleasant to the touch. To apply the composition to the railing handrails, a brush is used. Processing begins from the upper side.
- After that, they go to the side railing. Apply a thin layer of oil. At the same time, a uniform film should be formed on the railing surface, without gaps. Make sure that there are no drips or drops on the edges. If such defects were found, they need to be smoothed out with a brush. This is done immediately, while the varnish has not yet set.
- After 15 minutes, the remaining oil that is not absorbed into the tree is completely removed with a rag. The latter should also rub oil into the surface. Rub until a solid matte gloss appears.
- Next, you need to wait until the surface dries and grind it again with P240 paper, and then reprocess it with oil using the same technology.
Repair of wooden stairs in the house: eliminate creaking
The tree has many features. Among the unpleasant moments it is worth noting a creak that appears over time. How to eliminate this trouble?
- To do this, raise the tread from the riser with the lever.
- Drive a temporary wedge into the resulting gap.
- Close the gap with sealant, and tighten the boards with screws.
At first glance, repairing wooden staircases on bolets can seem simple. This is true if the cause of the creaking was the loosening of nails, or the drying of wood. But you need to understand that if the problem is the subsidence of the supports, you will have to dismantle the entire structure. Further, it is reassembled, but on a more solid basis.
If there is a need to strengthen the floor, you have to remove the floorboard. Having determined its condition, you need to add an additional lag, or pour concrete for support. But in any case, the creak is caused by the friction of the wooden elements against each other. Therefore, only after their reliable fixation can you get rid of the annoying sound.
Alternative restoration of wooden stairs
To get rid of the creak, you can go the other way. So, some clog the gap between the wooden parts with a rope. The latter is pre-soaked in wood glue.
After installing the rope in the gap, the gap is puttyed with sawdust with glue. When the latter dries, the creak will disappear. Silicone in this situation is not recommended by experts.
Step Replacement
Repair of a wooden staircase in a private house can also consist in the replacement of steps. Depending on the situation, you have to change the tread, riser, or the whole step. There are some nuances here.
Often the owners are faced with a problem when a new part does not replace the old one. And even though the dimensions of the riser were measured to the nearest millimeter. The fact is that a wooden structure undergoes subsidence and shrinkage over time. Therefore, there may be defects - broken diagonals. Because of this, the element does not normally fit into place. And to make the new board unusable, just change one of the corners by a degree.
To facilitate measurements, it is recommended to use thick cardboard. Using a mallet or rubber hammer, you need to beat off the riser shape, and then transfer the template to the board. To beat off the line, you need to put cardboard on the edge of the lower step, attaching the side to the upper riser. A strip with a mallet is beaten off along this line.
When restoring wooden stairs, you need to remember that their structures are made of hardwood (ash, oak, beech, elm). Therefore, when driving nails or screwing in screws, the material may crack.
To avoid this, you first need to drill a hole of a smaller diameter in the board and only then hammer a nail, or screw in a self-tapping screw. It is impossible to apply glue for old connections as there will be no necessary adhesion.