First Time Building Stairs - Everything You Need To Know

Moments in this video

1. 2:54–4:34 Determine the Total Rise From How to Measure Stair Rise and Run, Step 1: Determine Total Rise

   Measure the total vertical distance from the *finished* lower floor to the *finished* upper floor. If the subfloor is exposed on the upper level, place a sample piece of your finished flooring on top of the subfloor before taking the measurement. Similarly, if the lower floor is not finished (e.g., dirt), place a sample of the intended finished flooring (e.g., patio blocks) before measuring. For this project, the finished concrete floor on the bottom and a finished pine floor on top result in a total rise of 36.5 inches (927 millimeters). Additionally, check if the floor is level further away from the stairwell header by extending a level beyond the header and measuring down; use the measurement from where the stringer will actually sit if there's a difference.

2. 2:54–4:34 Determine the Total Rise From How to Find the Angle of Your Stairs, Step 1: Measure the total rise of the staircase

   Measure the total vertical distance from the *finished* lower floor to the *finished* upper floor. If the subfloor is exposed on the upper level, place a sample piece of your finished flooring on top of the subfloor before taking the measurement. Similarly, if the lower floor is not finished (e.g., dirt), place a sample of the intended finished flooring (e.g., patio blocks) before measuring. For this project, the finished concrete floor on the bottom and a finished pine floor on top result in a total rise of 36.5 inches (927 millimeters). Additionally, check if the floor is level further away from the stairwell header by extending a level beyond the header and measuring down; use the measurement from where the stringer will actually sit if there's a difference.

3. 8:10–9:35 Mark Top and Bottom Stringer Cuts From How to Lay Out and Cut Deck Stair Stringers, Step 6: Trim the Bottom of the Stringers

   To complete the top of the stringer, turn the framing square 90 degrees and align the blade with the last marked tread line. Make sure it's perfectly lined up, then draw a horizontal line to finish off the top of the stringer. For the bottom of the stringer, line up the tongue of the framing square with the bottom marked tread, ensuring perfect alignment with the pencil mark and in the corner. Then measure and mark out the riser distance (7 and 5/16 inches in this case). This adjustment needs to be applied if your stringer is going to be attached to a subfloor first, and then finished flooring will be added on top. You need to drop the stringer by the thickness of the tread minus the thickness of the finished floor. For example, if your tread thickness is 1.5 inches, you need to remove that amount from the bottom of the stringer so that once the finished tread is added, your rise remains consistent.

Guides that use this video

• How to Measure Stair Rise and Run
• How to Find the Angle of Your Stairs
• How to Lay Out and Cut Deck Stair Stringers