How to Stop Stairs Creaking

There’s not much that’s more annoying than creaky stairs, but there are a couple of easy ways to fix this common problem. The easiest way to fix creaky stairs is by accessing them from the back, but this is often not possible unless you have an under-stairs cupboard. This means you’ll have to fix the issue from the front. So, keep reading to find out how it’s done.

Useful links

Flat pry bar
Combination square
Pencil
Impact driver
50mm screws
Vacuum cleaner
PVA glue
Water
Small tub
Paintbrush
Expanding glue
Hammer
Staple gun
Carpet chisel

Step-by-step guide

Pull up your carpet or runner from the stairs. If you’ve got carpet rods, unscrew and remove these. Our runner was installed with adhesive, so we just gently pulled it away from the stairs.

If your carpet has been installed using carpet grippers, pull it up from the edges with a flat pry bar. You’ll also need to remove the gripper on the tread, doing this carefully to make sure it comes away in one piece.

Top tip: If the carpet has been laid in more than one piece, make a note of each piece’s location to make refitting it later on easier.

Creaking is usually due to the joins between the risers (which are the vertical parts of your stairs) and treads (the parts you step on) being loose. This separation may not be visible, so put your weight on the step to see if it creaks.

If the issue lies underneath the front of the tread, use a combination square to measure how far back the riser sits. Take this number and add approximately 10mm to ensure you drill into the middle of the riser. Then measure this distance from the front of the tread.

Mark this measurement three times across the step, drill pilot holes into these marks, and drive a 50mm screw into each hole. The gap between the tread and riser will close up as you screw.

Clean up sawdust with a vacuum cleaner as you go.

Gaps at the back of the tread are a little trickier to fix. For this, you’ll need to use the ‘Glue & Screw’ method.

First, create a 50/50 mix of water and PVA glue. Pour the mix along the crack, using a paintbrush to brush it into the gaps. As it’s watered down, it should flow easily into the gaps.

Top tip: If you’ve discovered a larger gap, use stronger, expanding glue.

You’ll now need to screw the back of the tread and top of the riser together. Drill a pilot hole about 20mm from the back of the tread, making sure to drill diagonally so it catches the bottom of the riser. The gap on our stairs required us to do this 3 times, but yours may require more or less depending on the damage.

Drive in 50mm screws to bring the two surfaces together.

Leave the glue to set overnight.

For a carpet installed with adhesive, reapply the adhesive to your stairs and press the carpet or runner down with a carpet chisel.

If yours was installed using grippers, hammer the grippers back into their original position, re-attach the underlay with staples, and place the carpet back onto the stairs, pushing it back into the carpet grippers.

Now you won’t have to hear annoying creaks every time you use your stairs, so you can sneak down for a midnight snack without disturbing your family!