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1. Field Of The Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of staircase repair and restoration and relates more particularly to hardwood overlays for covering an existing composite or solid wood staircase and a method of installing the same.
2. Description Of The Related Art
Conventional staircases of the type found in many residential buildings are commonly fabricated from raw, construction grade materials, such as plywood, fiberboard or various other composites, and are covered with flooring materials such as carpeting to provide an attractive and comfortable exterior surface. It is also relatively common for residential staircases to be fabricated from solid hardwood, such as oak, walnut, or cherry. Hardwood staircases are generally more desirable than carpeted composite staircases and are more expensive to construct due to the higher cost of the materials involved.
In the case of carpeted staircases, it is sometimes desirable to upgrade the staircase to a solid hardwood staircase for aesthetic reasons, such as when the seller of a home wishes to make the home more attractive to potential buyers, even when the original carpeted staircase is in good condition. In the case of hardwood staircases, the accumulation of surface wear over the course of time can make replacement of the staircase desirable, and sometimes even necessary, for aesthetic and functional reasons. In either case, replacing an existing staircase with a new, solid hardwood staircase typically requires extensive demolition and can sometimes be prohibitively expensive.
It would therefore be advantageous to have a means for achieving the appearance, durability, and longevity of a brand new, solid hardwood staircase without having to demolish an existing hardwood or carpeted composite staircase. It would further be advantageous to have such a means that is affordable and that can be implemented quickly and easily.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a stair tread overlay and a riser overlay that are made from solid wood and that are milled and cut to fit over a conventional, exposed wooden stair having a generally rounded nose like those found in most residential general construction staircases and prefabricated staircases. The tread overlay and riser overlay can cover a conventional wooden stair tread and riser completely from end to end (stringer to stringer) to hide a construction grade stair tread and riser (e.g., a stair tread and a riser that are made from plywood or another composite and that are typically covered with flooring material, such as carpeting) or an unsalvageable hardwood stair tread and riser to present an attractive, solid wood surface that is finishable. The tread overlay and riser overlay can also be used to cover a tread and riser only at the longitudinal ends of the tread and riser, against the abutting stringers of the staircase, to provide a finished hardwood surface at each end of the tread and riser in order to facilitate the installation of a carpet type runner in the middle of the staircase.
The profile of the tread overlay is preferably J-shaped and conforms to the shape of a conventional wooden stair tread profile having a rounded front edge. The overlay is formed with a length and a depth that are greater than that of a standard tread for allowing the overlay to be trimmed to size for accommodating a variety of standard and non-standard applications. The overlay can be milled and/or carved to allow fitment over multiple tread thicknesses. The overlay is affixed to an existing tread by using any conventional wood-to-wood adhesive, although it is contemplated that any other fastener for mounting the overlay to an existing tread, such as nails or screws, can also be used.
The tread overlay and riser overlay are preferably each formed of a single piece of solid hardwood material with an exterior surface that is finishable for accepting a desired stain color and/or finish coat. It is contemplated, however, that the overlay can be formed of multiple pieces of wood that are fit together. The overlays can be finished prior to installation (prefinished) or finished after installation (site finished).
The invention thus provides an alternative means of converting wooden staircases made from construction grade materials (solid or composite) or unsalvageable hardwood staircases into substantially new-looking solid hardwood staircases. The invention simplifies the task of conversion by eliminating the need to demolish, modify, and/or reconstruct the existing staircase as is typical with current methods for achieving hardwood conversion. Applying the tread overlays and riser overlays of the present invention to an existing staircase provides the staircase with an exterior surface that is consistent with most characteristics of a conventional solid hardwood staircase. The overlays achieve the beauty, durability and longevity that solid wood provides. Because the overlays are made of solid hardwood and have a substantial thickness, they are sandable and refinishable.
In describing the preferred embodiment of the invention which is illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, it is not intended that the invention be limited to the specific term so selected and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose. For example, the word connected or terms similar thereto are often used. They are not limited to direct connection, but include connection through other elements where such connection is recognized as being equivalent by those skilled in the art.
Referring to
The tread overlay 10 is preferably milled from a solid piece of hardwood and is defined by a planar tread portion 20 (see
The nose portion 22 of the tread overlay has an interior height, h of 1.5 inches and an interior radius, r of 0.075 inches for fitting over the nosing of most standard size stair treads (as will be described in greater detail below), although it is contemplated that the interior height, h and interior radius, r of the tread overlay 10 can be varied to conform to the size and shape of any stair tread that is to be covered. It is further contemplated that the nose portion 22 of the tread overlay can have a variety of other profile shapes, such as rectangular or triangular, for conforming to an existing stair tread that is not rounded. Still further, it is contemplated that the nose portion 22 of the tread overlay can have an interior profile shape that conforms to the nose shape of a stair tread to be covered but an exterior profile shape that is different than the nose shape of the stair tread to be covered. For example, it is contemplated that the nose portion 22 of the tread overlay 10 can have a rounded interior profile shape for fitting over the rounded nose of an underlying stair tread and a square exterior profile shape for providing the underlying staircase with a new and different exterior shape. Still further, it is contemplated that voids can exist if the interior profile shape does not precisely conform to the exterior shape of the stair tread.
Referring to
Still referring to
In order to install the tread overlays 10, 24, and 26 and the riser overlays 12, 32, and 34 on an existing composite or unsalvageable hardwood staircase, such as the staircase 18 in
Next, the tread overlays 10, 24, and 26 and the riser overlays 12, 32, and 34 of the present invention, which are fabricated with dimensions larger than those of the existing treads 14 and risers 16 (as described above), are cut down to the measured sizes of the existing treads 14 and risers 16 on-site. For example, the tread overlays 10, 24, and 26 are cut longitudinally and laterally to reduce their depths and widths, respectively, to appropriate sizes. Similarly, the riser overlays 12, 32, and 34 are cut laterally to reduce their widths to appropriate sizes.
Finally, the cut tread overlays 10, 24, and 26 and cut riser overlays 12, 32, and 34 are firmly mounted to the treads 14 and risers 16 of the existing staircase with conventional wood-to-wood adhesive. Of course, it is contemplated that the tread overlays 10, 24, and 26 and riser overlays 12, 32, and 34 can be mounted to the treads 14 and risers 16 using any other suitable means of affixation, such as with conventional fasteners or with other types of adhesives. The surfaces of the tread overlays 10, 24, and 26 and riser overlays 12, 32, and 34 that face and engage the existing treads 14 and risers 16 have a moderately rough texture for holding the adhesive to achieve proper adhesion. Such a surface texture can be achieved using any conventional means, such as by sanding or by the milling and cutting processes used to fabricate the overlays 10, 24, 26, 12, 32, and 34. In some cases, it may be beneficial or necessary to sand or otherwise distress the exterior surfaces of the existing stair treads 14 and risers 16 before mounting the overlays 10, 24, 26, 12, 32, and 34 in order to provide the treads 14 and risers 16 with a surface that is sufficiently rough to hold the adhesive.
Once installed, the tread overlays 10, 24, and 26 and riser overlays 12, 32, and 34 cover substantially all of the exterior surfaces of the treads 14 and risers 16 of the underlying staircase from stringer 40 to stringer 42 (only the stringer 40 is shown in
Referring to
The tread overlay 40 is similar to the tread overlay 10 described above with a first nose portion 42 extending from the front of the tread portion, but additionally includes a second, separate nose portion 44 adjoining the first nose portion 42 that extends from a longitudinal end of the tread portion and a third, separate nose portion 46 adjoining the second nose portion 44 that extends from the rear of the tread portion. When assembled together, the three nose portions 42-46 cover all three exposed edges of the underlying open-ended tread. It is contemplated that the tread overlay 40 can alternatively be fabricated with a fourth adjoining nose portion (not pictured) extending from the opposite longitudinal end of the tread overlay 40 from the second nose portion 44 for covering a stair tread having two open longitudinal ends (i.e., a tread that does not abut a stringer at either longitudinal end). During installation, the tread overlay 40 is measured, cut, and mounted in a substantially similar manner to the tread overlay 10 described above. It should be noted that some open-ended staircases feature a banister, such as the banister 48, which generally must be removed before the overlay 40 is installed and can be replaced after installation is complete. Once the overlay 40 is installed, the nose portions 44 and 46 are trimmed and installed.
Referring to
This detailed description in connection with the drawings is intended principally as a description of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, and is not intended to represent the only form in which the present invention may be constructed or utilized. The description sets forth the designs, functions, means, and methods of implementing the invention in connection with the illustrated embodiments. It is to be understood, however, that the same or equivalent functions and features may be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention and that various modifications may be adopted without departing from the invention or scope of the following claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/050,636 filed May 6, 2008.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61050636 | May 2008 | US |