I am working on a project to replace my stair treads. The current treads show an ugly gap between the end of the tread and the existing skirt board. The current skirt board was installed before the treads, so the treads butt up against the skirt board. The current stairs had carpet on them so the gap didn't matter.
I want to put new treads on these stairs which are finished wood so that there is no visible gap between the end of the stair tread and the wall or skirt board. Can I meet this goal by installing the skirt board over the installed stair treads?
Should the skirt board or the stairs be installed first? Is the skirt board supposed to cover the gap between the tread and the wall?
Best Answer
Skirt boards are one of the hardest things in my opinion to do. I can rip apart a bathroom and have it put back together in 2-3 days and it might take me the same amount of time to make a couple of long stair skirts. All of your stairs wont be the exact same measurements, walls are not perfectly flat... One of the things that I source out now for sure.
The short answer is it depends. If the staircase will be carpeted or if there is no overhang on the treads then the answer is tread first. Basically this is faster because your treads don't have to be perfect. Also your skirt doesn't have to be perfect.
If your stairs will be showing the treads or if there is an overhang I would suggest installing the skirt and then the treads. This will give you a cleaner look. Also good luck notching out the skirt to match all of the overhangs on the tread if you decided to do it last.