1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, generally, to staircase tread and riser installation.
2. Background Art
The installation of pre-finished or unfinished, solid wood stair treads and risers into a staircase frame is time consuming. Installing pre-finished stair treads and risers into a staircase frame requires nails to penetrate their surfaces. When the stair tread or riser is nailed or fastened into the staircase frame, nail holes remain in the exposed surfaces. The installer has to perform an additional procedure to fill in the nail holes with a filler which makes the installation more costly and is unsightly. When stair treads and risers need to be refinished or replaced, the installer has to disassemble the staircase, which adds additional costs to refurbish a staircase. Alternatively, unfinished wood stair treads and risers are stained and then cleared with urethane or a similar material while installed in a staircase frame, which is a burden to a user as they cannot use the stairs until the curing process is complete. Moreover, the fumes associated with the chemical emissions of stains and urethanes pose as a health hazard to occupants.
Risers used in staircase systems deteriorate when users kick and ding them while ascending and descending the stairs. Risers often need to be replaced. Although prior art staircase risers can be replaced, without a way of easily removing a riser from the staircase, the replacement process can be time consuming, costly, and can damage the surrounding stair treads and risers.
There are several challenges to overcome with installing solid wood stair treads and risers in a staircase system. One challenge being the need for the stair tread and riser to be in contact with the frame of a staircase capable of sufficiently supporting the weight of a user. Currently, nails are driven through the exposed surface of the wood stair tread and riser to be secured to a staircase frame. The problem with a nail being driven through the exposed surface of the stair tread and riser into a staircase frame is the nail holes. Thus, there is a need for an improved method of installing stair treads and risers into a staircase frame that does not result in exposed nail holes.
Currently, many prior art methods of staircase riser installation result in the permanent placement of a riser. Permanently installed risers will need to be removed when they become damaged or worn. The replacement of a permanent riser can result in damage to the surrounding staircase. Thus, there is a need for an improved method of installing a stair riser, allowing the riser to be removable to prevent damage to the surrounding staircase.
Prior art methods of stair tread installation do not allow for a stair tread to be removed for replacement. Stair treads become damaged from users scuffing and wearing them from walking up and down the stairs. Additionally, damage occurs when objects are dropped onto the stair tread resulting in a dent. Thus, there is a need for a stair tread system that allows for easy removal of a stair tread. It is more desirable for a user to have the ability to remove the stair treads without the costly labor associated with prior art stair treads. More particularly, a stair tread system that allows for stair tread removal prevents damage to the surrounding staircase when being removed.
However, in view of the prior art considered as a whole at the time the present invention was made; it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill in the pertinent art how the identified needs could be fulfilled.