Choosing Stair Riser Material

tjeieio · 03-15-2010, 12:53 AM

I am also finishing my basement. The house is 70 years old and the basement stairs have been open faced the whole time. I just spent the day carefully cutting risers to cover up these openings. I used 3/8 plywood and am now wondering if I really blew it. The risers do not provide any support and they will just be painted. But . . . is there a minimum thickness required for risers?

DrDave · 03-15-2010, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjeieio

I am also finishing my basement. The house is 70 years old and the basement stairs have been open faced the whole time. I just spent the day carefully cutting risers to cover up these openings. I used 3/8 plywood and am now wondering if I really blew it. The risers do not provide any support and they will just be painted. But . . . is there a minimum thickness required for risers?

Since they do not provide any support, 3/8" should be fine. The only thing that you might be concerned with, is support behind the center to nail to so they don't warp over time.