Stairway construction
A device that simulates the presence of a high price stair tread end to provide the appearance of a full stair tread extending outwardly beneath a balustrade's bottom rail, when properly installed, which device has a generally horizontal first upper member, and a generally vertical second lower member, the lower member being disposed within a rear surface recess of the upper member, the upper member being milled on at least one vertical surface.
This invention relates to a device that simulates the edge of the tread of a step and the trim used with it.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONBuilders of tract homes want to give the perception of high value in the homes they build; yet they are required to spend only a finite sum of money for a particular price point home. Buyers on the other hand, want the appearance of a higher end home than the price point at which they are purchasing. This is known as perceived value.
In upscale homes the stairs are made with individual treads. These treads extend laterally beyond the risers to underneath the banister and its associated balusters and bottom rail. This lateral extension beyond the riser is about 1.0 inch and the forward extension beyond the riser is about 0.75 inch. See
In many tract and even upscale homes, many buyers prefer not to have “naked” or uncarpeted stairs, but buyers like the look of hardwoods such as maple and oak extending out under the carpeting. And those that want their stairways painted, still want the appearance of individual milled stair treads, not treads that are inset between the side panels, or stringers as they are called in the industry. Inexpensive stairway construction utilizes stock which has been subjected to a router along the front edge only and then nailed to the stringers, such that there is no overhang underneath the banister and bottom rail. These treads terminate flush with the stringer. But due to a builder's costs constraints, rather than use high-priced hardwood as both the tread and riser, lower priced products are used such as pine, medium density fiberboard (MDF), and plywood in low-cost stairway construction. Ofttimes, these lower priced materials are used because both the risers and treads are to be covered over by carpeting as noted. Other times stairs are made with no lateral tread overhang in an effort to reduce milling costs to create the nice side edge appearance of the tread.
Thus a dichotomy, in that the problem existed as to how to use lower cost materials and methods to keep the price down but still satisfy the desires of buyers for a high end look. Applicant has solved that problem.
The invention accordingly comprises the device possessing the features properties and the relation of components which are exemplified in the following detailed disclosure and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.
For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention reference should be made to the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA simulated stair tread end for attachment to a stairway whose treads are made of lower cost materials, and/or by a lower cost method, and which stair tread end when mounted projects laterally outwardly under the banister and bottom rail of stairway. The device may be made of medium density fiberboard or from hardwood or other wood substitute as may be desired. The device has an upper horizontal portion and a lower vertical portion fastened to each other to form the device which is then nailed into position onto a “stringer”—the saw-toothed plank that forms the basis of the stair set, to simulate the appearance of the tread extending beyond the banister and bottom rail instead of terminating flush with the stringer.
It is a first object to provide a tread end that is attachable to a low-cost inset construction stair, to create the appearance of the use of individual milled plank stair treads.
It is a second object to provide an easy to attach stair tread end.
It is third object to provide a stained wood tread end for use with low-end material stairs having carpet thereon.
It is a fourth object to provide a stair tread and under trim for use with low-cost production stairways to create eye appeal.
Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
In the conventional approach to building a stairway, the layout shown in the prior art view of
As is known in the art, treads have milled forward edges and milled outer edges. Much of this milling is labor intensive. The purpose of the device of this invention is to achieve the same look as hand milled or routed treads with accompanying trim, but by using a lower cost production mode and in some cases lower cost materials.
The Invention Reference is now made to
The lower member is preferably a rectangular solid 12, which has a rear surface 14 seen in
The upper member 11 has a top surface 13, denoted in
The front surface which lies between the two side surfaces is designated 27 may also be milled. The upper member bottom surface 21 is shown in
A recess 19 is inwardly formed about ¼ to ½ inch or more deep between the two sections 17 and extends about ½ inch upwardly from the bottom surface thereof, for the receipt and attachment of the lower member as will be discussed below. The depth of the recess is set as the depth that will match the thickness of the upper member such that the upper member will fit within the confines of the recess and extend downwardly therefrom flush on its rear surface with the rear surface of the upper member. This recess can be seen in
It is to be noted that the lateral extension of the lower member is less than the lateral extension of the upper member as the lower member is disposed within the recess 19 of the upper member. See
In
In
A filler strip 50 made of any material such as MDF, plywood, solid, soft or hardwood, plastic or other wood substitute, and of a rectangular configuration is disposed vertically commencing in vertical alignment with the front edge 22 of an upper member, above the filler strip in the trim out of the stairway. The strip 50 extends downwardly to the next adjacent tread. Each filler strip 50 is about four inches wide and may be of about ¼ to ½ inch thick. The exact elevation of each filler will depend on the riser size employed in the stairway. When so disposed as in
Reference is again made to
Reference is now made to
Returning momentarily to
Reference is again made to
In
It is seen that I have created a device that provides the illusion of the presence of high-end construction stairways. The device is preferably used when the stairway be it open or closed is to be carpeted. As is seen in
The exact depth from nosing to side surface of the tread aspect may vary as may be desired. The same is true for the elevation of the lower member. I have found that an inset distance of about 0.5 inch upwardly into the recess with about an 1/8 inch gap 36 and 36′ gives a pleasant looking result. A total elevation of about two to three inches for the lower member gives aesthetically pleasing results.
By the term “milled” as used herein, it is meant that a vertical surface of a rectangular solid piece of wood or wood substitute is configured as by a router, shaper, or other tool or by a molding process such that a vertical surface has a configuration other than a flat surface at 90 degrees to the horizontal. Typical of such a configuration is the rounded or chamfered upper and lower corners of a “nosing” on the front of a stair tread which in these figures is designated the right side.
Since certain changes may be made in the described apparatus without departing from the scope of the invention herein involved, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
Claims
1. A device that simulates the appearance of the edge of an installed stair tread, which device comprises:
- (a) an upper section, and
- (b) a lower section;
- said upper section having inner and outer side edges and a front edge, at least the outer side edge being milled,
- said upper section also having a rear surface, said rear surface having a recess therein extending upwardly from a bottom edge thereof;
- said lower section comprising a generally elongated rectangular section an upper portion of which is disposed upwardly within the recess of the upper section,
- said upper section extending forwardly when installed a greater distance then said lower section due to said upper section being of greater depth than said lower section.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein the upper inner edge of said device is milled.
3. The device of claim 1, wherein the upper section is made of a material selected from the group consisting of hardwood, softwood, molded plastic, and MDF.
4. A device that simulates the appearance of an installed wood stair tread end when installed at the end of a carpeted stair tread of a stairway, which device comprises:
- (a) an upper section, and
- (b) a lower section;
- said upper section comprising a wood elongated generally rectangular member having a forward milled edge, and a flat rear surface, the rear surface having an upwardly extending generally rectangular recess adapted to receive said lower section,
- said lower section being a generally rectangular said member, whose lateral extension from one side to the other is less than the lateral extension of the upper section, but of substantially equal lateral extension of the recess in said upper section.
5. The device of claim 4, wherein the inner surface of the upper section is also milled.
6. The device of claim 5, wherein the milled surfaces are hemispherical.
7. The device of claim 5, wherein the lower section is also made of wood.
8. An upper stairway having carpeted risers and treads, each tread having an uncarpeted tread end which tread end comprises:
- (a) an upper section, and
- (b) a lower section;
- the upper section of which is at least milled on a forward edge and on an outer side edge thereof and having a smooth upper surface, and wherein the bottom edge has a recess extending upwardly from said bottom edge sized to receive a portion of the lower section when said lower portion is disposed therein,
- the lower portion of which has a generally rectangular solid configuration of a depth less than the depth of the upper section.
9. The device of claim 8, wherein at least the upper section is made of wood.
10. The device of claim 9, wherein the inner edge of the upper section is milled for the stair tread ends disposed below the top tread of the stairway.
11. The stairway of claim 10, wherein a vertically disposed filler strip is installed between each lower section of the tread end of each tread and the next lower tread end's upper section.
12. The stairway of claim 8, wherein the lateral extension of each lower section is less than the lateral extension of each upper section of each stair tread end.
13. The stairway of claim 11, wherein the lower section of each stair tread end has a forward edge, and each filler strip has a forward edge, and the filler strip's forward edge is installed in vertical alignment with the lower section's forward edge.
14. The stairway of claim 11, wherein the tread edges are made of wood and the filler strips are made of wood.
15. The stairway of claim 11, wherein each upper section of the tread end is made of hardwood and each lower section and the filler strips are made of a material other than hardwood.
16. A lower cost construction mode stairway, which stairway's risers and treads are made of MDF wherein each of the tread ends are made of hardwood, said tread ends comprising an upper section and a lower section, the upper section having a rear face recess in which the lower section is disposed, the lateral extension of the tread end's upper section being greater than the lateral extension of the lower end, said tread ends having at least a milled upper outer edge, each tread end being secured to a respective MDF tread.
17. The stairway of claim 16, wherein the MDF treads of the stairway are covered over with carpet, as are the MDF risers.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 18, 2004
Publication Date: Sep 22, 2005
Inventor: A. Gary Bartel (Sacramento, CA)
Application Number: 10/803,216