Stairway construction

Abstract

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.

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.