Preassembled stair tread member

Abstract

A tread member for a staircase is preassembled from strips of wood material which are laminated to one another by adhesive to form a panel with an integral nosing member attached thereto. The preassembled tread member need only be cut to width and length for installation on an existing tread of a staircase for covering a staircase with hardwood floor material more quickly and with a better finished result as compared to traditional methods in which individual tongue and groove strips of wood material are attached to the staircase. A riser member comprises a panel formed of strips of wood material laminated together is also provided for covering the existing risers spanning between the adjacent treads of the staircase.

1 . A preassembled tread member for use on a staircase comprising a plurality of existing treads joined by respective risers, the tread member comprising: 
 a rectangular panel having a bottom side defining a length and a width of suitable dimension for spanning a top side of one of the existing treads, the panel comprising a plurality of elongate strips of wood material joined to adjacent ones of the strips by adhesive; and    a nosing member joined along a lengthwise side of the panel by adhesive, the nosing member including a rear surface which projects downwardly beyond the bottom side of the panel for covering a front edge of the respective existing tread.    
   
   
       2 . The tread member according to  claim 1  wherein the nosing member includes a flat rear surface which abuts the lengthwise side of the panel such that a seam between the nosing member and the panel lies in a common plane with the rear surface projecting downwardly beyond the bottom side of the panel.  
   
   
       3 . The tread member according to  claim 1  wherein the nosing member projects downwardly beyond the bottom side of the panel between 1½ and 1¾ inches.  
   
   
       4 . The tread member according to  claim 3  wherein the rear surface of the nosing member projects beyond the bottom side of the panel by approximately 1⅝ inch.  
   
   
       5 . The tread member according to  claim 1  wherein there is provided a plurality of screw fasteners joining the nosing member to the rectangular panel which are inserted through the bottom side of the panel.  
   
   
       6 . The tread member according to  claim 1  wherein the nosing member has a depth between the rear surface and a front surface thereof which is less than one inch.  
   
   
       7 . The tread member according to  claim 1  wherein a front surface of the nosing member opposite the rear surface includes an irregular shaped profile routered therein.  
   
   
       8 . The tread member according to  claim 1  wherein a top side of the rectangular panel is pre-sanded such that the strips of wood material are flush with one another along the top side.  
   
   
       9 . The tread member according to  claim 8  wherein the wood material is unfinished.  
   
   
       10 . The tread member according to  claim 1  wherein the strips each comprise a cut piece of a hardwood.  
   
   
       11 . The tread member according to  claim 1  wherein the strips are less than 12 centimetres in width.  
   
   
       12 . The tread member according to  claim 1  wherein the strips span a lengthwise direction of the pane.  
   
   
       13 . The tread member according to  claim 1  wherein each strip of wood material spans a full length of the panel, a full thickness of the panel and only part of a width of the panel.  
   
   
       14 . The tread member according to  claim 1  wherein at least one strip includes a pattern routered in a top side thereof which spans a full length of the panel.  
   
   
       15 . A method of forming a tread member for covering an existing tread on a staircase comprising a plurality of existing treads joined by respective risers, the method comprising: 
 providing a plurality of elongate strips of wood material;    forming a rectangular panel by joining each strip to adjacent ones of the strips using adhesive; and    joining a nosing member along a lengthwise side of the panel by adhesive such that a rear surface of the nosing member projects downwardly beyond a bottom side of the panel sufficiently for covering a front edge of the existing tread.    
   
   
       16 . The method according to  claim 15  including attaching the tread member to the existing tread of the staircase with adhesive subsequent to the nosing member being joined to the panel.  
   
   
       17 . The method according to  claim 15  wherein the rear surface of the nosing member is flat and wherein the method includes abutting the rear surface against the lengthwise side of the panel such that a seam between the nosing member and the panel lies in a common plane with the rear surface projecting downwardly beyond the bottom side of the panel.  
   
   
       18 . The method according to  claim 15  including inserting a plurality of screw fasteners through the bottom side of the panel to join the nosing member to the rectangular panel.  
   
   
       19 . The method according to  claim 15  including routering a front surface of the nosing member prior to joining the nosing member to the panel.  
   
   
       20 . The method according to  claim 15  including orienting the strips to each span a full length of the panel, a full thickness of the panel and only part of a width of the panel.