Eliminating Staircase Drafts

As with many older homes, the Domicile Ecophile homestead is full of gaps, leaks, and cracks.  Once our first winter arrived we immediately identified some of the worst problem areas where cold air was flooding into the home.  Ever hold your hand by an electrical outlet and feel cold air coming out?  Ever gone into the garage and found it to be as cold out the outdoors?  Ever felt cold air drafting in through an old window?  If you own a home, especially an older one, you probably have.

Poor insulation and other heating and cooling leaks are a major source of energy loss.  Energy efficiency is a huge part of sustainability.  Fuels need to be extracted at great environmental cost, transported, refined, and probably burned to generate electricity or heat in your home.  Not only is heated or cooled air out the window also money out the window, but it is also a waste of natural resources.  The case for energy efficiency is a strong and complex one, but its depth is for another post.

Image courtesy of http://goo.gl/exogy1

This post, rather, is about one simple fix that others may be able to replicate in their own homes, maybe yours.  We identified that gaps had opened up between the top of the risers (vertical part) and the bottom of the treads (horizontal park) on our interior staircase.  This was partly due to loosening of the shims on the back of the stairs that keep the treads and risers tight, and partly due to settling and shrinkage of the wood.  If your stairs squeak you may have the same condition.

And what exactly is the problem with this unassuming gap?  Below the stairs is a crawlspace open to the garage  The garage is poorly insulated and the doors poorly seal.  The air in the garage is typically only a few degrees warmer than outdoor air.  This air was in direct contact with the bottom of the staircase via the crawlspace.  Cold air was pouring in the 1/8 inch gaps between the risers and treads and the wood itself was chilled to near-freezing temperatures.  The staircase, needless to say, was very cold.  No doubt the cold air was pooling in the lower level and causing the furnace to run almost incessantly.

The first step was to use a block of wood and a hammer to force the tightening shims on the underside of the stairs back into place.  Some makeshift shims had to be fabricated because the originals were long gone.  The re-tightening reduced the size of the gaps and dampened the squeaking by pushing the treads back into place and reducing the amount each wooden component of the staircase could move.  Next I was off to buy some good 'ol R-13 fiberglass insulation.  I applied the insulation to the walls forming the inside of the crawlspace to limit the amount of 'garage air' making contact with the interior walls and stairs.  Using my bare feet as a measuring device I could tell this did help quite a bit!  The next step was to cut some strips of insulation to staple to the gaps in the staircase from the crawlspace side. This did a pretty good job of nearly eliminating the airflow through the cracks.  Both of these modifications are visible in the photo above.

The last step was the best part.  I decided I could add an additional blocking layer to the interior side of the stairs by adding some 1/2 inch cove moulding to the understand of the nosing of the treads. Not only did this reduce my heat loss, but it also added an elegant touch to the staircase.  I do have some professional construction experience, but even a novice would be able to handle this job:  The complex angled cuts and coping associated with moulding don't apply here since both ends are straight cuts against the stringers.  Just about any fine toothed saw and a careful hand can cut the wood to length to be added under the stairs.  I hand-nailed them with just a few 3d bright finish nails.  We'd call this 'tacking' them since the nailing is minimized for aesthetics and needs only to hold up just a few ounces of wood.

It was immediately evident how much improvement to the temperature the alterations made.  Before the changes, a person siting on the stairs could actually feel the cold air sloshing down the staircase, especially along the lowest stairs.  The wood was very cold as was the hallway below.  Now the treads themselves are warmer, there is no cold draft and the whole area lacks the bite it had before.  It's just a reminder that sustainability and conservation start at home.  My bare feet are much happier, and hopefully my wallet will be as well.