Crack Repair

[Somewhere Nowhere]

I wonder if someone can help me?

I recently removed the carpet from a stair way. It seems that over the years the house has settled and some of the stair treads and risers have separated from the wall.

Any suggestions on how to fill or hide these gaps?

Thanks

Brian

[Phisherman]

This is a tough one, as I can't think of a practical/easy fix. Brown caulk will work if the gap is not too large. For larger gaps, glue in pieces of thin wood then caulk. Of course, replacing the treads is another option.

[jeffc]

It looks like the gap in the risers has already been filled? Looks like those have been filled with wood filler, which is fine since it can be painted white. The problem with the treads is that they're natural wood grain, so caulk would not look so good. If you use caulk, it would probably be best to use white, so by optical illusion it will look like the white trim. Otherwise, try wood filler and staining to match closely. It would also be possible to cut wood shims in the shape of wooden tongue depressers and shoved in there and stained/polyurethaned. Replacing the treads would be the nuclear option.

[Bob]

You could try prying the board on the side out from the wall and placing spacers behind it, then replace the trim on the top of it.

Bob

[Somewhere Nowhere]

Thanks to everyone for their input. I am still not sure what I am gonna do.

[RicodJour]

You should continue your examination into why the stairs seem to be separating. Settling might account for it, as might an undersized or broken stringer. A structural problem with the stair should be ruled out prior to focusing on the cosmetics. Be sure that you're not just covering up a bigger problem.

R