Sagging stairs repair

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The upper stairs of the Victorian house (from 1st floor landing to upper landing) attach ok to the brick wall at the side, but sag an inch or two on the open side, especially at the bottom. I can jack them up by putting an acro or two underneath supported by the lower staircase (using planks etc.).

The question is how do you properly/securely reattach the bottom of the stairs to the joist of the landing? (And the top.) Should it just be some sort of long bolt, perhaps going through extra block of wood to support the stairs.

Thanks for all advice, Adam

[BigWallop]

Is it a straight flight or a turn ?

On a straight staircase the base is held in place by either a cut out on the side string or a strap of timber all along the bottom to hold the strings in place. The top end is normally leaning against a solid structure and held in place with brackets, nails, bolts etc. etc.

If the stair is sagging, then I'd be looking to replace the strings which hold the wooden treads in place. If these have begun to loosen or rot, then it won't take long for the staircase to become so weak that it won't hold any weight.

Choose "Carpentry" then look down the menu for "Creaking Stairs" to find out a bit more on what to look for.

[Michael Mcneil]

There is nothing keeping the top nosing tied to the rest of the stair that will withstand much stress or strain. The outer string is kept in place by the top newel into which it is glued and dowelled. The newel is nailed or screwed to the floor/ceiling joists. The whole lot is leaning against the floor with quite a bit of weight. You might want to check what is holding the bottom in place.

What makes them squeak is when the wedges that hold the treads in work loose. If you can tap them back in do so. You might also try putting glue blocks in the angle between the risers and treads. Finally running battons down the underside of the risers may help. For those without much access to their stair's nether regions foam glue might help. Not too sure about that though.