Is it normal to install custom oak treads before the drywallers even show up?

Installing in rough framing is acutally my preferred way to handle high-end custom builds in the GTA, expecially with those thick white oak mono-stringers. Your boss is right about the drywall. When we set the stringers early, we leave a 5/8" or 3/4" gap off the studs using temporary spacers. This lets the boarders slide thier sheets right behind the steel or wood without having to scribe around every single tread. It creates a much cleaner architectural line for that plaster guard wall you mentioned, and it saves the taper from having to use a ton of tear-away bead against your finished wood.

The trick is to treat your treads like they are made of glass from day one. In our shop, we never install the actual finish treads this early if we can avoid it. We usally bolt on temporary **construction treads** made of 2x10 or 2x12 spruce. It allows the other trades to move up and down safely while the house is being boarded and taped. If the GC is forcing the actual white oak treads now becuase of the specific mono-stringer fastening system, you need to wrap those things in multiple layers of protection immediatly. I usually go with a layer of thin foam wrap or heavy-duty RAM board cut to fit the tread exactly, then shrink-wrap the whole thing. On top of that, we screw down a sacrificial layer of 1/2" plywood or OSB that stays on untill the final coat of floor finish is ready to go down. It adds time to the install, but it's way cheaper than refinishing oak that's been soaked in drywall mud or scratched by a laborer's boots.

And honestly, make sure your contract or change order specifically mentions that once you've handed off the protected stairs, any damage caused by other trades is on the GC. In Toronto's custom market, everyone is in a rush, but you shouldn't be the one eating the cost of a dropped hawk or a heavy tool belt. If you're doing the guard walls too, getting that structural framing in before the insulation is finished is the only way to ensure the whole assembly is rock solid before the finishes hide your mounting points.

If you are forced to put those oak treads in now, do not just hope for the best. I swear by 3M Hand-Masker masking plastic and some heavy-duty Surface Shield Carpet Shield, but for the actual wood, you need to get a roll of Floor-Gard. It is a thick, reusable padded protection that handles dropped tools way better than just RAM board. I have seen a taper drop a hammer right on a tread protected by Floor-Gard and it did not even leave a compression mark. It is cheap insurance for a high-end Toronto build.

I'd check your moisture levels first. If you're in Toronto and the house is still just studs and loose insulation, that place isn't climate controlled yet. Putting high-end white oak in before the HVAC's running is a recipe for those treads warping or checking once the heat kicks on. I've seen guys lose thousands 'cause the wood acclimated to a damp job site then shrunk like crazy two months later. If you can't wait, tell the GC he needs to run some industrial dehumidifiers and keep the temp steady before you even bring the wood inside.

This project sounds absolutely incredible, I whould love to see photos of that mono-stringer once it's set! I'm just getting started in the trade and everythign about these high-end builds is so cool. Speaking of the white oak, does anyone have a favorite source for lumber in the GTA that isn't overpriced? I'm trying to find some nice offcuts for a small coffee table project at home but I'm still figuring out where the pros go!