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Picked tack strip over the old nail strips on a 1930s bungalow in Des Moines, and the stairs finally feel solid
Got called out to redo a stair runner on a 1930s bungalow in Des Moines last Friday, and the old nail strips upstairs were so chewed up I couldn't get a clean stretch no matter what. So I had a choice: patch the mess with the same style strips or rip it all out and switch the whole flight to tack strip. I went with tack strip, cost me 2 extra hours and about $18 in materials, but the runner laid flat on the first try instead of the third. Homeowner walked down the stairs and just said "it doesn't squeak anymore." Curious if you all use tack strip on old stairs like this or keep patching the original stuff to match the house.
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mary7763d ago
Man, those old nail strips are such a pain when they get chewed up like that, you did the right thing ripping them out. Honestly that "it doesn't squeak anymore" from the homeowner is the best part, that's what makes the extra two hours worth it.
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nelson.nancy3d ago
But matching the house matters more than people give it credit for. A 1930s bungalow has a look, and once you start swapping out the old stuff for modern shortcuts, you chip away at that. Somebody down the road is going to pull that runner and find tack strip where nail strips used to be and wonder what else got changed. I get that it laid flat and quit squeaking, but a solid second or third stretch on the original strips still keeps the place true to itself. Two hours and eighteen bucks is nothing, sure, but it is never just one stair job, it is a whole house slowly turning into something else.
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