1/4" round over on stair step edges?

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bradleyheathhays

bradleyheathhays

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Lexington, Ky
I've got some plain old outside deck stairs that I'm trying to show some love to and I'm wondering if it's ok to use a 1/4" round over bit on the front edge of each step, where your shoe hits. I haven't done this before so I'm not sure if the more rounded edge would increase the chance of any stair mishaps (slips or falls) as opposed to leaving the sharper edge they come with from the big box wood stores.


Thanks kindly.
 
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I would do it. Over time the rubbing of shoes create it anyway. It could prevent splintering on end of board. Take a look at inside stair treads and also ones with carpet, they are rounded.
 
If you are concerned with slips and falls you should put traction strips on the steps, along the lines of those put in bathtubs. You can also sprinkle sand on the steps after a coat of finish to embed it into it to give the surface some bite.
 
The 3/4" thick oak stairs in our house have a distinct roundover that is symmetrical top to bottom - so the radius is about 3/8". The treads on the steps to the basement are also 3/4" thick, and while there is a roundover, it appears to be a larger radius that is centered on the center of the board. That is, there is a perceptible edge between the top of the treads and the rounded nose. Third data point - the stair treads on our deck also have a roundover - about 3/8", but only only on the top edge.

As John pointed out, if there is no roundover initially, one will evolve over time, and potentially involve splintering that could be unpleasant if not dangerous.

So I would go with a roundover.
 
They put roundover on stair treads because it is easy to get your shoe caught on a square edge than a round edge. This goes for both top and bottom of tread.
 
jttheclockman said:
They put roundover on stair treads because it is easy to get your shoe caught on a square edge than a round edge. This goes for both top and bottom of tread.
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My indoor stair treads which I installed have a bull nose shape. The deck treads are just regular planed wood with a slight radius.
 
Woodchipper said:
My indoor stair treads which I installed have a bull nose shape. The deck treads are just regular planed wood with a slight radius.
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It just makes sense to have a bullnose on the front edge of a step to prevent tripping because the shoe will glide over a round surface better than a flat surface with a sharp edge. Plus like I said it will prevent splintering. Many times people have decks built by unpros and they use standard boards and not stair treads. They just never think of this when building. Many times people walk up and down barefooted and the sharp edge of a stair would hurt more than a rounded one. Look at any type of stair it should have a rounded edge. But this is all up to the installer.
 
John T., the deck boards on my new deck have a small radius on all boards except for the 6x6 posts. They even used the deck boards: cut to width and run through a shaper to put a radius on the custom made spindles.
 
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