The short answer
Stairs creak because the timber components have worked loose from each other. A traditional staircase is a kit of treads, risers, strings and glued wedges, and once the glue lets go or the wedges shrink, every step lets the parts rub together under your weight.
How a staircase is put together
In a typical UK staircase, the treads and risers slot into housings cut into the strings on each side, and are held tight by glued timber wedges driven in from underneath. The riser is also usually glued and blocked to the back of the tread. It is a rigid assembly only for as long as those glue joints hold.
Once one wedge shrinks or one glue block drops off, that tread can flex a fraction under load — and every trip up the stairs works the joint a little looser.
The usual causes
- Dried-out or loose wedges under the treads.
- Failed glue blocks at the tread-to-riser junction.
- Timber shrinkage, especially in newer houses in their first couple of heating seasons.
- Heavy use — stairs take a surprising number of impact loads every day.
- Nails used at the tread nosing that have loosened and now grate in their holes.
- Movement in the string where it meets the wall or the newel post.
- Separately: a creaking or wobbling balustrade, which is a safety matter rather than a noise one.
Why the fix is not simply screwing the tread down
Where the staircase is accessible from underneath — an open understairs cupboard, for example — the correct repair is made from below, without touching the visible faces. Screwing or nailing through the top of a tread to silence it leaves permanent holes in the walking surface, and often does not work, because the loose part is the wedge or the block behind the riser, not the tread-to-string joint you have just fixed.
Where the underside is plastered and closed in, the options change completely and the sensible approach depends on the construction and the finish. That assessment is the job.
One thing that is worth acting on rather than living with: if the handrail, spindles or newel post move when you lean on them, that is a fall risk, particularly with children or older people in the house, and it should not wait.
How we put it right
Stair repairs and stringer mastic, from £45
We work from the accessible side wherever possible so the finished stairs stay unmarked.
Serving Leamington Spa, Warwick, Kenilworth, Whitnash, Cubbington, Southam and surrounding Warwickshire.
Common questions
Do creaking stairs mean my staircase is unsafe?
Noise on its own is not a safety issue — it is loose joints. A tread that visibly flexes, a soft-feeling step, or a balustrade that moves when leaned on are different and should be checked promptly.
Why are my stairs creaking in a brand-new house?
Drying shrinkage. Staircases are installed with timber at a higher moisture content than it ends up at once the heating has been on for a season, so wedges and blocks loosen. It is one of the most common new-build snags we get called to.
Can creaking stairs be fixed if they are carpeted?
Often yes, particularly if there is access from underneath. Where there is not, the carpet may need lifting on the affected flight and relaying afterwards, which we would price in up front.