Solid wood stair treads: how to choose

Published 3 October 2026

For a home stair, the usual choice is treads of oak or another hardwood, glued from kiln-dried lamellas and finished with a hard-wearing lacquer or oil. Thickness follows the stair design and the support; the designer or maker sets it for your stair.

Oak and other species for stair treads

A tread takes more wear than almost any other wooden surface in a house: every step lands on the same walking line, often with grit under the shoe. That is why wooden stairs are made from hard, dense timber.

Oak: hard, durable and holds screws well; its strong grain hides small marks, and it takes lacquer, oil and stain evenly. The most common choice for a main stair.
Ash: similar in hardness, lighter in colour, with a lively grain.
Beech: hard and even, but it moves more than oak as the humidity changes, so it needs a stable room.
Birch and maple: light, calm woods with a fine grain.
Pine, spruce and larch: cheaper and easy to work, but heels and dropped objects dent them, so they suit a secondary stair better than a main one.

One-piece boards or glued solid wood panels

A tread can be cut from one wide board or glued from several narrower lamellas; both are solid wood throughout. Wide boards that are dry and straight are hard to find and tend to cup and crack as the seasons change. A glued panel, with the growth rings of neighbouring lamellas alternating, stays flatter, so most stair makers use one.

Lamellas are either full length or finger-jointed from shorter pieces. Finger joints are strong but show as small zigzag lines across the tread; full-length lamellas look calmer. If the look matters, agree which you are getting and ask for a sample.

Why solid wood rather than plywood or a laminate-faced board? A solid tread can be sanded and refinished when the walking line wears, and its edges are the same wood. A laminate or thin veneer face cannot be renewed once worn, and its edges show the core.

Tread thickness and span: who decides

Thickness depends on the support. When a tread covers a concrete stair or lies on a steel plate along its length, the base carries the load; when it spans between two stringers or projects from a wall on hidden brackets, the wood carries it. Width, span and species all matter.

In practice, treads that clad a fully supporting base are typically about 30 to 40 mm thick; open treads are usually thicker. These are typical figures, not a rule: the designer or maker sets the thickness and fixing method for your stair. A tread too thin for its span can bend and creak.

Moisture content and acclimatisation

Wood swells and shrinks with the humidity of the air, mostly across its width. Treads for a heated home are kiln-dried, typically to about 8 to 10 percent moisture content, close to what the wood settles at indoors. Wetter timber shrinks after fitting, opening gaps and loosening fixings.

Before the treads go in, the house should be ready: plaster, screed and tiling dry, the heating on, and the relative humidity near normal, typically 40 to 60 percent. Both figures are a guide: the maker or designer sets the exact values. The treads then rest in the room for a few days.

Ask what moisture content the timber was dried to.
Keep the treads packed and away from wet works until fitting.

Nosing, edge profile, anti-slip options and finish

The front edge decides how a stair feels underfoot and how it ages. A sharp square edge chips easily; a small chamfer or radius is more comfortable and holds the finish better, because a lacquer film breaks first on sharp edges. A nosing overhanging the riser gives the foot more room; on a closed stair keep it modest so toes do not catch. Ways to add grip:

Grooves milled near the front edge, left open or filled with a contrasting insert.
Rubber or aluminium anti-slip strips set into a groove and replaced when worn.
A matt or anti-slip finish instead of high gloss, which is slippery in socks.
A stair runner or tread mats where children or pets use the stair.

Measuring and templating treads on site

Treads are made to measurements taken from the finished structure, not the drawing. On a concrete stair every step is measured separately, because rises and wall lines are rarely identical; where walls are out of square or the stair turns, each tread is cut to a template of thin board.

Two details are often forgotten: the finished floor levels at the bottom and top of the flight, which change the first and last rise, and the wall finish, which changes the length of every tread. Once the floors are laid, all rises should be equal: a single odd step is a trip hazard.

What Else makes solid wood stair treads, including oak treads, and other wooden stair elements.

FAQ

Which wood is best for stair treads?

For a main stair, oak is the most common choice: hard, durable and good with most finishes. Ash is a similar, lighter alternative; pine and other softwoods dent more easily.

How thick should solid wood stair treads be?

It depends on the support. Treads that clad a concrete stair are typically about 30 to 40 mm thick; open treads between stringers or on a cantilever stair are usually thicker. The designer or maker sets the exact thickness for your stair.

Why do new wooden treads crack or open gaps?

Usually because the wood was wetter or drier than the room. Treads should be kiln-dried, delivered after the wet works with the heating on, and left a few days to acclimatise before fitting.

Do you make plywood or laminate-faced treads?

No. What Else makes treads and stair elements from solid wood, including oak. We work with plywood for other parts, but we do not offer treads on a plywood or composite base with laminate facing.

How do I make wooden treads less slippery?

Choose a matt or anti-slip finish instead of high gloss, add grooves or replaceable anti-slip strips near the front edge, and use a runner where children or pets climb the stair.