We normally don’t recommend using interlocking deck tiles on steps and stairs, firstly because the tiles are primarily designed as a “floating” system which are not (normally) fixed to the surface with nails or screws and secondly, they are not really designed to be installed in a vertical plane as required to cover the stair riser.

However if you have a set of wood stairs and are using our SwiftDeck wood deck tiles, there is quite a neat solution which you may wish to consider, although it does require a little skill with carpentry.

Firstly you need to attach a facing board to the stair riser. This board must protrude above the level of the stair tread by the height of the plastic base on the wood tiles (5/16”).

Then you measure the distance between the front of the stair riser and the front of facing board. Cut the tiles which will be used for the stair tread so that they will overhang the facing board by about ¼”-3/8”.   Then take one of the cut wood tiles and trim off a section of the plastic base so that when the tile is laid on the stair tread, the mesh base will fit between the front of the riser and the back of facing board. The quickest way to trim off the plastic base if you have a relatively large number of tiles on the stairs is to use a table saw, setting the blade height to marginally higher than the height of the plastic base and making sure to remove any screws that attach the mesh base to the wood slats which could come into contact with the saw blade. Alternatively you could trim off the plastic base with a box cutter, removing all screws that are in the plastic section to be removed.

Now when you place the tile on the stair tread, it will sit on the tread with a slight overhang over the facing board.

Finally, to ensure the tiles cannot move when walked on, you should screw the tiles to the treads. Drill holes through the wood slats with a countersink so the holes can be plugged. Insert screws, then glue plugs into the screw hole to give a neat finish.

The pictures below will explain the procedure in more detail.