The sequence of stair assembly is this:
- First, put up the stringers.
- Second, nail on the risers.
- Third, put on the skirt boards - the baseboards, cut to fit the stair steps-tight against the risers.
- Finally, put on the treads, starting at the bottom so you can reach behind the risers and nail them to the treads as you work your way up the stairs.
It’s not hard to mark the stringer (the support to which the risers and treads are nailed) for your staircase once you’ve determined the dimensions of your risers and treads. Use a framing square, which has inches marked on it. Lay the square on the board for the stringer, positioning the square according to the riser and tread dimensions. Mark the cuts you’ll need to make, then slide your framing square to the next position, keeping the riser and tread dimensions at its edge. Repeat the process until you’ve marked the full length of the stringer.
If you want additional support for your staircase, nail the triangles of wood you cut out of the stringer to a 2 x 4 to form a center stringer.

Save the treads for last
When you’re building a house, standard procedure should be to tack scrap boards onto the staircase for treads until the rest of the house is finished and the floors laid. Then the staircase can be finished properly. This avoids unnecessary wear and tear on the final treads.

Too much spring in your step
If your basement stairs tend to spring up and down when you walk on them, you can reinforce them by nailing 1″ x 3″ strips of wood along the bottom edges (not the side) of the stringers. Stagger the nails about 1′ apart to avoid splitting the strips.

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