The tread depth is the horizontal measurement between
treads. The perfect example of this would be the picture below. You can
use a framing square to find the actual tread depth, but you could have
a problem if you don't. The actual tread depth for the stairway below is
only 10 inches.
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The actual tread depth is the square measurement, not
the actual measurement of the stair tread. For example, the stair treads
below are 11 1/2 inches wide, but the actual stair tread depth is only
going to be 10 inches.
Funny Story Involving Stair Tread Depth
You're going to find this hard to believe, but I was only 18 years old
when my father sent me out to build my first stairs, for three model
homes. I knew enough about stairs, but obviously didn't know enough
about the stair tread depth.
The first set of stairs I laid out with an 11 inch tread depth, even
though it was only supposed to be 10 inches. I cut my stringer and took
it over to the home, to double check my measurements, to make sure that
it was actually going to work.
To my surprise, and luckily no one was around, to see my mistake. The
stairway extended past the hallway wall, about 14 inches. Since I didn't
know what was wrong and we didn't have cell phones back then, I had to
figure this one out on my own.
It took me a few minutes, but I finally found my mistake, made my
corrections and finished installing my first stairs for three model
homes, by myself. I learned a lot that day about the difference between
a stair tread and the stair tread depth.
In case you're wondering where I came up with 11 inches, instead of 10
inches, it's because we usually add a 1 inch overhang or undercut to our
treads. This can be confusing for novice stair builders.
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