I have a staircase that was carpeted. Decided to remove the carpet and sand/stain the hardwood treads below, but the top 4 treads are particle board. When trying to remove the particle board treads for replacement, noticed that they were glued. Tried to pry up the board (little success) but couldn't feel any stringers underneath.
I suspect I have a prefab staircase, and am wondering if these can even be replaced, or if I need to look into stair cap options?
UPDATE:
Ok, so a few more photos below. I took a look underneath with a boroscope, and it looks like both the tread and a 2x2 are inset into the wall-stringer, which also has a trim-cap on top (apologize for the lack of correct technical terms).
Am thinking that I could cut the tread and 2x2 flush with the wall, nail/screw a 2x4 to the runner board, and use that as a means to attach the tread. Would this make sense from a structural perspective?
The plywood piece is the bottom of the stair tread, and the square board appears to be a ledger in-set into the stringer. The white portion is the underside of the white "stringer cap" you see in the second image. The stuff in the bottom portion is a sheetrock undercarriage over the top of a closet.