Red Oak Unfinished Retro Left Return Stair Tread 42 in

Our treads are all solid wood! We do not use laminated materials.

For single return treads, the tread measurement is the overall length, so a 42" tread will be 42" overall or have a 40 3/4" throat (42" tread - 1 1/4" when the mitered return is added). If you need 42" of throat, you'll need a 48" left return tread, see:

http://www.stair-treads.com/red-oak-natural-retro-left-return-stair-tread-48-in.html

Yes, you are correct - the retro style return treads have a 1-1/4" overhang on both the front edge and one side (in this case it's the left side - remember 'left' and 'right' are always relative as you're walking UP the staircase). Technically, the throat length is most important to double return treads because they can't be cut to length once made. This link perhaps better describes the 'throat' of a tread:

http://www.stair-treads.com/resources/stair-tread-styles.html#double

With single return treads, one end can be cut on site during installation so the most important point is to make sure the new tread fully covers the existing step. The 42" measurement is the overall length of the single return tread including the mitered return on the left side. See also:

http://www.stair-treads.com/stair-tread-dimensions