Hi, the riser is quite old and well split as you say. Can you access the back of the stairs via a cupboard? If so you could force some wood glue into the split then place a wooden plank over the riser and glue and screw it to the riser making sure the screws used are the right length so they don't protrude through. If you can't access the back you could do a similar job using a thin sheet of plywood, say 3 or 5mm and glueing it directly onto the riser and tacking it with suitable small tacks. For the glue to work properly you would have to remove all the old paint and varnish right down to bare wood again. Use paint and varnish remover and a scraper and finish off with a hand held electric sander. Good luck, Bob
DIY how to tutorial projects and guides - Did you know we have a DIY Projects section? Well, if no, then we certainly do! Within this area of our site have literally hundreds of how-to guides and tutorials that cover a huge range of home improvement tasks. Each page also comes with pictures and a video to make completing those jobs even easier!
by 
