Staircase

1/2/2013 at 9:07:03 PM

You can either swap out the steps OR paint them and do a runner up the middle.

You can see what I am talking about here:

http://pinterest.com/hhpainters/harry-mander-s-house/

1/2/2013 at 9:08:51 PM

For a home with pets, laminate flooring is recommended. Modern laminate flooring is best resistant to pets and other traffic.

Since you are planning on a stair lift, I would recommend checking with those companies as well, although I think laminate should not be a problem.

1/2/2013 at 9:22:11 PM

Hi you have a few options:

1) most building supply stores sell oak treads and riser kits

2) hardwood flooring

3) laminate

If you have pickets that go into the treads I would recommend one of the first two, and have a professional instal it for you if the picket do.

1/2/2013 at 9:30:00 PM

There are oak stair coverings you can get from Home Depot or Lowes. If you glue and then nail them on the risers and the treads it will give you a oak stair look. You can then stain it a varity of colors to match your present color pallet, and then varathane it to protect it.

Thanks

1/2/2013 at 10:17:50 PM

Hello Sue,

Hardwood on stairs IS an option. New treads are custom fit and matching veneer for risers and stringers all stained to blend. When done well it looks great. Contact a hardwood or railing installer.

I hope this helps.

Good luck.

1/2/2013 at 10:42:43 PM

Thank you for the question!

You may want to consider hardwood, laminate or ceramic tile, keeping in mind what is at the base/top of the stairs, u may need to change as well!

1/3/2013 at 12:29:42 AM

You can convert it to the wood (oak or maple) staircase. It is $130 -$150 per step include everything (steps, risers, installation and staining in your color). Price depends on the Shape of the steps. They can be straight, straight with returns, etc. It is pricy because of labor.

Be careful with cheap guys, do not install steps made out of particle board with real wood flimsy veneer (Home depot style).

This job for hardwood floor installer (not for a general contractor).

1/3/2013 at 8:47:25 AM

I agree with most of the comments so far except don't use laminate or ceramic. The best solution is tread and riser caps. You can buy them from Rona or Home Depot as long as you don't have pickets or spindles on one side.

What ever you do though make sure you don't get the particle board ones with veneer because they won't last. I would recommend solid treads for this application for best results and they don't cost that much more.

If you do have spindles I would recommend having an installer do the work because this job has lots of detail.

Mark Geier

Tempo Hardwood Floors

1/3/2013 at 9:17:03 AM

Hello Sue,

There are several methods of covering your current stairs with some sort of product-one of the problems or considerations with adding a product to the top of your treads is the difference in the height that occurs - Your staircase will have the first step a little taller, and the last step a little shorter-This might not sound like a lot of difference but it can be uncomfortable. Might only be changing the height by 1/2 or 3/4 of an inch but this can cause stubbing of your toes when entering onto the first step. especially if you are use to the staircase - so generally if you add some to the stair tread-you should add the same height to both the landing area and at the top.

You may consider applying a new carpet material back in place to avoid this. Might be the easiest and safest. I mention this because in new construction- a new staircase must have equal distance risers from finish floor lower to finish floor upper. I have seen many stair systems installed using store bought-precut riser kits-always leaving the first step shorter than the rest. Always uncomfortable and unsafe in my opinion-certainly when carrying something .

Hope this finds you well Sue,

Good Luck

Bruce Tiffin

Granite Wood Construction

Georgian Bay, Parry Sound, Muskoka

1/3/2013 at 9:32:49 AM

Hi there,

Most people would have their staircase recap to hardwood treads instead of the carpet but this can be costly or you could re-install commercial carpet grade much more durable.

I would suggest call stair lift, ask what would be the best, should you wait after or before.

Good luck.

1/3/2013 at 10:21:25 AM

Well, you have a few different options, but the most common is hardwood flooring.

The team from All Canadian Construction Ltd.

1/3/2013 at 10:29:37 PM

Hi there,

There are a few options:

a) Oak or Maple treads and risers are commonly used to cap the steps

b) Laminate Flooring

c) Hardwood Flooring

d) Paint

Thank you

Dave

1/4/2013 at 10:23:01 AM

Hello Sue,

This is a common change over. The average cost with open one side and new spindles can run you about $4500.00. Now when you think about this ask yourself is the project affordable? Is the location of the house worth that upgrade. There are no transition issues if it is done right. In Canada with the dry and moist condiditons you must use solid wood. Yet even then it can shrink and crack or cup and twist.

So as mentioned DO NOT us veneer or laminate. If you do this is a tempoary fix. If that is all you want, then go back to carpet and give it a hair cut a few times a month and then change it every few years. That way it cost you less than a $1000.00 every couples years. Works out to a couple bucks a day for the rest of your time in the house with your cat.

If you do hardwood and a runner it is still giving your clawed friend a play ground. So the options are full hardwood, one time for 8 years before refinishing at $4500.00 and then $1200 for the re finishing for another 8 years. - which works out to about $0.25 per day for that, based on 25 years of life expectantance.

OR carpet at $1.66 per day with constant maintenance and reinstall every couple years.

So I think you are now educated to make that decision.

Victor

1/4/2013 at 1:02:07 PM

Like most of the people I agree - get hardwood steps.

1/4/2013 at 7:55:17 PM

Thank you too all that have responded to my question regarding what to do with my presently bare stairs, it is greatly appreciated! I would like to give you a bit more information in regards to the stairs which may change some of the responses I did receive, with that being said I would like to add the following about the stairs.....

~ The stairs themselves which I believe to be press board are unfinished and not smooth

~ The staircase has 13 stairs in total with 7 being straight across and 5 or possibly 6 are curved at the top

~ Each stair has 2 spindles

and as mentioned I will be having a stair lift installed and they don't have a preference to what the stairs are made of.

I also am enquiring about having the hallway and 4 other rooms to be done in laminate but have to have the carpet removed before hand, and also require help on the main level of my home to replace base boards and also door frames as I did have the floors on that level done in laminate by a family member but they were not able to finish it.

** One room upstairs is one that has pet urine which has gone through to the press board and I have been told that there is a paint of some sort that they use for mold and can also be used to cover up the smell of urine, but you may know of another solution.

Thanking you in advance for your advice and help.

1/4/2013 at 8:09:56 PM

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