How can I makeover a pine wood staircase?
refinishing downstairs oak floors but steps are pine - what can I do to exposing wood to make more attractive?
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You can sand the wood stairs until the existing finish on the stairs is gone. Then, stain and seal with poly. This will definitely work, but requires a lot of elbow grease.
Your stairs are in better shape than mine were as mine were completely carpet. I ripped up the carpet and used bamboo hardwood flooring on top of the raw wood. I wrote a blog post about it if you want to check it out (link below). Using hardwood flooring over stairs is often an overlooked option, but it saves a lot of money, gives you the exact wood you want, and the wood is already finished so no need to mess with sanding/staining. I explain all this in great detail on my blog. May not be right for you, but something to consider.
https://pahjodesigns.com/how-to-replace-carpet-stairs-with-wood/
If I had pine wood stairs I would be overjoyed. Please don't cover them up, they are a jewel. If you want them to match the oak floor then fine, strip, stain and seal with non slip and non yellowing poly. They look a bit dull so if you didn't care if they don't match, then clean with Trisodium Phosphate, let it dry very well and put a nice sealer on them. Non slip non yellowing. Let dry and then another coat. May take 3 coats. Please, please no high gloss as it cheapens the look. As a designer I would not want them to match as it is part of the history of the home. But each to his own.
Of course you can sand and stain them... But maybe just paint the front part of each step ( not where you stand ) you can use a color and make each step a shade lighter or darker... But I really like the look of the front being tiled or use a cool wallpaper... Wallsneedlove.com has removable wallpaper in both traditional and cool designs.
I agree with everyone else. I would strip/sand them, too. If you want to paint the risers, I would match the trim, then stain the steps to either match your oak floors or a richer color.
I found a YouTube video where this girl pulled up the carpet on her stairs and it looks similar to yours. With a little bit of stain, very little money and some beadboard she did a gorgeous job. I think you could do something similar to your staircase...
https://youtu.be/kogrJ7mDCMc