Stained Carpet on Curved Staircase

Deborah Maguire
by Deborah Maguire
I need to remove the old carpet and was quoted $10,000 to hardwood. Any suggestions of what else I can do besides carpet again?
Nice focal point but not with grundgy carpet
  17 answers
  • Dana L Pappas Dana L Pappas on Dec 22, 2014
    Brown paper bag floor...or do the flat part hard wood and the front paint the color of the wall nearby
  • Claire-Louise Cerrigione Claire-Louise Cerrigione on Dec 22, 2014
    Do you know what is underneath the carpet? We were pleasantly surprised to find our carpet cover treads were oak. So a bit of sanding, staining and a bit of poly was able to salvage them. Oh and I did the work myself one step at a time!
  • V Valencia V Valencia on Dec 22, 2014
    As mentioned, see what is under the stairs to determine if you want to go the sand and stain route. Otherwise, painting the stairs would be option and then you can add a runner. I have been looking for runners for my stairs...there are so many great styles out there.
  • Deborah Maguire Deborah Maguire on Dec 22, 2014
    That is gorgeous
  • Judi Judi on Dec 22, 2014
    this information was found on ehow: Types of Treads A solid wood tread is usually used when the stair tread spans the stringers with no underneath support. In this case, most codes require it to be made from 2-inch furniture grade hardwood. This approach is sure to be costly, and solid wood is prone to warping over time. A cheaper alternative is to construct the staircase in such a way that the treads are made from construction-grade wood which are then covered it with a false tread that can be much thinner. One type of false tread is the glue-laminate, which consists of three or four pieces of hardwood, usually oak, glued tightly together in an alternating grain pattern and then planed down to a 1-inch thickness. This eliminates warping and is cheaper than making the tread from a solid piece of wood. However, it gives the tread an undesirable striped appearance. The engineered tread, another type mostly made in China, is an improvement. It consists of a laminated core, made much like a butcher block, covered by a 1/4-inch layer of hardwood and an attached nose. This satisfies the Architectural Woodwork Network standards for lamination and gives the appearance of a solid tread. The hybrid tread is an even cheaper alternative and can be used when carpeting will cover most of the tread. The outer edges of this tread are made of a fine hardwood while a cheaper hardwood is used in the center where it won't be seen.Color and Design Oak is the most common hardwood used for stair treads, and while it can be stained to match most wood colors, there are a variety of hardwood alternatives. Poplar, ash, birch, maple and alder are some blonde woods that lighten the area while mahogany, cherry, jatoba and walnut are examples of dark woods that give it richness. In addition, engineered bamboo treads are now available in many colors and have a vibrant, grainy appearance. They have the extra advantage of being a sustainable forest product. No matter whether you are matching an existing floor, highlighting a favorite carpet or blending in with a color scheme, you will have a wide selection to choose from. Sponsored LinksHickory Hardwood FlooringPre-Finished Select or Rustic GradeFlooring. Nationwide Shipping.www.bairdbrothers.comTucson Hardwood FloorsSave $145 per 500 SF of hardwoodfloors purchased and installedwww.tucsonflooringstore.comLumber SaleReclaimed Lumber for SaleSale Pricing on Antique Lumberwww.snheartpine.comHow To VideosSearch Videos & Articles to Find Read more : http://www.ehow.com/way_6180399_wood-use-stair-treads.html
  • Ann Gedeon Ann Gedeon on Dec 22, 2014
    I would sand it down and paint or stain the flooring under the carpet. There are some awesome designs out their that would compliment any living room, stairs, and dining room areas. Be sure to apply a heavy amount of shellac to the surface.
  • Wanda Wanda on Dec 22, 2014
    I would like to add a comment here with regards to painting the stairs and risers. The wear and tear that your stairs get from the constant foot traffic not to mention the extra slippage component when you are used to carpet must be looked at. I love the painted stair idea, but I would add a striking stair runner then only paint just to the inside of the runner about three extra inches on each side not forgetting to varathane/shellac your painted areas well. good luck. Also as a side note the cost is so high due to the amount of stairs and spindles. Now not having the spindle cost involved the cost of installing a runner is more affordable. Just remember to stay away from any thing that has straight lines.
  • IF YOU PAINT THOSE SPINDLES, BE PREPARED TO LOVE IT FOREVER!!! PAINT ON STAIR TREAD LOOKS BAD IN NO TIME., HAND RAIL TOO. HOW MANY PEOPLE GOING UP AND DOWN THESE STAIRS ? USE CARPET UP THE MIDDLE. WHAT STYLE IS YOUR HOUSE?
  • Deborah Maguire Deborah Maguire on Dec 22, 2014
    @Henrietta, yes i fully intend to paint. This staircase has so much potential to be an interesting focal point. But clearly, the previous owners just missed the mark. By the way, I had a painter give me a price to paint the spindles when he was painting the house. He wanted $2000.00 just for the spindles!!!! Hence the reason they are still that ugly stain.
  • Deborah Maguire Deborah Maguire on Dec 23, 2014
    Problem is they aren't standard stairs and the bottom steps are round. So I can't buy anything off the shelf that will work. Check sides of bottom step.
  • I just posted 10 tips for a Successful Staircase Redo.....Susie @ The Chelsea Project Blog.....maybe some info in this post could be helpful... If you have a specific question ..Plz post in my comment section so I won't miss it.
  • Irene Irene on Mar 20, 2015
    You can pain the raisers white and the tread black. Also follow through and pain the railings white and the post black. Then you can put a runner down the middle. Replacing the runner every 5-10 years is way cheaper then replacing the entire wall to wall steps.
  • Deb Deb on Mar 21, 2015
    I agree with Henrietta I have painted stairs in a house I bought. I wish they weren't they look awful and the only thing to do is cover them with carpet..
  • Cool Grammaw Cool Grammaw on Sep 18, 2015
    How about a combination of paint and mosaic tile?
  • Donna Robb Donna Robb on Feb 01, 2016
    I ripped off my carpet one afternoon, same stairs as yours, sanded the step, used a dark walnut stain hand rubbed in. One coat of urethane and then I painted the risers white. Looks amazing.
  • Johnavallance82 Johnavallance82 on Jan 15, 2024

    Paint the stairs and maybe use rubber mats (Fixed down) on the treads.