What would you do if you took out the carpet and saw this?




All the trim, doors and windows are white.
The main floor has laminate flooring and we also have laminate flooring upstairs which is different color then the main..... I don't know why the previous home owners do that either.
Anyway, we decided to tackle the carpet and started with the basement stairs. It took forever and there was plywood /composite mix. We fixed and painted it white and want to put a runner down the middle (see photo of the stairs).
Now it's time to tackle the main floor. We have a staircase with 40 spindles in oak color which we dislike and want to paint white as there is a skylight above and I think it will brighten the place up nicely.
We thought that we will have plywood/composite floors under the carpet and the plan was to fix and paint white unless in really bad shape, then we just re-carpet with a light not so shaggy carpet.Paint the spindles and banister white.
We have a dog so a runner is a must otherwise he will tumble down LOL
But to our surprise we found what it looks like oak or pine under.
So here is the dilemma, What do we do now?
Options:
1. Tear out the carpet and paint the whole stairs white and place a runner (like the plan in the basement, including the spindles and banister
2. Re-carpet the stairs fully and paint the spindles and banister white
3. Paint the steps, raisers and spindles white,stain the banister.
4. Stain the steps and banister but paint raisers and spindles white
Now, we may down the road change the floors to hardwood on both floors. What are the chances of staining the steps to match new floors?
What would you do?
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Stain to match the color. Home Improvements Catalog has great color carpet stair treads in all colors for a reasonable price. All types as well.