What would YOU do with these stairs?

[Alex Burkhardt]

Following on the heels of many (most?) before me – I am in the process of slowly renovating my first home. The house is a 70’s era split-level of average build quality. I’ve put a few holes in the walls, changed a doorway, and replaced carpet on the upper half with laminate. This brings me to the current project – the stairs.

The front entrance puts you on a tiled landing, with a half-set of curved stairs leading up, and another half-set leading down to the lower portion of the house. The lower set is currently still carpeted, and will remain so until we decide to remodel that area of the house.

The closed side meets a flat wall. The drywall was notched to fit over the existing 2-by threads, and baseboard covered the moderate gaps. There was no skirt board. I will most likely trim the wood wall to allow for a flush skirt board after I refinish.

The open side is again drywalled to fit. Carpet was wrapped around EVERYTHING you can imagine, which left a horrific amount of stapes to deal with.
I will have access to the underside of the stairs after removing some drywall which conveniently is located within a small closet below. I have not opened it up yet.
The existing 2-by lumber is rough, and I doubt it will provide a flat substrate in its current state. 2x10’s were used for the front portion of each tread, and angled pieces were fit behind to make up the rest of the tread.

If you look closely at the picture, you will also note that the upper-most rise extends all the way across the floor, and is, for all intents and purposes, structural. That being the case, I’m not able to rip that out, or cut it, etc. I will most likely apply a thin MDF or plywood cover over this, and add some simple panels to dress up the exposed portion that divides the two levels.

I will also need to make a cap piece that matches the treads which will serve as a transition between the last step and the new flooring.

So here’s my question – how would YOU go about refinishing or replacing this type of stair?

What would I need to watch out for if I make custom ¾” tread covers and a thicker bullnose?
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Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Discuss!
Thanks, alex

[Adam Herman]

we have a similar house with a similar situation. tile landing and hard wood up stairs. I am leaving my stairs carpet. Its just too difficult to get it right. my other option is to reframe the whole thing, as the treads and risers are dadoed into the skirts.

if the treads are removable, I would remove the 2x treads and install some nice wood treads and finish to match your upstairs flooring, replace or paint the risers to match your baseboards. this way you can cut them to include a proper skirt on the wood wall and trim out the open side. lots of work and probably expensive materials, but if you don't want to carpet them, it is your best option. I hate stairs.

[Malcolm McLeod]

Not so much a suggestion; just beware: If you overhaul the treads, make sure the tread height stays consistent. I can't remember the UBC spec, but the height has to be the same for all of them (even first and last) - - maybe +/- 1/8"??? Might not be an issue to you as DIYer, but inspections when you go to sell...could get ugly.

Some planning now could save you some grief down the road

[Keith Hankins]

nice... if it were me, I'd rib those treads off, put some nice ones down with a great clear finish. For the risers, I'd either face with a thin piece of wood, or, paint those to make the treads stand out.

Once question though do you want the steps to blend in, or be a focal point entering the area. Why I ask is, if I were going focal point, I'd go bolder, if not then go low key.

All depends. Lot's of possibilities.

[Jared Sankovich]

If they are housed, just sand, fill and paint with a color to match the existing floors. Then poly over the paint, 1/4 underlayment scribed to fit and glued to the risers makes a fine paint substrate.. If you can easily removed them just replace with whatever wood species you want and finish to match.

You can't use 3/4 caps and expect the step rise height to work out, unless you also raise the two floors the same amount.

[Mel Fulks]

That is an odd one. I would alter,or disgard, that metal rail, what a terrible design. And it's probably a code violation and serious liability issue with those big open spaces. It could be closed in with some thin material and perhaps draped with fabric. Paint for steps ,perhaps marbleized. Definately would not try to make the treads one more varnished floor.

[Alex Burkhardt]

Thanks Malcolm. From recent research (googling) i seem to recall heights within 3/8". Regardless, I do plan to do my best to retain the existing spacing, or pull it into spec if it's out, for that matter.

[johnny means]

They sell treads specifically for this application. They're thin like flooring boards with a bullnose drop edge that hides the front of your old tread. All the flooring and home improvement stores in my area sell them.

[Larry Edgerton]

That is an odd one. I would alter,or disgard, that metal rail, what a terrible design. And it's probably a code violation and serious liability issue with those big open spaces. It could be closed in with some thin material and perhaps draped with fabric. Paint for steps ,perhaps marbleized. Definately would not try to make the treads one more varnished floor.


What he said except I do not think those railings have any chance of redemption. Dangerous and ugly.

[Richard Wolf]

Yes, you have a real project there. First, building code say "no more than 3/8" difference between any two treads." Your problem is always the first and last tread. If your rise is 7", even adding 3/8" treads will make the first tread 7 3/8" and your top tread 6 5/8". If you can remove the existing tread and replace them you would be better off. If your going to make covers, make them 1/4" and the top tread only 1/8". Then your rise will be 7 1/4" to the top tread which will be 7 1/8' to the landing which will be 6 7/8". You will probably not notice the difference.

The railing; I made a career out of getting crap like that out of people's houses. Your problem is the staircase is so poorly designed that the railing is a nightmare. They couldn't do a smooth job with wrought iron, you'll need a lot of imagination to do it in wood. You'll need bending rail for the curve and lots of patience to get it done.

[rudy de haas]

1) if you plan to put stone and hardwood above/below the stairs those floors you can put an overlay on your treads that has the same thickness and everything works out - that's what I did here. But since you already have laminate at one end,. this may not be an option for you.

2) otherwise, I'd take those treads out and replace them entirely. There's a company in Calgary (and probably one near you too) that can take your measurements for each tread and produce exactly what you need in the wood of your choice. (I made my own, don't recommend that to friends.. : ) )

3) Personally I'd replace that railing with nice powder coated iron even if it took years to save up to do it. - again, custom work and so expensive, but worth it in the end.