Hardwood Stairs: Add Luxury and Sophistication to Staircases from Georgia to California & Beyond

Upgrading from carpet to hardwood stairs, or simply replacing old stair treads, is an easy way to add an air of sophistication to a home. Whether you live in Pennsylvania or further south in Florida, Stair-Treads.com is sure to have the hardwood stairs you are looking for.

All our prefinished hardwood stairs can be custom-stained to match existing flooring in a home, or a color can be created based on other specifications. We have 90% approval from our customers on color matching of hardwood stairs on the first attempt.

For your convenience, we offer several different types of hardwood stairs and coordinating pieces to fit any project or budget:

* Traditional Stair Treads and Risers – Available in a variety of wood species, our traditional treads and risers for hardwood stairs are made from solid wood and are designed as complete replacements for existing stairs. They can be bought as natural wood grains or can be custom-stained to your satisfaction.
* Retro Replacement Stair Treads and Risers – Designed as “caps” to fit over existing carpeted stairs and risers, retro stair treads and risers are a quick and cost-efficient way to upgrade to hardwood stairs. Their easy installation can be done by homeowners, without having to hire outside help, with little construction knowledge and basic tools.
* Handrails – We also carry a selection of 6010 and 6510 handrails to complement your hardwood stairs. Available in 12” pieces and in a selection of popular wood species, our handrails can also be custom-stained to match existing wood features and stair treads.

How to Install Hardwood Stair Treads

Installing hardwood stair treads is not a quick and easy DIY project. If you are confident in your construction abilities and are a patient person, you can probably do this project yourself, else you should hire a professional to do this for you.

1.

Decide whether you are going to use wood flooring on the stair treads or purchase a new wood stair tread and stain it to match your wood floor . If you are going to use wood flooring on the stair tread, you will need wood stair nosing trim to match your wood flooring or you can use unstained hardwood stair nosing that you can stain to match the rest of your floors.
2.

Decide whether you want your stair risers (the vertical piece between each stair tread) to be stained wood, painted, or tiled.
3.

Remove the carpeting, carpet pad, tack strips, and all the staples from your stairs. Clean underneath the carpet since there may be dirt, drywall mud, and debris. If you have large imperfections in your wood sub floor, sand those to make the sub floor smooth.
4.

Make sure the stairs do not have any squeaks. Make sure the steps are level and shim any that are not to remove squeaks. Long screws tighten down the stair treads and can also eliminate squeaks.
5.

Cut off the stair nosing (the part of the stair tread that extends past the riser) so that a new nosing can be installed. Take measurements in 3 places on the underside of the stair tread for the depth of the nosing. Measure the distance on the top of the nosing and draw a straight line from one side of the stair tread to the other. Use a circular saw to cut the tread and a jigsaw to finish off the ends.
6.

If you are painting your risers and have a decent finish on your wood, then sand and paint them. If you are tiling your risers, make sure the risers have a smooth surface and tile them. If you want stained risers, add new stain grade wood. You should measure all of your risers individually since the probably are not all the same measurements. Cut your wood for the risers and install them using finishing nails. Nail your boards in the very bottom of the riser and very top of the riser since those areas will be covered with stair nosing or stair treads.
7.

Install your stair nosings. Measure each stair tread individually to get the measurements for your nosings and install them using finishing nails.
8.

Measure all of your stair treads individually since they are probably not all the same size. Cut the hardwood for the stair treads and install with adhesive to avoid nail holes or install your hardwood flooring.
9.

Repeat the process until you get to the top of your staircase.

If you are at all unsure of any steps or feel like the project is too much using your DIY skills, please consult a professional.

How to Refinish Hardwood Stairs

Step 1

Examine your stairs closely. It is possible there are gouges or scratches in the wood that are too deep for any practical amount of sanding to remove. You need to check for these and consider what to do: minimize them with sanding and live with them, minimize them and obscure them with a dark stain or replace the entire stair plank with a fresh piece of wood.

Step 2

Pull up any wiring running along your stairs that will be in your way.

Step 3

Decide if you want to remove any decorative molding before starting your sanding. Strictly speaking, this is not absolutely necessary. If the molding is firmly nailed into place, it will withstand a little sanding. If the molding is damaged, it will necessarily need to be removed and replaced later.

Step 4

Sand the step planks, using a the power edging sander. This power tool applies more sanding action than the regular hand power sander, and it will do a much better job of working your flat, horizontal surfaces. You will want to use a coarse grain of sandpaper to bring up the layers of lacquer, stained wood and scratches and then smooth it using a finer grain of sandpaper. Hard-to-reach corners can be done using a hand power sander and manual hand sander. Remember to keep an eye on and replace your sandpaper as necessary. You will most likely be renting these power tools, and the hardware store should offer you a tutorial in their use.

Step 5

Sand the riser planks. The power edger is too heavy for all but the strongest to employ on a vertical surface, so use the hand power sander on this and the manual hand sander for spots that cannot be reached with it.

Step 6

Remove stubborn bits of lacquer and stain. You will find some bits won't come up no matter what you do. Small stubborn bits can be removed with a sharp buck knife, but anything bigger than a couple of thumbnails should be removed using a carpenter's plane. Sand the newly expose wood again but only with the fine grain.

Step 7

Cut and nail in new molding if you have replaced any damaged molding.

Step 8

Clean the wood surface of dust and then stain it as desired. Use a brush and never a roller. Let this dry.

Step 9

Clean the dried stairs again, as dust will have likely settled during your wait. Use a brush to apply polyurethane lacquer. As the stairs are a highly trafficked area, you will need to apply at least three layers for the extra protection or use a "high build" lacquer in two layers. "High build" is composed to dry in thicker layers.

Hardwood Stair Repair From the Experts

Hardwood flooring is a great investment for your new home or even your old home when you decide to renovate. Although they are much more expensive than carpets, they last long and require little maintenance making up for the difference in price. Also, they add a great look to your home.

Refinishing your hardwood floors is not a monthly activity, which you need to take time out for. In fact daily maintenance which includes a slightly damp mop and vacuum with soft bristles will ensure that your floor is well taken care of. However you can choose to refinish your floor in the following circumstances:

* Sprucing up your new home before you move in: If you have just purchased a home and find hardwood in it, you can refinish it before you move in. It's hard to live in a home and refinish your floors. So it's a great idea to refinish it before you move in and your furniture arrives.
* If it's been over 5-6 years since you've refinished your floor, its time to consider it. Don't put of refinishing it for reasons like you can't move out of your home or move your furniture for refinishing. Flooring companies will take care of all your requirements and deal with refinishing in the shortest time too.
* You are selling your home and want a better price: Hardwood gives a home a great look and if you are selling your home, making your floors look great is a great idea. Prospective buyers will surely consider the look of your ground and offer a better price because your home is in great condition.
* Apart from these reasons scratched or sagging boards and squeaking sounds are definitely a sign that you need a refinishing expert.

Depending on the state of your hardwood floor, refinishing can take a day or more. You can choose to do it yourself or hire the services of flooring company.

Hardwood Stair Treads For Trendy Staircases at Home

Wood is timeless and always in style. Particularly hickory, black and Brazilian walnut, cherry, birth, cypress, maple, mahogany and bloodwood are all types that go well for any interior decoration project. Unfortunately hardwood is not the cheapest one to work with.

When you are working on modernizing and refinishing your staircases, you can do it at a cheaper cost without losing on the design. One way to go about it is using construction grade type materials that are more cost effective. Once you lay down the base, you can then cover this foundation with hard wood. This will reduce the amount of expensive wood that you are using, hence it will reduce your costs when implementing it. Also due to the fact that the top layer is hardwood, your stairs will look as beautiful as if they were done fully with the more expensive stuff.

You can find them in various sizes including 1", 1.5" and 2" ones, so you can customize the appearance and weight of your stairs just the way you want. Of course, the thicker they are, the more they will cost you. Also depending on the wood type you get, you will see different color shades that you can use to your advantage to match well with the rest of the room.

By having these at home you will eliminate the use of old carpeting that needs lots of cleaning and maintenance. Installing them is not very difficult but it needs a bit of know-how and a few tools to have around. If you're not sure whether you are up to the job, you can ask a professional woodworker or carpenter, who has done this countless times, to install them. While on the surface it looks like this costs you more, it will definitely save you time, and you can be sure in the knowledge that you get professional quality work done that will last you for many years ahead.

Have Your Own Hardwood Stairs With Wooden Stair Treads

Many people love the look of wood especially on their staircases. But the price of hardwood has become very expensive, so not a lot of people can afford to have a wood style stairway in their house. If you are one of those who are dreaming of having a wooden staircase, you can have a more economical alternative by installing wooden stair treads instead. This is done by building the stairs with cheaper construction material like concrete and then using hardwood to cover the steps of the stairway. There are a lot of hardwoods you can purchase and install which are valued for their beauty and function. These include bloodwood, maple, cypress, cumaru, birch, black walnut, Brazilian walnut, Brazilian cherry, hickory, and mahogany.

Building your stairs with concrete is a lot cheaper than building it entirely out of expensive wood. This will also make your staircase more durable but not as visually appealing like those made of real wood. By using wooden stair treads instead, you are able to minimize the cost of construction since the usual thickness of it is only about one inch. Also, you do not have to purchase lumber for support and railings. You can buy finished hardwood treads or you can opt to get the ones with an unfinished look so that you can adjust it to the look you have in mind.

Hardwood stair-treads can be finished or stained to match the theme of the house. You can now feel the atmosphere a real wood staircase gives, and you can get it at a much cheaper price. There are a lot of shapes and sizes available on the market. If you have curving stairs, you can have a customized curved stairtread. If you already have existing stairs at home, you can still get your wooden stairs by installing stair treads.