Simple DIY staircase makeover for those on a budget
The stairs in my house are original. They are solid wood and at one time, were beautiful to look at. At some point not too long ago, they were covered with carpet entirely. The wood is never to be seen again. Until now.
I like the look of natural wood staircases so it was an easy decision that the beat up, old gray carpet on the stairs had to go. The carpet was covering the entire step from wall to wall and wrapped around every lip. It joined the carpet at the top of the stairs which ran the length of the hallway. Here is a rundown of how we refinished these stairs after ripping up the carpet.
The first step was to pull up all of the carpet. There were staples on every tread, in the risers, and even on the decorative bezel that wraps around the steps. We used a utility knife to cut out the carpet and padding and rolled it up to dispose of it. The staples had to be removed by hand with a pair of pliers or if they were deep in the wood, pulled out with a hook tool that would fit under the staple. The carpet tack strips were also removed with a thin pry bar. You want to be careful not to damage the floors while removing all the nails and staples.
Once the carpet and staples are removed, you want to assess the condition of the wood underneath. The wood looked dingy and had carpet adhesive on it. There was also wood filler used that was white. You would only apply that white filler if these steps were never to be seen again. All the woodwork needed a rejuvenation so I opted for a compact sander that was rented from Home Depot.
The best floor sander to use is a rotary edge type that works well in tight spaces and up against walls. I was able to strip the wood down to where the surface was even. A lot of the adhesive was removed in the process as well. After a thorough sanding and cleaning of the surface with a damp sponge, the sander went back to the store the same day.
It is clear when looking at the steps that there are lots of dents, nail holes, staple holes, and in this case large construction screws. The stairs were most likely squeaky and the long construction screws were used to stop the squeaking as the treads moved when stepped on. Even with wood filler added, the stairs would not look nice. There were simply too many blemishes that needed to be filled. There is no wood filler that looks exactly like wood with grain in it. The treads could be replaced but we are trying to stick to a budget and new oak treads are very pricey.
The best solution is to use wood filler to fill all the holes in the steps. Once the holes are filled, the steps can be sanded and then stained. The stain is not a standard transparent stain that adds a coloring to the wood. The stain used is semi-transparent meaning it can be seen through but still masks a good deal of blemishes. The stain can be rubbed on with a rag in a way that maintains the look of real wood. It can take a bit of practice to apply the stain in a manner that looks natural. I recommend getting a piece of unfinished wood to practice applying it before going straight to the actual steps. Let the stain dry before moving on to the next steps.
Now that the stained wood looks great, we are not quite done with the treads yet. The stain colors the wood but it is still vulnerable to scratching and rubbing off from foot traffic and normal wear and tear on the stairs. We will apply a polyurethane coating to the steps to make the finish durable and glossy. There are different levels of gloss and I opted for a semi-gloss look that wasn’t too shiny but also resisted dirt from penetrating the finish. The selected polyurethane is a water based product that is easy to apply with a soft hair brush. Follow the instructions on the can but you can apply three to four coats of this product for maximum durability. The polyurethane locks in the stain and preserves everything underneath it. The treads of the stairs are now complete.
We will move onto the risers next. These are the vertical sections of stairs that are behind the steps and connect to the treads at the top and bottom. The old risers had clear shellac on them that was very glossy. Painting them white will modernize them and improve the look of the entire staircase. Painting over glossy shellac is not a good idea as the paint will most likely chip off since it cannot properly bond to the material. This is why sanding the risers is an essential part of this process. A palm sander or round velcro drill sanding disc will work best on the small surface area of the risers. Sand away the coating until there is no sheen to the wood and the underlying wood is fully exposed.
Once the wood has been sanded it’s time to give the risers a nice coat of primer before the paint is applied. The primer helps the paint adhere to the wood. This is crucial because risers will get kicked when walking up stairs. Painters tape is helpful since you want to have tight lines where the riser meets the tread.
With the treads and risers completed, the last item to address is the railing or banister. In my case, I just painted the spindles with a fresh coat of white paint. The rest of the railing was in fine shape and did not need much sprucing up. If you have any spindles that turn or are loose, you will want to re-secure them in place.
