Years ago, the carpeting on the main staircase in my home was starting to look quite worn. It always seems the steps are the first place to show wear. I absolutely love the look and low maintenance of hardwood flooring, so I got this “great” idea (insert image of Lucy and Ethel in candy factory here) to have the stairway completely re-done, ditching the carpet and going with hardwood treads.
After getting several estimates, I found a contractor who said he had added hardwood treads to staircases many times before…no problem. He sent his hardwood guy out who removed the old carpeting and began removing the treads. That’s when everything came to a screeching halt.
Apparently, the staircase had not been built on site and was designed without a center support or stringer. This left the hardwood guy scratching his head, struggling to find a way to install the new treads. He eventually figured it out, but a job that was estimated to take 3 days, actually took two very long weeks. Fortunately, our home has a back staircase or we would have been sleeping in the living room and taking sponge baths in the half bath.
Fast forward to the present and I’m itching to replace the carpet on the back staircase, now. That staircase leads to an upstairs family room/bonus room that’s casually furnished with antique pine. Over the years, I’ve been gradually replacing the carpeting in my home with hardwood flooring. This prompted a discussion with my current flooring contractor over whether I should add hardwood treads to the back stairway. The answer I got? No Way! Apparently, they have encountered the sneaky stringer-less stairway before.
So, what’s a girl to do? With the goal of having all the rooms finished out with hardwood flooring, re-carpeting is not an option. I had to look no further than houzz for some fresh alternatives. Here are 12 great looks for transforming that old carpeted stairway.
Are you a nature fan? I have just the staircase for you. Look at all the detail! Each time you go up the stairs, you can swim with the fishes and enjoy the birds and butterflys. This would have to make climbing steps a lot more fun.
The tile treatment works great for all types of stairs. I think every stairway needs a gatekeeper or sentinel, don't you? Each trip up the stairs costs 5 cents...a small toll to cover the cost of the new staircase design. :)
Here's one more great example of a tiled application. This would have been great for preventing the scuff marks that elves magically left on the risers of our steps when I had a teenage boy bounding up and down them. I still have memories of him taking the steps three at the time. If you've ever had boys, I bet that sounds familiar. :)
Check out this "faux" carpet look. Not only is it durable, you'll enjoy having a little bit of art right under foot. Such a dramatic and eye catching look against the white walls.
You can just barely see the steps here, but I had to include this staiway because I think this would be a great way to redo a previously carpeted stairway that really wasn't meant to be taken apart...like mine. It appears the risers have been painted black. This is great for hiding a multitude of sins...like nail holes or gouges that have been filled and sanded.
Feeling brave? Go all white. I love this look and could really see it in a cottage style home or beach house? This stairway would also look great with a seagrass or sisal runner right down the center.
It's August now...which means Halloween is just a few months away. I saw these in Michaels last October and unfortunately, passed them up. As I recall, they were under the Martha Stewart brand. I hope they have them available again this year. Total fun!
Hope this Ideabook gives you some fun alternatives to the carpeted stairway. Remember, it's just paint. If you don't like it, you can just paint right over it. Or, even carpet them again. Nahhhh.
Hate carpet on steps and see it all the time. I suggested just today that if a client needed carpet on her steps that we should look at commercial grade carpeting
Sinteriordesign...great idea! Commercial grade really wears like iron. Do sisal and natural fiber runners hold up on stairs? I see a lot of those being used these days.
Susan, great pics! Thanks so much for using two of our Casart coverings ones for the first two photos. Just so you know, I originally hand painted these designs. The first one is a mural and the second one is of faux tiles. They are printed onto special wallcoverings that can be removed and reused -- seasonally, like "slipcovers for your walls."
Have always had the risers on my stairs stenciled. Just had them painted white and will be adding cheetah carpet runner. Have seen it in many decorating magazines and I love the look. My husband thinks I have lost my mind, but he knows I can't be stopped with my decorating obsession. Love all the looks you posted.
I had my carpeted stairs redone with hardwood last fall. I just love it and I had the stairwell replastered and painted ( after getting rid of hideous wallpaper). Now I just need to get artwork rehung. I love all your mirrors on the stair wall.
Love the whimsy and lovely photos for when bare stairs are a good option. There's a reason why many traditional homes had / have coverings on the stairs. Wood floors without a rug or carpet are much louder....particularly stairs, especially with kids- but for anyone really. Clunk, clunk, clunk up and down every day. Noise levels determine a home's comfort and aesthetic greatly. All the senses, not just sight, should be considered in interior choices, otherwise the result is shallow design. To carpet or not carpet comes and goes with fickle interior fashion trends . It annoys me when designers only consider how a space looks ("I hate carpet on stairs") and not how it functions; their advice might leave a client with a choice that looks good for the designer's trendy portfolio, but does not "live well" for the client, and that's not good design.
Add me to the list of people who hate carpet on stairs. So much so, that I ripped off carpet from one set of my stairs that definitely should not have seen the light of day. I sanded, added molding, caulked, painted & added a jute runner down the middle & wow, did it make a huge difference. So, even if your stairs are SO bad & ugly you would never show them, with some DIY, they can look like a million bucks! Thanks Susan, for a great article!
Adele and Rhoda, I love the runner idea! I'd love to do one down my stairway one day...something really durable like sisal or wool. In the meantime, I've loved having the wood treads. Rhoda, I loved your stair redo because you showed so many great ways to hide any gaps or imperfections. After seeing what you did, I think it possible on any stairware! I've already checked and the treads on my back stairway have the bull nose (is that what you call it?) or rounded edge and they are in great shape. So I think with a little wood putty and some sanding, they would look great painted. I also, love the look of a runner with the side sections painted...so many great choices beside traditional carpet. :)
Kitch: Haven't had any problems with noise since we all run around either in tennis shoes, sock feet or barefoot when indoors. :)
Sunny, LOVE 'EM! What fun! Thanks for sharing them.
Tropinc...that is such a gorgeous look! Sometimes it a little hard to pull off it the carpet was put down with a lot of tack or nails...there can be some pretty ugly holes and damage left behind. Or sometimes the treads are a really undesirable grade of wood and don't look so great stained. Love the look when the wood underneath is in great shape.
Awesome article, Susan! I am also wanting to remove carpet from our staircase as we have indoor cats that are certain that we provided them with a giant scratching post! Needless to say, the carpet, only 6 years old, looks AWful. It appears that the stairs only have oak on the edges and most likely something cheaper like perhaps particle board underneath the carpet...I haven't pulled the carpet back yet to see for sure.
I am looking forward to watching what you decide to do. Also, for those of you that have "taken the plunge" and replaced old steps with new wood, I'd be curious to know what you invested in the project...hundreds....thousands?
Another reason to keep carpeted stairs is safety. My big-footed husband tends to loose his footing on our short, steep stair runners. He believes the grip is better and the fall is softer with carpeted stairs. So, we live with them, even though I love the stairs pictured here.
Great timing on this idea book. I've been working on my entryway/stairs since I ripped off the carpet a few months ago. I have everything done except the paint on the stairs. I'm opting for white stairs with a faux turquoise runner. If it looks bad I can always paint it a different color. I'm just wondering how the paint will wear--6 kids.
Kidsarefun, I'm pretty sure there's a sealer or something you can put over the top to protect it. Call a few of the paint stores in your area and asked them what they would recommend...I bet they will know just the thing to use. Some folks like a painted surface to show a bit of wear, but I don't think that's the look you are going for on your stairs. Hope you upload some pics to houzz when you finish it...would love to see how it comes out!
Susan, loved all the stair ideas. 2 years ago we pulled up the carpet and had someone come in and put new wood on our treads .The original wood was not stain grade.kind of a particle board. I could not be more pleased!! We have 2 large dogs along with grandkids running up and down the stairs. Noise has never been a problem. I was afraid that they might be slippery cause I slipped and fell a few times when they were carpeted, but no I have not fallen with the wood. we have been debating adding a runner which I think I may do just because I like the way they look . We do live in an area that has snow in the winter and the stairs going down are right off the entry but everyone is good about taking off their shoes in the entry which is slate . thanks for all the inspiration!
Cally...your experience has been exactly the same as mine. I very much like the look of a runner, too. Glad you didn't have as much trouble when you replaced your treads! :)
For a budget friendly way to add natural wood to a staircase, paint the treads and put in wood riser s. All it takes is two sheets of quarter inch plywood in your favorite wood, trim gun or staple gun, and a saw with a special plywood blade. Even cheap luaun looks great with a dark toned stain.
If you want to hire out a project like this, you don't need a flooring contractor. When you are looking at a project which is surface finishing and visual impact, talk to painters. My partner and I also do all types of decorative elements - tile, trim work, moldings, install window treatments, build and cover cornice boards, etc. Good painters understand how to make surfaces look beautiful even if you aren't using paint.
