If you plan to leave the stairs raw I would stain them and finish with a urethane finish

Thank you

What are your two flooring options that are attached to the stairs (the flooring at the top and the flooring at the bottom)? Ideally you want to have the stairs match one of the flooring options.

A very handsome option is to stain the treads a dark stain (show the wood grain) and then paint the riser a crisp white. The look of two tones is classic and extremely handsome. But it depends on your lighting...nothing like having dark treads that you can't see in the dark!

Where do the stairs lead to and from?

The top of the stairs leads to the living room, that has hardwood floors. The bottom leads to the family room that has wood laminate floors. Thanks for the suggestions!

Have some fun with the stairs. Paint the risers all the same color but each tread a different color or different shade of the same color. Paint them like keys to a piano. Paint them with stripes that run the length of the stairway. Number each tread and alphabetize the risers. Number each tread and riser in a different language. Do something different.

A bit more pricey than a coat of paint, but have you considered capping? We have a lot of clients who come in after ripping carpet off their stairs who then get them capped and have a beautiful new hardwood surface without ripping up the structure of their home.

What is capping?

Thank you all so much for the suggestions, more are welcome. I'll post an after pic. :)

Capping is applying solid wood to the top of the existing tread and wood veneer to the riser underneath for each step, making it appear to be a fresh new hardwood stair.

Capping sounds expensive. :(

It's just a suggestion. :) If you have a stair company in your area, they'd likely be able to provide a quote. Our stair division caps quite frequently.

Looking forward to seeing what you go with!

Hi Elaine. Did you finish this project? I am eager to see the outcome! Please post a picture if you have one!