There are many products out there that create the look of plaster, tile and marble - most are acrylic, concrete or other similar products that are faux finishes. Paint the risers, you can create tile designs or use solid colors based on your color scheme.

Oh, I have lots of ideas for the risers. My concern is how to completely mask the particle board so that it doesn't look like particle board. Plus it's kind of weak, to hold up as a surface for stairs.

Ive done some experiments with finishing raw particle board. It stains and finishes just as solid wood does. The look of stained and top coated particle board, in my opinion :), looks kind of like cork believe it or not. If that look is appealing to you then I would consider it. As far as wear and tear, it's the top coats of finish that provides all the protection. One note, take extra care if these steps will come into contact with water on a regular basis. Particle board is like a sponge. Hope this helps.

Look on stair-treads.com or contact a reputable local flooring company both should be able to help you accomplish a satisfactory look.

R J Hoppe, in your experiments with finishing raw particle board, was a stairway involved? Your suggestion (staining and top coating) actually is making me feel much more hopeful about making our stairs look nice, without the expense (which we've considered) of adding yet another set of treads, of oak.

Anyway, we could try it. And if we like the way it looks, then great. And if we don't then we can fork out the dough for oak treads.

Distinguished Flooring LLC, I am married to an extremely talented handyman guy, and we just pretty much always end up doing our projects ourselves. But I would, for sure, contact a reputable local flooring company if I wasn't.

No. No stairway was involved. Just me wondering hmm what would happen if I.....

Again this is a thought, I've never seen anyone do this myself on a tread but I think it could be done. The week point I would see is the bull nosed front edge of the tread. Having said that, if the top coat does not wear off a solid wood tread I don't see why it would wear off a particle board tread. As Distinguished and yourself have said if in doubt consult.

Install pre painted MDF (medium density fiberboard) over the particle board. Can you add a 1/2" to the riser? I'm thinking what you have on there now is OSB (oriented strand board). Does it look like this?

norm walters - it does not look like that. It's pale & single tone. The treads was added over 20 years ago, if that helps. Sorry I can't do the photos.

Ironwood - the original steps are so narrow they're dangerous. With the added tread they're OK. But I see what you mean about the top & bottom steps...plus, there's a landing with two levels that we also have to deal with.

The steps make a U-turn. At the bottom of the U is the landing.

David, I should have been concerned. I blew right through that part about adding to the treads, getting late here, time to check out.

Norm, I figured! I as on the other night and my post read like gobbledygook the next day! Go to bed and get some sleep! You've got work in the morning!

Stsunniva, if you post a layout of the original stair and some pictures of it we can probably help more! Right now I'm flying blind and trying to keep worst case scenario from happening.

What about a very thin wood veneer, usually available at a finishing store? Not sure about the edge treatment and how it would wear, but just an idea...

Oh right... Posting photos. So if you can create a project file on your profile page and upload pictures to it from your desktop, any photo there can be attached to your post. You should see a button below your comments that asks if you want to attach something. If you still have problems contact support@houzz.com and they'll set things straight.

Mveasy, not bad, but not great. Veneer is paper thin. When we sand prior to finishing we have to be careful not to "burn" through the...10mil wood we get. Not much thicker than your heavy duty trash bag...so for flooring in a high traffic area...OK for risers though! Thanks for thinking outside the box!

What is riser height now? Doesn't sound safe to add more height here as per code. Just doesn't seem worth the effort to cover up if it is a trip hazard and a temporary fix. Rip it off and start over it will last forever then and look the way you want.

Brenda Fisher Riser height - that would be from the top of a step to the bottom of the step above, right? It is 6".

As for ripping it off and starting over...I doubt we'll do that. I appreciate your thinking about my stairs, but please - no more of this.

This is probably too expensive...but what if I used bronze or brass bull nose, like on concrete steps outside. (I got the idea when I was going into church today - the outside concrete steps have a brass edge) Is this done for interior stairs?

About brass nosings for stairs...if budget is a concern, the cost of the nosings will be as much as tearing out the stairs and starting over. Only available as a commercial product and cast brass. But brainstorming a bit, there is a product from Roppe Flooring that is an overlay of heavy rubber, nosing and tread in one. Might be an option, comes in may colors and textures. www.roppe.com/products/rubberstairtreads/index.html

Right, the metal nosing is mui caro ($$$). The Roppe rubber isn't cheap, but will glue right down to the existing particle board steps. Maybe adding 1/8" to the existing surface...Cool pic BTW, total pirouette!

Have you considered putting commercial carpet on the stairs? A dark, variegated, low pile or berber commercial type carpet will be very durable. Around here, that installation charge would be about $100, but the carpet should be cheap since a very awkward size piece can be used for stairs.

Perhaps one of those very flat woven sisal rugs might work.

Ironwood Builders, funny about that pirouette picture. My daughter who put the pics on here for me is mystified as to how that happened. Me, too!

Ironwood, I could see putting Roppe rubber tread on the stairs, maybe in red. I really like the idea of not adding much to the height of the steps since the rubber is thin ...carpet easily adds a half inch or more.

Linda, there used to be carpet on the stairs. It was berber, but of course, not commercial type (as far as I know). The thing is, I really don't want to have carpet on the stairs again, although that is what my husband is preferring partly because then he could get the darn job done.

What is the thought of having rubber stair treads in a house, though? Is it too tacky/industrial/hospital looking? (I think it would look really cool in our 1950 house, but...I like things unusual. But realistically, I wouldn't want it to be a deal breaker for if and when we move from here...we've been in this house for 20 years so far.)

Replace the particle board treads period. It's a worthless product not that difficult to replace.. A good pine tread can be purchased at a quality lumber yard. Use good adhesive ,screw in with finish head screws counter sunk , fill holes, light sanding and tread paint the color of your choice. A thirty year fix that will give good service and provide safety. Good luck

MHA Home Services...my husband said that removing the top treads would wreck the original steps. Period. (If it was possible, I would love to do as you suggest, but it's not gonna happen)

We have used Home Depot replacement tread packs for a quick cosmetic and functional upgrade. They only cost around $100. They have 10-12 treads included. We used them in red oak and they went in fine...take the time to cut them very carefully for a snug fit that last. Use a premium construction adhesive and a couple 18 gauge air nails across the back edge up against the riser.
This is the cheapest hardwood treads we could find and are much tougher than soft wood treads like pine. They already have a bullnose on them. Just install.
Cheap alternative to custom re-work of the stairs.

All the best with your project,
Greg
Red Ridge Millwork & Design Ltd.
greg@redridgewinecellars.com
http://www.allreclaimedwoodfurniture.com

Thank you for commenting, Greg at REd Ridge. I'm afraid, though, that adding a THIRD tread to the steps would not be a good idea. Someone commented earlier saying it might not be to code, besides which it would alter the top & bottom steps too much, making a trip hazard.

Unless they HD replacement tread packs) are very thin...thinner than a layer of carpet and pad would be...then it might be do-able.

My husband, the handyman has said that the way the second treads are attached to the originals, would entail wrecking the original steps, if he were to try and remove them. So we have to keep our second treads.

I'm looking at the photos you posted and it looks like the treads sit on top of the stringers without any trim in the way If that is the case, remove the original treads with the particle board still attached and put in new treads. Those treads can be cut out, pried apart and any protruding nails either pulled or pounded in.

I used a dark low pile commercial carpet in shades of charcoal gray on a runner down my basement stairs. With the leftover piece I cut a shaped floormat for my trunk area of my DH's newly acquired station wagon. He was travelling and didn't see me fit it and hadn't paid much attention to the original carpeting. A few weeks later, he was pulling shopping out of the back and made a comment about how much the car's trunk mat resembled the carpet on the basement stairs. I agreed about the unusual coincidence and then he looked closer and saw that the carpet didn't have bound edges.

If I remember correctly the treads are only 1/2 material which would still be strong enough. Could your handyman hubby use a cats paw claw to pul nails and screws that hold the "particle board' treads on, or rent/borrow a reciprocating saw with a good demolition blade to cut the rest that won't pull out?
It wouldn't be a quick and simple job but it sounds like it should be able to be done...This would open up more options for you...
I hope you and hubby find a mutually agreeable solution.
Best,
Greg
Red Ridge Millwork & Design Ltd.
greg@redridgewinecellars.com
http://www.allreclaimedwoodfurniture.com

We have almost finished our stairs and stairwell redo...painted, pine stair treads & risers, stair tread carpets, tile work on the top landing, Pergo for the middle landings & risers. Still to come - poppy red quarter-round carpets for the landing. And we'll repaint the built-in cupboard at the top of the stairs at some point in the near future! I love it.

(The top left picture is a before image to show the old stair treads) The new treads were trimmed to 9 3/4"...the overhang would have been too great otherwise.