Also when we replace carpet, what do we do with the color of the stair banister/railing (it matches all the doors in our house).

Can we carpet stairs and/or do rug runner (we have a dog so we need a rug for her to easily get up and down stairs). Here’s a pic of basement stairs on basement level. We are in process of painting and redoing floor. I’m just not sure where to go with this? Thanks for your help!

Would you consider stained concrete? I think that could look awesome and then you could add accent rugs. I don't think the bannister or railings need to change. Just keep the colors complimentary

OK...first of all lets deal with the stairs. This can be a rather simple. In an ideal world, the stair TREADS would match the hardwoods on the MAIN floor. Carpet makes for ugly stair treads because it is often some sort of cheap material underneath the carpet. Fine. This is do able.

I would look at staining or painting the treads the colour of the main floor wood and then match the RISERS to the flooring down stairs. With LVP you can use the planks glued to the risers to make a pretty detail. You can then use a runner down the stairs to ensure you remove the slip hazard a slick surface has created (I know...sounds like a lot of work...which is why stairs can be the most expensive part of a renovation...per square foot that is).

The railings and trim match the REST of the trim/doors in the house. Sigh. Now we have some questions as to what to do with these. Unless you want to change it ALL OUT, then it is probably best to leave them as-is for now. It is the cheapest way to keep the continuity.

Another thought would be to get a decent match between the LVP and the banister. Us the LVP on the stairs and then lay the runner over top. That way you don't have to touch the banister or trim at all.

But beware...when changing out the material on a stair, you might get into code violations for the first/last step. Code requires each tread-height to be within 3mm of each other. By changing out to vinyl on the stairs you might be messing up the top stair into the main living space.

Ok thank you. Nothing is easy that’s for sure! The hard decision is just that visible stairwell leading down to the baseline area. Concrete would be cool but still an issue with the staircase.

what about carpeted stairs then LVP floors? Would that be strange?

No design cred at all but here is my two cents worth. Match the LVP to the approximate colour of the wood on the stairs. Add a nice bright carpet in the basement to keep your feet warm and your eyes happy. Then if you feel like it, get a stair runner that ties it all in. And done!

You can use whatever surface you want to in the basement since it can't be seen directly from the first floor. Put carpet on the stairs as you currently have it, in a color that coordinates with both levels. I wouldn't change your wood trim since they are the same throughout your home.