I would hope paint would cover it. It's worth a try. I covered my basement staircase risers with peel and stick wallpaper myself. It was inexpensive. They come in many different colors and designs. Good luck!

I would think they will look fine you have lots of white trim just use the same color for the risers.

Hey I didn't think of wall papers - thanks Terri for sharing! Will wallpapers stay a long time/not peel off, or you have to change it once in a while? Is it easy to maintain? Since mine is entryway, the risers might get dirty easily. Thanks so much!

I applied the wallpaper a couple years ago and it's stayed put just fine. I was careful to measure and cut and removed any air bubbles as I went along. It took me a couple of hours.

fyi, I just peeled back a corner easily with my fingernail and then pressed it back. So changing it won't be a problem. One thing I read though is if you try to apply it to non-stick paint, it won't adhere. By non-stick paint I'm assuming they mean high gloss which is likely what you'd use if you painted them first. Something to consider.

If you're going to wallpaper keep in mind the print and the orientation you want it to be. I would have preferred this faux wood print be horizontal instead of vertical but the roll wasn't wide enough when I turned it that way. I would have had to cut two pieces for one step. Because I didn't want a seam I decided to go the other way. With some prints it won't matter. Something to consider.

or, and instead of wallpaper, they actually make vinyl decals for stair risers.

amazon, Etsy, eBay,,,lots of places carry them

I think they'd look pretty white. Our entry risers are white and they do get scuffed so definitely agree with Beth about the paint.

Can't he just fill the holes with some type of putty?

If you never noticed the nail holes before, I‘m sure no one else will ever notice them and you will soon forget about them. If u want you can fill them with wood filler, but it‘s probably not worth the effort. Seems to me your contractor wants extra work.

Thanks so much for all your responses <3. I asked the contractor about putty, he said it won’t work that way, since the nail holes are leaving black marks on the risers, the putty would not make it look natural. I made sure that if he paints, he will be using semi gloss paint from Benjamin moore.

I’m 65% sure that I’m going to paint the risers white :) if decided, I will come back and post before & after photos. Thanks again everyone!

Not a pro. I prefer stained wood in general because I find it beautiful and easier to maintain. I personally would not want to paint them. I don’t understand what you mean about black marks preventing the use of wood filler.