Do you happen to know the thickness of the underlayment that you are using? Unfortunately it's doesn't seem available anymore in the stores, so I will need to order some and I want to make sure and get it thick enough that it holds up. Thank you

@ekfarm they were 1/2 inch thick sheets 2x3 I think, still available at Home Depot. Hope this helps. :)

Great job, removing the carpet makes a huge improvement and white paint too !

So funny that you should mention that elaynemt, I just said to my husband last weekend that it's been two years and they look the same as the day I finished painting them. Thank you so much for asking!

I touched up the cork treads twice though, All that was needed was a bit of stain where they were worn from use. @elaynemt.

Nice job!

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Ours looked way worse than yours to start and has been sitting with just plain plywood for a year now as we haven't figured out what to do or how to do it. This is perfect. Can't start until August because of several other projects already underay, but so thankful to have this post.

@prgalinda, if I can answer any questions please feel free to ask. It will truly be my pleasure to help in any way I can.

Your hard work certainly paid off. Beautiful !

bschr mentioned a 6 week job, so if it helps anyone (@starbella you were wondering how many hours it might have taken), I kept track when redoing our 3 floor staircase and it took approx. 36 hours for one person (the prep and sanding is the killer) divided up over many evenings and weekends - but worth every hour! Hope this helps anyone thinking about redoing theirs.

@evsc if you go to a few comments after the beginning of the thread and read through there are pretty detailed instructions. The cork treads are just sitting on the steps. I am still amazed how well they work. @Maureen I agree that it was worth every hour! Did you post a picture of your work?

We have since sold the home (no pics) but I believe it gave a nice first impression to help sell the house.

What a difference - great job!

Now THAT is a transformation!

Hi...this is such a great place to be for ideas. I think your stairs look great and thank you so much for sharing. I just want to be sure that your stairs were plywood and you were able to do all of this with the plywood right? I have carpet on the stairs (13) and 2 sets of landings as well and to have remove the carpet and replace with real wood treads for labor and material was sooooo expensive. I don't want to leave the carpet on the stairs so I started doing research on staining or painting the plywood. if your stairs were down to the plywood and you were able to do this....then I have hope :). Great job.

@susan0077, yes the stairs were rough plywood. We couldn't find a contractor to replace the treads with solid wood as it was a small job and they were all apparently too busy. We interviewed several. We chose to paint the stairs because stain would not have worked to our satisfaction. Go for it, you won't regret it!

Love it!! Great work!

Clever using the cork! Looks awesome! We painted the ballisters on our stairs white, all 96 of them....it took over 40 hours including prep (masking, 2 coats of prime, 2-3 coats of paint) but well worth it. Totally transformed a once very dark stairway. Very dramatic! Excellent job guys!

@ekfarm we used a large Olfa knife with frequent blade changes. We then used a bit of sand paper to soften the edges. I hope this helps you. :)

Thanks! I couldn't get the knife to work so I brought out the big gun and bought a Dremel Saw Max. It was overkill, and added $100 to the already pricey project, but it did work really well.

These stairs are in the basement and since my family and pets track in from the outside and up, I didn't want a runner that couldn't be washed, so these are the cork alternative per your idea.

I didn't stain or seal them because the natural cork actually looks nice in the room.

Time will tell how it all holds up. Since I had to buy the $250 pack, I have a lot of extra if I need to replace one. :-)

@ekfarm Wow!! An amazing job! I think you will be happy but without sealing, the cork will hold on to dirt and moisture and may even warp. If you seal them you can wipe them down when necessary. Only seal the tops not the underside as they will slip off the treads. Your stairs look beautiful!

I found this in one of your posts - I followed with two coats of Minwax clear latex.

So I will give the Minwax a try. Thank you! It's so helpful when posters follow up on questions about a project.

Thank you ekfarm, I am confident you will be pleased with the results. I am thrilled that you used the cork.

I love the contrast here!

I am so glad that I found your post since I am about to tackle my own stairs (but I am very nervous)!! Thank-you for sharing! You did an amazing job! There are no curves for my treads, but the current edging is slightly rounded. Do you think that wood veneers would work or should I just use the trim as you had recommended? For your straight edge treads (ie. the ones that are not curve), did you use the 1/2 inch trim for the nosing or did you use the conduit as well?

@htktran71 we fashioned all the straight edges of the treads using the conduit forms and epoxy, It's been a couple of years and the treads are still perfect! Good luck to you and please post your success.

Thanks for your encouragement. Would you mind telling me what size conduit you used?

@HanhTran The height of the tread is the diameter of the tubing you use. We used 1 inch. Copper works well because it is easier to cut length wise. Once cut, open it up a bit so the opening is about the same thickness as the tread. Now you can use it to shape the wood epoxy to the front and sides of your treads. I hope I haven't confused you with my directions.

Your instructions are great! Thanks again. Why did you use wood epoxy instead of regular wood filler? Was it the 2 part product? I went to the store to find all the products that I will need. I'm so glad they have the cork underlayment. sheets! I'm just starting to sand the plywood treads but I will post pics when I'm done.

@htktran71 Wood epoxy is stronger than wood filler. I really wanted the bullnose to stay attached to the treads. The wood filler worked well for small nail holes and divots no question. I used a product called PC Woody and it exceeded my expectations! Happy sanding!

What a great idea with the cork underlay for the dogs. It's amazing how the stairs changes the whole look and brightens this area up. I am sure you are very pleased with the outcome. Great job!

That's fantastic!

looks great!

Great improvement!!

Looks so nice!!

This is a sophisticated look!

Looks great!

Awesome!

Scott - check dates before commenting - This is a 2013 post.

It's irritating when someone jumps in 6 years later, cause we all get an email.