This is what the baluster is going to look like

Take a sample step and piece of flooring to a paint store and ask for advice on a stain..also consider a runner on the steps to avoid the different materials and color from being too obvious next to the flooring...

Depending on the maple’s finish ... i would also consider painting the steps as a possible option...

Just so you know, maple is tough to stain. It takes a STRONG understanding of maple and stains to get his done properly.

And maple likes to turn yellow when exposed to light (any light....UV is found in over head lighting and in sunlight). If you stain it (or try to stain it) gray, you will find it turns yellowy inside of 1 year.

My question: why did you choose the maple treads? Why not use the vinyl (glued in place) on the treads and paint the risers?

Wow thank you both so much for your insights! I did not know maple Is so hard to stain! Does painting maple still have the same outcome as staining it? I chose maple because my contractor said that would be a more durable choice :/ my vinyl is shaw floorte vinyl and it snaps together. if I chose to do vinyl on the stairs my my guess is I could glue it to the maple stairs? sorry for all of the questions but know that your help is very appreciated! I am new to this! Thank you

Using the vinyl on the stairs leaves the edge to deal with ....not sure how you would handle that?..painting covers ...wears well...and touches up easily if needed...but my concern was that the knots may show if the wood was not completely smooth....it seems to me that carpeting the whole stair area should be considered as well ..a thin pile simulating jute is a good choice...

Nice to walk on and not slippery ...but molds to the steps perfectly ...

maple is difficult to get to take a dark stain. leaving it natural or something light w/a slight gray stain shouldn't be too hard.

If you get maple treads like this and try mixing a combo of an ashy brown stain and a gray stain, you should get a darker gray color. all depends what you're trying to match

where is the vinyl floor? lets see the color

if you did a white oak, it would be easier to stain and match stain colors

If you paint the steps the risers could be covered with the flooring

This is the vinyl. Thank You for your help! I am going to have my contractor return the maple and get white oak! I love the light Grey colors you provided in the pictures above!

good idea kate. plus, the white oak graining will match your flooring a bit better.

have him try Varathane weathered gray (Not Minwax!). It should give you the color you're looking for. (they also have a classic gray. a mixture of these two might give you a diff gray shade)

and make sure you get white oak and not red oak. red oak will have a pink undertone to it (like that picture)