Pine Treads are done all the time and are typically Southern Yellow Pine and not really soft at all. They don't stain worth a dam however.

So you think yellow pine if stained correctly (probably darker than the hardwood with white painted risers) would hold up decently well?

I had pine treads in my previous house, 17 years, grandchildren, Golden retrievers. Th treads matched my pine floors. I would not hesitate to do it again if we were building.

Have you considered carpeting those stairs? Pine is a wood with many knots which bleed through many finishes leaving unpleasant effects if not properly sealed prior to finishing. If the stain is transparent the knots resemble acne.

Not sure if you're talking to me Virgil, but I love those stairs. I sure don't see any acne anyway.

No carpeting. We considered a runner - but with the starter stair so much would be exposed anyways I don’t think it’s going to make a difference. I’ve looked at a lot of pine and it seems like if done correctly it can look very nice. We have decided to not spend nearly 5 grand for them to rip up our stairs for oak treads and instead see how they wear for a few years. Every cite I look shows that interior stairs can be replaced for 5 ish grand. So I don’t see me paying that today and being no better off.

Thanks for the pictures and comments - and nice stairs!

Help!! Looking to finish pine stair treads 2” thick. Do not want the “yellow” pine look with just varathane. Have tried some mixology and ended up re sanding as the stain made real ugly blotchy areas. Looking to contrast with plank floor and some natural beams. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Pics are prior to re sanding. Thanks!!

I guess paint is the next option if this is DIY. Pine is REALLY difficult to stain. The sanding has to be awesome...and water popping is used to get the wood to take the stain in a darker, more even way. But you have to be pretty good at both.

This is a diy. What is water popping? @SJ McCarthy

Water popping is the practice of applying a thin even coat of water over freshly sanded wood. It makes the wood surface fuzzy, allowing it to absorb more stain. This can help closed grain wood like Cherry, Maple or Pine look more uniform because the lighter areas will be darker, closer to the color of the splotchy portions.

Pine is super hard to stain. A pre-stain conditioner will help, but for the most part, I've never stained a piece of pine and liked the result.