Black with a runner?

Thanks.

That’s mostly where I’m landing too.

Why not stain them to match?

For a proper bond everything would need to be stripped and sanded back to raw, at that point you compare time to just tearing out and starting fresh. Even when painting black proper prep is top priority for good adhesion.

Personally , I would leave them as is and add a runner to the stairs. That way you only have a small amount of wood showing on each side of the runner.

What is the flooring upstairs? I would leave them alone as well and just install the runner.

Leave them? Nothing looks better than a dark stain mixed with a golden oak. Maybe paint tread ends white add a runner and strip sand and stain the handrail to match? Minimizes the stripping process. Of course strip and stain first.

IMO strip and stain to match the new floors is really the right answer but next to that would be a runner in a patternt to blend the 2 colors .

Sorry but I agree with Patricia, the best and most attractive option is to stain the steps and the handrail to match the new floors. You don't need to tear out the staircase.

Are your new floors site finished or pre-finished? If site finished and your contractor did a good job, he should have no problem sanding the re-staining the stairs.

I like the suggestion of staining the treads to match the flooring. That should give your room a more cohesive look.