| Carpeted stairs are passé. Hardwood stairs | | | | Thus, if you are happy with your existing "rise and |
| are the way to go, but is it possible to replace carpet | | | | run," then you are in the ideal position to recover |
| on stairs with wood, without destroying the house, | | | | these stairs. Hardwood of any species can be used |
| living under the mess of a construction site for | | | | for the job, thus here is a list of steps for changing |
| months on end or selling your only child to the bank? | | | | carpet stairs to wood. |
| Absolutely, as long as you can answer yes to two | | | | Step #1: Remove the carpet, tacker strips and/or |
| questions! | | | | any residual glue. Don't worry if the wood gets |
| Tearing the house apart to redo your stairs just | | | | gouged in the process. |
| doesn't make sense. Besides to build a standard set | | | | Step #2: Cut off the existing nosing of the |
| of hardwood stairs probably costs four times more | | | | construction stairs on both the front and if you have |
| that taking your existing stairs and changing carpet | | | | an open end, there too. |
| stairs to hardwood steps, in a wood species to | | | | Step #3: Remove and store any spindles that may |
| compliment the balance of your home decorating. It | | | | be drilled into the stairs. Leave the newel posts in |
| is not unusual to save thousand of dollars. So what | | | | place. You can work around them, unless of course |
| do you need to answer first? | | | | your intent is to have a new railing as well. |
| Question number one: Are your existing stairs | | | | Step #4: Use a matching hardwood veneered |
| structurally sound? In other words if I were to | | | | plywood to face the back riser and stringer. No point |
| remove the carpet and add a few (or a lot) of | | | | in using solid hardwood here as it doesn't take any |
| screws to the existing structure would they meet | | | | wear in this location and solids are much harder to |
| the existing building code and NOT squeak in daily | | | | work with. |
| use. If this isn't the case then give up and start from | | | | Step #5: Glue down solid hardwood plank stairs to |
| scratch before you waste any more money! | | | | the face of your old treads, using construction glue. |
| Question number two: Are you happy with the | | | | Glue that is in a caulking tube is the easiest to apply, |
| overall layout of your steps? Are they a suitable size, | | | | otherwise use a small notched trowel to spread, |
| rising enough on each step to be safe and offering | | | | especially when applying it to the ¼" plywood |
| enough depth for you to comfortably plant your | | | | or bulges will be obvious. |
| foot? Many do-it-yourselfer's and even those in the | | | | Step #6: Replace your spindles and trim any corners |
| trade, have trouble with the math used in | | | | with appropriate mouldings to hide seams between |
| constructing steps. They often think that when you | | | | the plywood used for the riser and that used for the |
| get to the point of wanting to replace carpet on | | | | stringer. |
| stairs with wood, that you can also play with the | | | | Further: It is best to pre-finish all the plywood and |
| overall layout by adding width to an existing set of | | | | treads before you install. Polyurethanes typically take |
| treads. They think that if they build up the front of | | | | 48 hours to come to full strength so it can tie up |
| the stair under the nosing it will give them a longer | | | | your steps for a bit of time if you chose to do the |
| run. They forget that if you do this to every step it | | | | finishing on site. Besides it is easier to avoid runs if |
| kind of cancels each other out, so your layout must | | | | everything can be finished while on the flat. |
| be acceptable as is. | | | | |