Under $100 Carpeted Stair To
Wooden Tread Makeover DIY
contributed by Cleverly Inspired
For about a year I have been thinking about redoing our stairs. Should I?Can I? Would I dare? Rip up carpet??
Almost 7 years of wear….stains that can’t come up…
I just don’t know. It would be the largest project I have ever done. The hubs was completely behind me.” you can totally do that. It is just carpet. It the wood is bad we will deal with it. Go for it!”
So I did. And here is how it went down…. By the way, thanks for the support. It sure does make a girl feel good!!
Tools needed for ripping the carpet….
Needle nose pliers are your best friend for getting carpet off of steps….
Starting at the corners and pulling with all your might…
I pulled about 3 steps at a time, rolling the carpet as I went up the stairs. Then I used a sharp razor knife and cut the carpet and took it outside. Continuing on this way until I got to the top….
At the top, I cut the carpet with an extra sharp razor knife…leaving the carpet on the rounded part of the top thread where the upstairs hall starts. Pull up all the carpet pad….
To take up all the carpet tack strips, just place a flat head screw driver under the strip—tap in with the hammer and gently pry it up. Keep moving the screwdriver until the tack strip comes up. Do this same technique with all the 3,567,987 million staples….
Ok, maybe not quite that many….but it sure felt like it! I saved them in a solo cup…then I sat with a nice glass of red wine and admired my hard work!!! Phase one complete! Money spent during phase one…ZERO—besides a little blood, sweat and tears….I joke,I joke….
Stay tuned!!!
So if you were here yesterday…you saw that I decided to take the carpet off my stairs….Phase One–Operation Stairs Makeover and here we continue…..
The project continues with a day of sanding and scraping up the paint and caulk that was on the stairs.
Plastic was hung up from every doorway to help the dust…which there was a bunch of …dust!!
We used my Dad’s quarter sheet sander….and we got course (60) grade sand paper. I bought 2 packages.
We ended up using about one little quarter sheet per step…
After all the steps were sanded there was still some junk on some of the steps. So for the stubborn parts I used a stripper. This stuff is awesome!
Please follow the directions though…be careful please.
You basically brush it on, let it sit 20 minutes and take a metal scraper to it and the paint and gunk just shrivels right off!
So satisifying
When you are finished getting all the gunk (for lack of a better word, sorry) You need to clean the steps gently with some mineral spirits to remove any residue from the sander and the epoxy remover. We decided instead of staining we wanted to paint the treads a deep chocolate color and the risers and semi-gloss white. We could have stained….but a couple of stairs really had paint built in…and we loved the color of the paint. It looks really rich…but also has alot of character. Love that!
Seek peek at sample board…..so pretty!
Phase 2 we spent:
$3.94 for 2 drop cloths
$5.97 air-masks
$5.05 for 2 packs of 60 grit sandpaper
$2.68 small metal can for epoxy remover
$8.97 Epoxy and Paint remover
$2.00 for 2 chip brushes
$2.94 jar of sample paint
$31.55 spent….
Stay tuned for Phase 3!
such a good guy….he vacuums more than me! Love you babe!
Here is where we started this project if you are just joining me….Phase 1 and Phase 2 of Operation Stairs Makeover…..
Putter has lost all patience with me by this point. Poor dog…if he could talk, he would be saying “could you please just put back the carpet and end this nonsense woman…” oh no….no carpet for you!
After stairs were all cleaned up good I could start painting. I primed the risers with a white primer.
Then I painted the treads with the brown. We loved the color Behr Sweet Molasses, it is a true chocolate color–rich and warm and has lots of character. I bought a quart or eggshell finish.
Valspar Signature is a paint and primer in one. I chose Eggshell finish because I am going to be putting 3 coats of polyurethane on the steps and I didn’t want the paint to be so glossy the poly wouldn’t adhere. Perfect for this project. You can find it at Lowes. A quart was plenty for 2 coats on just the treads.
Purdy is really a great brush to use!
I didn’t bother taping since I have to paint all the white anyway. I painted a coat on…let it dry 2 hours (can said I could recoat after 2 hours) and then put on the 2nd coat. We were able to go up the stairs at night. I painted while the kids were at school so it really wasn’t an inconvenience at all.
The next day I was able to cover the treads with some craft paper and tape the sides so that I could paint the trim white and the risers. Craft paper is sold in rolls near the paint supplies. I cut it to fit on the stairs.
Frog tape really seals nicely—when you go to take it off it has a nice clean edge.
I used a semi-gloss quart of Valspar Signature in White Umber (the color of my trim). I put 2 coats of white on and let dry overnight before taking the paper and tape off. Placing a fan at the bottom of the stairs helps the drying process.
Phase 3 Money Spent:
$30 for 2 quarts of custom mixed paint
$3 roll of Kraft paper
$6 Frog Tape
Grand total Spent so far on Operation Stairs: $70.51
You’ve been so patient….so encouraging…so excited for me. Thanks! I am still in the middle of polyurethane all the coats on the treads….but you can see the final product.
A few of you have asked how many hours this project has taken me…well the first phase (clearing out the carpet and pulling all staples and tacks) took me 2.5 hours–mind you I did this by myself on a Friday. Phase 2 took Bill and I from about 11:30 on Saturday morning till about 4:30 (that includes prep work, sanding, and cleaning up all the dust!). And on Sunday I took about an hour and did all the scraping with the stripping remover stuff. Phase 3 was the painting process and that took about an hour per coat…then I would let it dry for 3 hours and a re coat. So I think you could accomplish this in one weekend (minus the polyurethane step…because that requires some dry time).
If you haven’t seen the first few post on these stairs you can read all about it here….Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3 …..
If you haven’t seen the first few post on these stairs you can read all about it here….Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3 …..
Electric candles people…not to worry—wouldn’t advise real candles on newly lacquered stairs…just sayin
Ta Da!
BOOYAH!
I am coating the stair treads with Minwax Fast-Drying Satin. I am doing every other step. I put one coat on, let it dry 4 hours; then placed another coat. I am doing 3 coats on just the treads. I placed a small piece of tape on the steps that I was allowed to step on (just a mental note for me!) I am using a foam brush. Place a fan at the bottom of stairs to aid in quick drying. It is about $11 for a can.
I know they look dark here but I wanted to show how pretty they look at night with these electric candles on…
He’s impressed….my biggest supporter 
We feel so satisfied knowing how much we saved and that fabulous feeling that comes from doing something with your own bare hands.
We feel so satisfied knowing how much we saved and that fabulous feeling that comes from doing something with your own bare hands.
Goodbye worn out carpet….HELLO pretty wood stairs!
I would say they look like a million bucks—-but then again….I only used $81…and a bit of sweat—but that is always a good thing!!
Video Tutorial is here….
>I saw this last week but I am still impressed. What a difference and it totally gets me fired up to tackle my treads (the only part remaining for my stair-redo). Thanks for the very comprehensive tutorial! It's beautiful!
>Wow. I.am.in.LOVE with your stairs. I have been eying up my carpeted stairs and seriously debating the carpet removal. After seeing your transformation, I think I will be attempting that soon. Thank you for a great tutorial!
>You did an awesome job!!! Go you!!! The refinished stairs are beautiful!
>The stairs look fabulous! I am definitely a fan of carpetless wonder
Great job! Definitely an inspiration to me for my own staircase 
>I am a new follower, and this is the first post I've seen of yours and I am in awe…Wow! What a wonderful job. The end result looks fantastic…Much better than the carpet. Thanks for sharing.
[email protected]
>What an amazing transformation! You did a great job, and documented it so well.
I love the comment about the 3,567,987 million staples… Next time, get a simple pry bar, and those tack strips will just pop right up.
>Ditto the pry bar – much less work. But it all looks great!
>Love it! It looks great!! I feel for ya ripping out those carpet staples. My living room was covered in carpet and I ripped out all the carpet and staples by myself. My hands were sore the next day.
>Oh I am so wanting to do this at our house and was just telling my husband about it the other night! Now I will have the pictures as proof to show him that IT CAN BE DONE!
Vanessa
>This looks amazing! Random question… did you keep the carpet upstairs or go with wood up there too? Love it!
I've thought about doing something like this myself, but I have carpet throughout upstairs and am wondering how I'd pull it off… Hmmm…
>Congrats, your stairs look fabulous. What a difference a little paint makes!
>GORGEOUS! These make such a HUGE difference! Love this whole project. I was just looking at my stairs this morning wondering when we can tear out the carpet and get crazy!
>That is AWESOME, especially for under $100. What a huge difference!
>Your stairs are absolutely Beautiful!
Theresa
>Ok – I love this! Thanks for sharing the step-by-step! I will be earmarking this, as our basement stairs are bare wood (not the beautiful wood that you have on yours, but ugly wood. My Mr. Right wants carpet, and I hate carpet (I have allergies!) Maybe I can convince him to let me paint them until we get to the carpeting and pray that he won't continue to want the carpet. We'll see how that goes! lol
>wow! amazing job!
>What a great change! It looks like so much work, but for this project it looks more than worth it. Beautiful!
>Beautiful! I need to do mine.
>You did an absolutely marvelous job on the steps and the tutorial. They look fabulous, just like a Pro:)
>Love this project and thank you for posting this! I also have ugly carpeting on my stairs and I know I will have to take off some paint. Maybe I can convince Mr. H to take off the carpet and redo the steps since it only was $100.
>Love it! You did such a great job!!!!
>Awesome work on your stairs! They are beautiful!
>Looks great! Wish I had the guts to have wood stairs.
>Gorgeous. We need to paint our risers white…but what a job that is….
>Your steps look A M A Z I N G !!!!! Good job!
>Mine are going to be like that this summer. Also old carpet on them, and lifted the corner, and noticed they were wood also. So this step by step is great! Thank you!
>This is a fantastic step by step!! I want to do this to our stairs too and our hand rail is just like this one where it's not directly on the treads. Nice to know it can still look fabulous!! Well done
>Congrats to you for having the guts to take on this project! I've been wanting to do it to our own carpeted stairs, but am too scared to see whats underneath! hehe. Maybe I should just go for it like you did. Thanks for the inspiration and GREAT JOB!
~ http://www.billiemonster.com ~
Oooooh! I was just vacuuming my stairs and thinking “this carpet should go!” but but but I had doubts. Your post makes me think it’s more than just a good idea! Woohoo!
Instead of sanding could you have stripped first and smooth sanded later? I like the “pickled” look but I also like the “I don’t have to worry about splinters” look too!
Now that the carpet is off, do you find the stairs are louder? Mine do not squeak and I wonder if they might start to squeak without carpet.
If they squeak now, you might be able to screw then down more securely and patch over the hole before you pickle them.
By the way, when you say pickled, there is a pickling stain. So that you can still seal and protect them from getting worn out and splintering. I also did this project at my house (http://www.remodelaholic.com/2011/08/how-we-built-our-custom-newel-posts-tutorial/), but found that I did not have nice treads, and had to do A lot more work to make them presentable.
Great job. I was hesitant in doing mine, but the step by step instructions has just convinced me to do this project. Thanks
Love it! Have they held up well over the past year? My husband pulled out the millions of staples to our stairs before we got wood floors…it’s been 6 months and we haven’t done anything with them yet! I’m ready to tackle it myself…you’re inspired me, thanks!
Your stairs do look like a million bucks. I want to do the same with mine except I don’t know what to do when it comes to the very the top of the stairs.
You see, I removed the carpet from the stairs as well as the floors starting at the top of the stairs. Right now I have new bamboo flooring everywhere except on the stairs.
But, before I start sanding and staining/painting the stairs, I don’t know how to deal with the top most stair and the new flooring.
So, the million dollar question here is: After I have painted the stairs, how should I deal with the change between the bamboo floor and the stair nose at the top of the stair case? What is the best kind of stair trim I could use that won’t let it look commercial?
Did your staid have a bull nose trim when you took out the carpet? I cannot tell. You have inspired me! I started to take off the carpet and they have a square edge. Just wondering what to do
. Thanks
Love how they turned out! I’m in the middle of the same project, but it was put on hold bc the costs of the materials was way more than I expected, the costs of the same poly at my home depot (bc Canada) is 56$ plus tax!! That and a few repairs we found, house was built in ’76 lol …but I pinned this for my reference
Hi, love your project. Could you possibly post a photo of the very top tread/riser and how they connect up with the flooring upstairs? I am guessing you have carpet upstairs, which is why your stairs was carpeted. We are struggling with how these all fit together if we do a project like this. Where does the upstairs carpet stop? Where does the wood start? Is there a rule of thumb for these things?
Thanks!
Lynn, I have another stair remodel that shows this transition right here: http://www.remodelaholic.com/2012/08/carpet-to-wood-stairs/ Hope that helps!
I am doing this. But I was wondering how the treads are holding up after some time has passed.
Brandi, this particular post was a guest post, but I did mine as well and they held up REALLY well! You just need a good polyurethane! (oil based is best! be sure it is graded for floors!) Check out the whole project here: http://www.remodelaholic.com/tag/park-house-stairs/
way to totally rip off http://cleverlyinspired.com/ without a single mention of her blog. its not even you in the pictures.
Betty, it is called a “guest feature”. Tracie of Cleverly Inspired submitted her post to me to be featured. In fact, she writes on my blog monthly as a contributor. I never claimed it as my own. If you want to see my stair remodel you can go here: http://www.remodelaholic.com/tag/park-house-stairs/
Well Done! I wanted to pull up the carpet in my old house, now I think I might in the one I just bought. After I tackle the kitchen, and the horrid carpet in the bedrooms, and paint…. But now I know how! THANK YOU!
Good Luck with all your projects, you definitely sound like a remodelaholic just like me!
I love this idea. I was going to order our carpet for our stairs today but I think I’m changing my mind. It looks great. Have noticed if u have any scratches or chip on the stairs? Just wondering how it holds up.
They look GREAT!!! We have 2 stair cases I want to do this with. Do you find yourself slipping or sliding on them? My mom lives us and she has balance issues. Would would hate for her slip and fall down the steps.
I feel like without carpet you have to be more careful either way! Not good to run down wood stairs in socks. But you can add a runner down the center for more traction, and the safety of your mother. There is a nice tutorial on Southern hospitality. which might be a great compromise, a great looking staircase and safety for your family!
Before I rip up the carpet on my stairs, was the house new construction when you purhased? I am wondering how realistic it is to do on new construction. I don’t want to open a can of worms.
Thanks!
Kristin, My house was built in 2001 and I did a whole makeover on my stairs. It was a bit more involved, but it did work out beautifully! You can see the whole project here: http://www.remodelaholic.com/tag/park-house-stairs/
THANK YOU! I have been looking for a simple but comprehensive guide for this process– this is definitely going to be my next project!
Mary, you are welcome. Good luck on the project. Let us know how it turns out.
Would love to do this with my stairs. Just wondering if they are slippery? My stairs are very steep.
Mary, you might have to be careful when walking up and down with just socks on. If you need, you could add a runner on the stairs. That is one thing that we wanted to do but didn’t have time. I hope that helps.
Very Nice! Thanks for sharing. I plan to duplicate this now at my home.
It looks like you did this about two months ago. Did the poly protect the paint? Any scratches or wear? Thanks:) It looks AMAZING!
Stairs look amazing.. Question.. IM thinking about painting like you did.. my main concern is the paint is slippery.. .. is this a problem you have noticed thanks
You inspired my fiance and I to tackle our hunter green steps last weekend! Did you end up filling any scratches or holes with wood putty? We have a few, but they aren’t too bad. Just wondering. Thanks!
As long as it is a good wood putty I think you would be okay to fill it. GOOD LUCK!