A small staircase with dark wood treads and white risers leading up to a hallway. The stairs are bordered by a beige wall and dark door on the left. The bottom of the stairs is adjacent to a dark wooden floor.
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Carpet to Wood Stair Makeover

ByLisa
2 Comments

Hi Everyone! Welcome back! If you are just stopping by for the first time thanks for visiting and I hope you join us again! Today I am tackling our stairs.

A small staircase with dark wood treads and white risers leading up to a hallway. The stairs are bordered by a beige wall and dark door on the left. The bottom of the stairs is adjacent to a dark wooden floor.

We just finished replacing all the carpet on our main floor with Pergo. You can find those posts here: our family room update & a real home office. During that project we removed the carpet in our family room but failed to address the 5 stairs that lead from our kitchen to the family room which were originally carpet. Dirty, dirty carpet. I had to come up with a quick fix for these because we were about to have a party not to mention we would be hosting the holidays shortly there after and these steps were still dirty, dirty carpet. Very un-attractive, especially next to our new floors. Part of the reason I initially ignored these stairs is because we have real hardwood in our upstairs and laminate hardwood downstairs and these five little steps connect the two. Did I mention they are not exactly the same color wood either? I definitely wanted these steps to be wood as I have a strong dislike for carpet. My dilemma was this…….do I stain the stairs to match the upstairs, the downstairs, or make the top steps match the top and the bottom match the bottom? Seriously though, I did consider a gradual ombre if you will. I know, crazy right? Then I thought, what if I don’t choose and just paint them a dark brown? I liked this idea. Since I wasn’t totally sure it would be what I wanted and if it would wear well, I decided to “test” it on the actual stairs before buying the new stair treads and risers. What did I have to lose right? This is the before.

A partially renovated hallway shows an exposed subfloor next to a carpeted staircase leading upward. A black door is on the left, and a tall plant is visible at the top of the stairs.

After we removed the carpet, this is what the bare stair treads looked like.

A narrow staircase with unfinished wooden steps leads to an upper floor with dark wood flooring. The walls are painted beige and there is a landing visible at the top. The lower floor also has dark wood flooring.

A wooden staircase with the carpet removed reveals the bare steps, showing some scuffs and paint marks. The white side railing and beige wall create a contrast with the exposed wood.

I painted the risers Ultra White by Valspar in a semi-gloss and the treads Phantom Mist by Olympic in a semi-gloss.

A paint can of Valspar Signature in semi-gloss is placed on a wooden step beside a white wall. The label highlights its coverage, smooth finish, and scuff shield technology, and indicates it’s suitable for interior use.

A close-up of a paint can lid with a label from Lowe's. The label details a mixed paint, non-refundable, with specific tint information: Olympic, Quart Size, Phantom Mist, Semi-Gloss Enamel, Base 5. It also includes a barcode and numerical codes.

A can of Olympic One interior semi-gloss enamel paint and primer sits on a workbench. The label highlights features like stain resistance and ease of application. The can has a mix of orange and gray designs.

I painted the risers first and let them dry. Then I started on the treads and did every other stair so I could still get up and down the stairs while they were drying 🙂

Staircase renovation in progress with wooden steps partly sanded. A can of Valspar paint sits on one step, while protective tape lines the floor at the base.

A staircase with alternating wood and dark painted steps. The wood steps appear worn, while the dark steps are smooth and freshly painted. The surrounding walls are white, creating a contrast with the staircase.

A short staircase with unpainted wooden steps and white risers, leading to a slightly higher level with light-colored walls. A partially visible dining area is in the background, and the floors are dark wood.

I really liked the way they were turning out!

A small set of gray stairs with white risers leads up from a room with dark wooden flooring. A framed picture hangs on the right wall, and a black door is visible on the left. A partial view of a black furniture piece is seen on the right.

A staircase with dark wooden steps and white risers leading up to an open doorway. The stairs have a white side railing, and the walls are painted beige. The floor at the base of the stairs is brown hardwood.

A small indoor staircase with six gray steps and white risers leads upward. The stairs are framed by white walls, and there's a light wooden floor at the bottom. A dark door is visible on the left side of the image.

A small staircase with dark wood treads and white risers leading up to a hallway. The stairs are bordered by a beige wall and dark door on the left. The bottom of the stairs is adjacent to a dark wooden floor.

Eventually, I will buy the new treads and risers and re-do them but this will work as a temporary ascetic fix and give us a chance to see how the painted treads wear 🙂

2 Comments

  1. The stairs look great. Wondering if you planned on keeping the risers white or using the same color stair treads when you do the actual project. Personally I like the dimension that that white risers give.

    Reply

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