Staircase Remodel

My staircase in our home was in BAD shape! We were students at the time and I was looking for a way to make it look better without breaking the bank!
The first thing I did was pull back a corner of the carpet to see what kind of wood
was underneath. I was hoping it wasn't particle board and was happy to find out
the builder used bull nose wood stair tread.
The first thing I did was pull back a corner of the carpet to see what kind of wood
was underneath. I was hoping it wasn't particle board and was happy to find out
the builder used bull nose wood stair tread.

I started off with ripping all the carpet and padding out.
Then I pulled off the tack strip and pulled out the staples and nails that were on the tread.
Then I pulled off the tack strip and pulled out the staples and nails that were on the tread.

After you have removed all staples etc. from the stairs you are going to sand all the junk off this also helps to open the pores of the wood to accept the stain better.

Once all the treads are sanded clean up all the sawdust and wipe them down really well so they are nice and clean.

Now you are going to apply the stain. Apply the stain to every other tread so that you can still used the stairs to go up and down.
I applied two coats total of the Dark Walnut stain and and wiped off (follow the directions on the can) and then sealed them with 3 coats of Polyurethane.
Once I finished with every other stair I did the ones I skipped over before.
I applied two coats total of the Dark Walnut stain and and wiped off (follow the directions on the can) and then sealed them with 3 coats of Polyurethane.
Once I finished with every other stair I did the ones I skipped over before.

After all the stairs were stained and polyurethane had been
applied I covered all the treads.
applied I covered all the treads.

I then primed and painted all the side molding and risers. After I finished painting I uncovered the
treads and purchased 1/4 round pre primed molding. I cut each molding to size
and put it at the base of each stair tread to give it a finished look. I then painted the base molding
and Caulked all the seams.
treads and purchased 1/4 round pre primed molding. I cut each molding to size
and put it at the base of each stair tread to give it a finished look. I then painted the base molding
and Caulked all the seams.

Here is the finished product! I loved how it turned out and it cost me less than $100