Hardwood Floors - Steps

[Road Guy]

Okay so I finished doing my upstaris floor in hardwood (3/4" Oak)

I am about to tackle the stairs, What do you think looks better, Do all of the stairs "hardwood" and stain the step and the riser the same color or do the riser white?

Anyone seen either done and which do you think looks better?

 

[Supe]

What's the rest of the room look like? Light colored walls? Is it a free-standing staircase, or is it adjacent to a wall? How dark a stain?

 

[Sschell]

I think it depends on the style of the rest of your house... but probably stain both the same color.

 

[snickerd3]

if you want a nautical look or the country cottage feel then paint the riser white, but if those aren't the atmospheres you are trying to create, then stain step/raiser the same color.

 

[Sschell]

^exactly what I was thinking... but phrased much better than anything I could come up with.

 

[IlPadrino]

Wood-stained treads and risers seem more "traditional" (aka older) than just stained treads, while painting the risers and skirts seems more contemporary, especially when the color (e.g. white) is different than that walls along the staircase.

You might consider decorative risers (here's one) which can be really unique.

 

[Chucktown PE]

I have the risers painted the same color as the trim/mouldings. IMHO, it looks funny to have the risers stained the same color as the tread.

 

[FLBuff PE]

if you want a nautical look or the country cottage feel then paint the riser white, but if those aren't the atmospheres you are trying to create, then stain step/raiser the same color.

Yar!

 

[EM_PS]

Okay so I finished doing my upstaris floor in hardwood (3/4" Oak)
I am about to tackle the stairs, What do you think looks better, Do all of the stairs "hardwood" and stain the step and the riser the same color or do the riser white?

Anyone seen either done and which do you think looks better?

Yeah, i don't know about making the riser diff from the tread unless going for a cottage-y look. Hardwood stairs can be very grand; but if i was to put carpet anywhere (even if just a center runner), it would be on staircases. its amazing how much easier on your feet, and often-times quieter, a carpeted staircase is over just bare hardwood.

 

[Road Guy]

the moulding along the stairs is white, I think the white riser will look good, but its just going to be a little more work..

I guess what I need to do is pre-paint the riser and nail in with finish nail gun and then tape when I stain the tread?

Were getting all the carpet out of the house, "the boss" wants no carpet so I am forced to go forward with that vision...

the bad part is that the oak stair treads are about $40/ each!

 

[MA_PE]

Were getting all the carpet out of the house, "the boss" wants no carpet so I am forced to go forward with that vision...

As EM said bare hardwood is sure to be noisy. When you say all carpet out, I'm assuming that means no w/w carpet but area rugs instead. Thus you get the expense of the hardwood floors AND the expenso of rugs/carpet but dang it looks nice!

 

[Capt Worley PE]

Rugs will slide like an SOB too.

 

[Road Guy]

^-- thats pretty much it..

Our carpet has had it, I am basically putting in hardwood for about the same cost as paying someone to put carpet down, I am dreading the cost of the rugs.

Right now I did my daughters room upstaris and the hallway, when I get finished with the stairs were doing our bedroom and then I will wait until after the summer to do the two boys rooms.

It has really been pretty smooth, but to do it you really need , of course the flooring nail gun, a table saw, and a 2" finish nailer for the pieces next to the wall where the floor nail gun wont fit..

I also picked up this little tool for cutting off the door casing / moulding, it has been a huge time saver (of course my previous method was cutting these with a dremel tool and that was slow going)

 

[TouchDown]

OMG - doing the same project in 2 weeks.

Picked up a flooring nailer from Harbor Freight - hope it lasts through the project - it's el cheapo.

As for the steps, I'm considering doing the following - tell me if you think it makes sense. I am doing brazillian cherry in all the upstairs and the grain in that is a little finer than oak - so instead of doing full treads, I was considering just capping the existing carpeted stairs with a 3/4" cap that's prefinished. I was planning on doing the white riser since I think it'll match existing house trims and there's not a lot of natural light in this stairway - so it'll lighten it a little (needed with very dark treads)...

Do you think capping stairs is OK - or should I look at replacing the whole tread and staining to match (even if the grain is a little different)???

PS - RG - let me know how your back / knees are doing - I'm a little worried that it's going to kill me when I start... Do you think 2 weeks is enough time to do ~1200 sqft? - including all trimwork?

 

[TouchDown]

PS - what is that saw you picked up to cut the trim called? I've heard from a couple other people that being able to cut the trim quickly is a definite must when doing floors...

 

[snickerd3]

PS - what is that saw you picked up to cut the trim called? I've heard from a couple other people that being able to cut the trim quickly is a definite must when doing floors...

my guess is a mitor saw.

 

[OSUguy98]

PS - what is that saw you picked up to cut the trim called? I've heard from a couple other people that being able to cut the trim quickly is a definite must when doing floors...

I'd call it an undercut saw or a jamb saw... but I've heard the "hand powered" version called anything from a back saw to a Japanese back saw to and undercut saw...

http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=552932

 

[Road Guy]

TD, 1200 SF, usually there is 20 SF in a bundle so 60 bundles, for me I couldnt do that in 2 weeks unless I took 2 weeks off of work! I put down 6 bundles yesterday and I was serioulsy ready to quit and start drinking beer...

Back & Knees are feeling the abuse but its not been that bad, I tried wearing knee pads but you move around to much and then they just get out of place and become annoying.

I will look on the box to see what the official name is of the saw, I got it from Home Depot, it was about 100 bucks, but has been very worthwhile. I think Lowes also sells something similar.

You can get the prefinished "bull nose cape" for the stairs, just be careful when you cut the carpet. Our carpet was in bad shape or else I might have tried the same thing..

 

[TouchDown]

Yeah, they are "forcing" us to take off time at work, so I'm planning on taking the last 2 weeks of May off of work. Wood is sitting in the garage (53 cases for me - like 21sqft per case). It's going to be a whirlwind few weeks.

We're tearing out all our cabinets and I'm having them professionally painted while I do the floors - a Granite countertop to go back on it when it's reinstalled. I'm ripping out all the 'soffits' above the cabinets and replacing a few can lights with pendants above a bar area. Scraping all the popcorn and then having someone else do the mud work while I start to lay the floor... rip out the carpet and install the prefinished hardwood in the kitchen, diningroom, livingroom, hallway, coat closet, etc... leave the master bedroom / closet until the rest of the house is liveable again. Then I've got to reinstall all cabinets, add a crown molding across top, tile backsplash, reinstall all appliances and reinstall the baseboard.

I think 2 weeks is pushing it a LOT, but I'll get done what I get done.

Once that's complete, then go back and install hardwood inthe master / closet, and tile the master and spare bathroom floors. Then I'll get to the steps.

As for the steps, I want full hardwood tread - no carpet runner. So, here's what I'm looking at installing:

Stair Tread Cap (3/4" thick)...

 

[EM_PS]

Were getting all the carpet out of the house, "the boss" wants no carpet so I am forced to go forward with that vision...
the bad part is that the oak stair treads are about $40/ each!

As EM said bare hardwood is sure to be noisy. When you say all carpet out, I'm assuming that means no w/w carpet but area rugs instead. Thus you get the expense of the hardwood floors AND the expenso of rugs/carpet but dang it looks nice!

We have all hardwood (Pergo) on our main floor, with two area rugs (btw, Lowes has pretty decent rugs & prices) and two smaller throw rugs. I really like it, and its great for the kids & any 'rolling' toys. Our dog, ~50lb aussie shepard, doesnt always negotiate the hardwood so good, even just standing, his paws will sometimes start to slip & splay out - just take into consideration any pets like that, hardwood (pergo) is quite slippery for them.

Our upstairs, basement, and staircases, are all fully carpeted, however, and I really like that too! don't think i could go full hardwood thruout the house. . .and its quite a bit more upkeep (sweep / vacuum, mop) vs. just carpet (vacuum). And def with young kiddos, no way i could live with the noise. Good luck!