Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - Stairs

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joanne_dn
03-26-05, 11:13 AM
After recovering a bit from my kitchen remodel, I hope to redo my interior hall stairway. It's construction grade, covered with carpet that's in bad shape, and I'd like to make it all hardwood, probably oak. They pass right over my basement stairs, so I can see the underside. The treads are made of a particle board, and the risers are of a 3/4" wide pine. The one edge I can see is solid wood, so I assume it's not plywood. The stringers are closed on both sides, with shims everywhere.

My main question is, do I leave all of this in place, and nail the new wood over it just like installing a new hardwood floor, or do I rip it all out and rebuild from scratch? I know I can buy stair parts, that will just have to be cut to size for the treads and risers. Also what moldings should I consider to give it all a finished look? I was thinking of using 3/4 x 3/4 cove for where tread meets riser, the squared off kind, not the sprung. I also thought I'd paint the risers white, and use poly on the treads.

Any help would be appreciated.

Joanne in VA

IBM5081
03-26-05, 02:25 PM
Keep the risers, replace the treads.