I made over my main flight of stairs using standard oak stair treads, but my upper stairs presented a problem. These steps actually went inside the wall. As in, the drywall was installed AFTER the stairs. So there wasn’t a simple way to remove them without causing wall damage.
After doing some research online, I came across these RetroTread stair caps at Lowe’s. They’re red oak, just like the other treads I installed… but these are meant to slide OVER the existing tread.
I was concerned that it would a thin, cheap veneer, but was pleasantly surprised when I saw them in person. Look how thick and solid they are! They’re really beautiful, and didn’t cost much more than regular treads. Here’s how I installed them.
1
Pull off the carpet and carpet tack strip. Remove any staples.
2
Trim off the existing stair nose so that the tread is flush with the riser.
We opted to start the cut with a circular saw, and finish it with a saber (reciprocating) saw.
This was pretty easy to do, because these treads were cheap MDF.
3
Although we could have bought oak veneer for the risers, we opted for beadboard. If your risers are pine and in decent condition, you may choose not to cover them at all. I got smart this time and painted the beadboard black before cutting, so I’d only have to do touchups afterword. The risers were simple, because both the top and bottom cut are covered by the risers, so no pressure there. We used a pneumatic nail gun and finishing nails to attach them to the risers.
4
We were able to use our miter saw to cut the treads to the right length. We had to use the table saw to make the depth a little narrower for a snug fit.
5
The instructions said you could use glue, but we used good old fashioned nails that we hammered in by hand.
6
I had to patch the drywall a bit and stain the stair treads. I had planned to replace my handrails, as they had layers of peeling paint. But, being crafty (and cheap) I opted to plane them a bit and sand them with an electric planer and sander.
7
I then stained them to match the stair treads. I used Minwax “Red Oak.” Good as new!
I think these stairs are such an improvement! What do you think?
Finished?
It’s a pity you don’t have a donate button! I’d
definitely donatte to tthis excellent blog! I guess for now i’ll settle for book-marking and adding your RSS feed to mmy Google account.
I look forward to new updates annd will share this website with my Facebook group.
Talk soon!
What would you use for covering a stair landing to match the stair treads?
The treads are made of red oak, approx. 3/4″ thick. You could use unfinished red oak flooring or boards and finish it the same as the treads.
Where is this available
I saw this today at our local Lowe’s. I am considering it for an upcoming project!
Salve
Dove si comprano questi gradini ?? Quanto costano ? Vorrei rifare la mia scala molto usurata !! Mi da delle indicazioni dei rivenditori?
Cordialmente maria