10 days ago, I got sick and tired of the dirty old carpet on the stairs. It just grossed me out. It was raining. I couldn't go outside. I certainly didn't want to clean the house! So I ripped out the carpet. The doggie potty room sits beneath the stairs. No wonder our house smelled at times, there were large between the stairs and the risers! The odor was leaking though to the house and the guest bathroom, too. Obviously the builders intended to keep their hideous work and sub par wood covered in carpet! I caulked and puttied like a woman on a mission. It worked to keep doggie smells where they belong! Even the bathroom smells fresh and clean again!

I am halfway through the project with more detail work and sealing to do. It's far from perfect but I am happy with the overall look of it. Here is a before and a peek at the after.

Good job. They look so bright, clean, and fresh now. What finish, stain did you use on the step, looks like you painted the risers?

@robinbunch5 Since this was a last minute project though I had been thinking about it for ages, I did it on the cheap. Replacing the wood is very expensive .covering over the wood with tread pieces even more expensive. Since the wood was sound and the stairs soundly build, (i,e, no creaking or loose boards) I decided to work with what was there. I had all the paint from a left over remodel. And I wanted the treads to go with the shades in the house. The biggest expense and time was the paintable caulk and Durham's water putty. Then the primer. You can't stain nicely over caulk and putty so I opted for faux bois (wood) painting technique mostly to hide the flaws. solid color shows all the flaws. I painted the risers and the trim first to match the baseboards. Then the base coat on the treads. Then painted the pattern over it. It was easy with the paint graining tools, I got free using my Amazon points. I practiced on paper creating 3 shades that matched various things in the house and took votes from my friends. The glaze mixed with paint is very forgiving and doesn't dry fast. If I didn't like the grain I created, I just brushed over it and started over. It reminds me of finger paints. Literally took 5 mins to do one step when I got it right. It took me 10 days most of which was caulking, putty work, and sanding. In fact I burned out the cheapo palm sander! But the wood was really bad! As usual, the prep work takes the most time. The painting itself is fast. I painted every other step so we could use the stairs. I have the patterns to complete today on 7 more treads. Then I will buy some Polyurethane to seal it. Since I had the paint, the project cost me about $100 and my blood sweat and few tears.

It is looking great! In the past I've had stairs with grungy carpeting and know how nice it is to get rid of it! Stairs with carpets are so hard to maintain.

Thanks @plantmanager. The carpet was just AWFUL!! And I couldn't keep them clean! If in the future we decide to do something different (For like, when we have grandbabies visiting) I can install a runner. At least that will be easier to change out. But it might kill me to put staple holes in it after I did all the putty to patch them up. There were thousands of them!! Google, You Tube, and Pinterest have been my friends!

But it might kill me to put staple holes in it after I did all the putty to patch them up. There were thousands of them!! Google, You Tube, and Pinterest have been my friends![/quote]

I think there are runner bars you can install to hold runners. They are thin and fairly unobtrusive, and go against the bottom of the riser. No staples in your hard work!

Yes. I have been pricing things like that in case this didn't turn out. the runner bars are about $40 each. Staples are cheaper. They a have tread carpet. The ones I like are about $20 ea. Might consider that since it is installed with carpet tape that can be removed with a solvent. Just thinking ahead here. But I think the wood as it is will be just fine for a time.

Yikes! I had no idea they'd gotten that expensive! I bet a clever person could make their own. That price is ridiculous! I think your faux wood finish looks great! I used to do that on old furniture that I wanted to fix up.