@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.
