Covering existing staircase

Q: What is the best way to cover an existing staircase with wood? With hard wood or laminated?

A: I definitely would not use laminate. This existing stair case is wooden, correct? If there are pickets installed into the existing treads, you will need a stair railing installer to disassemble and reassemble the entire rail system. You can install solid slabs on top of the existing treads after cutting back the overhang on the existing tread flush with the riser below it, and then veneer the riser. This may throw the bottom and top step out of code however. To bad you don’t live in the Toronto vicinity. I have my own stair guy I refer all such work to.