Q: Would it be okay to install a large rubber stair nose of 1 7/8 on a tread that is 1 1/2? The other option would be 1 3/8 molding, and I would have to paint the nose black before installing black rubber.
Hardwood Stairs
Over 100 Q&A posts about hardwood stairs.
Can Jatoba be stained?
Q: I’m trying to make my Jatoba wood on my downstairs dark brown with no red! I cannot find a contractor to do this! They say it’s not possible.
Anchor a railing post into laminate flooring?
Q: Can I anchor a railing post into laminate flooring once the flooring is installed?
Finishing tread after staining
Q: I am installing new pine treads on the staircase. I have stained them and have now applied 2 coats of Minwax wipe-on clear coat and lightly sanded but I am not getting the look I desired. Would it be ok to now apply Minwax Fast-drying Poly?
Spots stain didn’t take
Q: I recently applied stain to my new hardwood steps. It has spots that didn’t take the stain – they stayed white. I even tried to apply stain to these spots heavily. How can I fix it?
How do I remove linoleum adhesive from my risers?
Q imported from our old site, Face Lift Floors: I just had my house sanded and refinished last week and ran into a problem. The risers on my steps have adhesive on them from linoleum I ripped up. How can I remove this stuff from the risers?
Fixing uneven stain job on maple stairs
Q: We purchased a brand new home from a builder and paid for our stairs to be upgraded to maple. They did a butcher job prior to us moving in and now are trying to fix our stairs as they were not stained evenly, had footprints on each step, and some parts were darker than others.
Can I use a gel stain that I have used on furniture to stain my stairs?
Q imported from our old site, Face Lift Floors: I recently pulled wall to wall broadloom off my staircase, and want to refinish the hardwood. My main floors are oak strips. The stairs are a solid piece of wood, not strips, (I don’t know what wood it is, but have been told it is not oak) and the risers are painted. I will keep them painted.
Removing dog pee stains from stair treads
Q imported from our old site, Face Lift Floors: After deciding to go with bare hardwood stair treads, we removed the carpeting only to find that a number of the stair treads have been urine stain-damaged by dogs. The slats on each stair are not random length and therefore we cannot simply remove a chunk to repair it.
Do I just router the bullnose?
Q imported from our old site, Face Lift Floors: I am replacing my stair treads with oak ‘slabs’ and want to know how to address the ends of the treads that are exposed (open staircase). Do I just router the bullnose along the “grain end” of the board, or should I miter in a piece whereby the grain runs along the open edge and then bullnose with the grain?