Under $100 Carpeted Stair To Wooden Tread Makeover DIY

Under $100 Carpeted Stair To 

Wooden Tread Makeover DIY

contributed by Cleverly Inspired

Phase 1

For about a year I have been thinking about redoing our stairs. Should I?Can I? Would I dare? Rip up carpet??

Almost 7 years of wear....stains that can't come up...

 I just don't know. It would be the largest project I have ever done. The hubs was completely behind me." you can totally do that. It is just carpet. It the wood is bad we will deal with it. Go for it!"
So I did. And here is how it went down.... By the way, thanks for the support. It sure does make a girl feel good!!


Tools needed for ripping the carpet....

Needle nose pliers are your best friend for getting carpet off of steps....

Starting at the corners and pulling with all your might...

I pulled about 3 steps at a time, rolling the carpet as I went up the stairs. Then I used a sharp razor knife and cut the carpet and took it outside. Continuing on this way until I got to the top....

At the top, I cut the carpet with an extra sharp razor knife...leaving the carpet on the rounded part of the top thread where the upstairs hall starts. Pull up all the carpet pad....

To take up all the carpet tack strips, just place a flat head screw driver under the strip---tap in with the hammer and gently pry it up. Keep moving the screwdriver until the tack strip comes up. Do this same technique with all the 3,567,987 million staples....

Ok, maybe not quite that many....but it sure felt like it! I saved them in a solo cup...then I sat with a nice glass of red wine and admired my hard work!!! Phase one complete! Money spent during phase one...ZERO---besides a little blood, sweat and tears....I joke,I joke....

Stay tuned!!!

Phase 2

So if you were here yesterday...you saw that I decided to take the carpet off my stairs....Phase One--Operation Stairs Makeover and here we continue.....

The project continues with a day of sanding and scraping up the paint and caulk that was on the stairs.

Plastic was hung up from every doorway to help the dust...which there was a bunch of ...dust!!

We used my Dad's quarter sheet sander....and we got course (60) grade sand paper. I bought 2 packages. 

We ended up using about one little quarter sheet per step...

After all the steps were sanded there was still some junk on some of the steps. So for the stubborn parts I used a stripper. This stuff is awesome!

 Please follow the directions though...be careful please.

You basically brush it on, let it sit 20 minutes and take a metal scraper to it and the paint and gunk just shrivels right off!

So satisifying

When you are finished getting all the gunk (for lack of a better word, sorry) You need to clean the steps gently with some mineral spirits to remove any residue from the sander and the epoxy remover. We decided instead of staining we wanted to paint the treads a deep chocolate color and the risers and semi-gloss white. We could have stained....but a couple of stairs really had paint built in...and we loved the color of the paint. It looks really rich...but also has alot of character. Love that!

Seek peek at sample board.....so pretty!

Phase 2 we spent:

$3.94 for 2 drop cloths

$5.97 air-masks

$5.05 for 2 packs of 60 grit sandpaper

$2.68 small metal can for epoxy remover

$8.97 Epoxy and Paint remover

$2.00 for 2 chip brushes

$2.94 jar of sample paint

$31.55 spent....

Stay tuned for Phase 3!

such a good guy....he vacuums more than me! Love you babe!

Phase 3

Here is where we started this project if you are just joining me....Phase 1 and Phase 2 of Operation Stairs Makeover.....

 Putter has lost all patience with me by this point. Poor dog...if he could talk, he would be saying "could you please just put back the carpet and end this nonsense woman..." oh no....no carpet for you!
After stairs were all cleaned up good I could start painting. I primed the risers with a white primer.

Then I painted the treads with the brown. We loved the color Behr Sweet Molasses, it is a true chocolate color--rich and warm and has lots of character. I bought a quart or eggshell finish.

Valspar Signature is a paint and primer in one. I chose Eggshell finish because I am going to be putting 3 coats of polyurethane on the steps and I didn't want the paint to be so glossy the poly wouldn't adhere. Perfect for this project. You can find it at Lowes. A quart was plenty for 2 coats on just the treads.

Purdy is really a great brush to use!

I didn't bother taping since I have to paint all the white anyway. I painted a coat on...let it dry 2 hours (can said I could recoat after 2 hours) and then put on the 2nd coat. We were able to go up the stairs at night. I painted while the kids were at school so it really wasn't an inconvenience at all.

The next day I was able to cover the treads with some craft paper and tape the sides so that I could paint the trim white and the risers. Craft paper is sold in rolls near the paint supplies. I cut it to fit on the stairs.

Frog tape really seals nicely---when you go to take it off it has a nice clean edge.

I used a semi-gloss quart of Valspar Signature in White Umber (the color of my trim). I put 2 coats of white on and let dry overnight before taking the paper and tape off. Placing a fan at the bottom of the stairs helps the drying process.

Phase 3 Money Spent:

$30 for 2 quarts of custom mixed paint

$3 roll of Kraft paper

$6 Frog Tape

Grand total Spent so far on Operation Stairs: $70.51

The Big Reveal

 You've been so patient....so encouraging...so excited for me. Thanks! I am still in the middle of polyurethane all the coats on the treads....but you can see the final product.
A few of you have asked how many hours this project has taken me...well the first phase (clearing out the carpet and pulling all staples and tacks) took me 2.5 hours--mind you I did this by myself on a Friday. Phase 2 took Bill and I from about 11:30 on Saturday morning till about 4:30 (that includes prep work, sanding, and cleaning up all the dust!). And on Sunday I took about an hour and did all the scraping with the stripping remover stuff. Phase 3 was the painting process and that took about an hour per coat...then I would let it dry for 3 hours and a re coat. So I think you could accomplish this in one weekend (minus the polyurethane step...because that requires some dry time).
If you haven't seen the first few post on these stairs you can read all about it here....Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3 .....

Electric candles people...not to worry---wouldn't advise real candles on newly lacquered stairs...just sayin

Ta Da!

BOOYAH!

I am coating the stair treads with Minwax Fast-Drying Satin. I am doing every other step. I put one coat on, let it dry 4 hours; then placed another coat. I am doing 3 coats on just the treads. I placed a small piece of tape on the steps that I was allowed to step on (just a mental note for me!) I am using a foam brush. Place a fan at the bottom of stairs to aid in quick drying. It is about $11 for a can.

I know they look dark here but I wanted to show how pretty they look at night with these electric candles on...

He's impressed....my biggest supporter ;) We feel so satisfied knowing how much we saved and that fabulous feeling that comes from doing something with your own bare hands.

Goodbye worn out carpet....HELLO pretty wood stairs!

I would say they look like a million bucks----but then again....I only used $81...and a bit of sweat---but that is always a good thing!!

Video Tutorial is here....

Video Stair Remodel