How to Change Carpet Stairs to Wood

February 22, 2010

white risers stained stairs

Well, I know it took forever, but here. they. are.

My gorgeous, beautiful, I-am-so-stinking-proud-of-them (and myself!) stairs:how to stain stairs

  white and wood stairs

You can see how I took the carpet off my stairs here

And my tutorial on staining and painting wood stairs here.

For now, let’s just enjoy, shall we? :) (Cause seriously, I am pooped.)

carpet to hardwood stairs

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stained stairs with white risers

Sorry for the craptastic pictures – it’s a dreary day here, so the lighting wasn’t great for these, but I couldn’t wait to show you. (And I knew you would hunt me down if I didn’t.)

I used Minwax polyshades stain in Bombay Mahogany in gloss.

Some of you correctly guessed my little added touch to the project…molding. :)

Ah, duh.

how to stain and paint stairs
Where is the molding you ask? Well, the Queen of Molding (that’s me) was totally thrown for a loop with the angles on this wall -- I could not figure them out for the life of me!

My Dad came over today and we played around with the miter saw and he figured it out! Whoohoo! (Thanks Dad!!) It involves making my own jig for the saw, and we figured out a super easy way to do it.

The landing turned out just beautifully!:

beadboard wood on stair landing


beadboard flooring


stair landing beadboard

Can you believe we used inexpensive beadboard for that landing

It stained up a little uneven but I have to say I quite like it. I thought it would take three coats but two was perfect.

I’ll do the same molding treatment on the upper stairs as well. You’ll notice the first few steps on this set stained a bit darker:


Not sure why, and it makes them just a tad darker than the landing, but I don’t. even. care. My Dad just says that the nature of pine, to vary just a bit.

LURVE IT.

(You’ll also notice I haven’t puttied the nail holes in the quarter round either. Still much to do!)

Many of you have asked about the darker band of color along the side:

I did that years ago and I absolutely love it! The ceilings in our stair way are ridiculously high, and it’s a visual thing that just helps to ground them. 

It’s just very thin (cheap!) molding, then I painted the darker shade of the wall color inside.

I’m trying to decide if I’ll go the traditional white for the molding on the walls. I’ve already painted them out, but of course now I’m thinking the contrast with this darker color would look really fab with the white molding too. Hmmm…will this one ever end? ;)

The biggest thing I was worried about was the slip factor on the wood stairs. 

I have to tell you – these are WAY, WAY less slippery than carpet – at least so far. The pine is just rough enough to give it grip:

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Sigh. Love.

The stain I used was a poly/stain mix, so I’m still not sure if I’ll add a coat of poly or not. At this point, I’d rather not. But it would make them a bit shinier and give them even more protection. I’m going to wait it out and see.

Here’s a few more views:


  041



Again, sorry so dark. If the sun would come out, that would help.           

Here’s the most recent before picture I have…can you believe I didn’t stop to take a true before shot before I started ripping up carpet? 

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And after:

053

Did I mention I love it???

See how these stairs transitioned over the years by checking out all of my stair DIY projects here


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Comments

  1. looks wonderful and congratulations Sarah!

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  2. Congratulations Sarah!! They are look fantastic...

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  3. The After is so much prettier to look at. I. Love. it! great job, now go relax, and ENJOY it!

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  4. wow they look amazing! I am amazed by your talent and PATIENCE!!

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  5. They look great! Nice job.. bet it feels good to cross that off the to-do list!!

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  6. No wonder you were so happy while working on this project! It's beyond words how impressed I am and I swear I am walking over to my stairs right after I write this and yanking off the carpet on my stairs! A big pat on the back to you!

    I'm mentioning you in my post tomorrow, something you wrote about a ways back has caused havic in my life!! :) But in the end a very good thing!

    Now off I go to start removing the carpet! Janell

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  7. Wowww!! They look so good. I can't believe you did that all by yourself! : )

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  8. Love how they turned out! Wish we could do it at our house, but we have crap-o-la wood underneath our carpet:o)

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  9. SO IMPRESSED! love them brave girl!

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  10. I can't believe what a difference it makes. I'm really impressed; you did a great job. Wishing I had some stairs right now ;)

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  11. Amazing! The stairs look beautiful ~ thanks for finally sharing the pictures. I think the anticipation was getting to all of us. I'll be waiting for the step by step. I'm curious to know what kind of stain you used. I'm in the middle of a DIY project and think the Walnut Finish stain Lowes suggested (yes, the rubber doormat wall artwork) was a tad bit too light.

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  12. Wow! You are superwoman. No. Really. You are!!! The transformation is so gorgeous. Big pat on the back to you!!

    Blessings-
    Sarah

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  13. SUPER pretty stairs. What a difference!

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  14. WOW! your hard work paid off it looks amazing. Thanks for inspiring us.

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  15. Gorgeous! So much better than carpet.

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  16. Whoot Whoot!!!! My 6 year old was looking at this with me and she said, "Wow, look at those nice stairs..." LOL, she had no idea that was what the post was about so that is the TRUEST of compliments - out of the mouths of babes. :)

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  17. you should be proud!

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  18. Wow! What a transformation, they look great. I really need to do mine too, they look so much better.
    -Sarah

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  19. They are gorgeous! Great work!
    :o) Trish

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  20. Your stairs look great! Good job!!! So glad you didn't make us wait any longer to see this. Doesn't it feel good to get this done?
    Pam @ Design Fanatic

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  21. Great job! What a lot of hard work. Your color choices and extra molding are beauteous!
    Kathy

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  22. Oh my gosh I lurve them too - and I know for a fact that's the first time I've used the word lurve. Good job - they are fantastic!

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  23. wow what a GORGEOUS transformation! Love, LOVE, LOVE!

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  24. Nice Job...You deserve a great big pat on the back~looks professional!

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  25. Great job! I am going to try and talk my mom into doing this to her stairs. Simply beautiful.

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  26. Absolutely FANTABULOUS! Such a great change! You rock!

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  27. Seriously beautiful job! WOW! Well done!

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  28. They look GREAT! We ripped (ugly, stained, yellow) carpet off of our stairs too and were delighted to find gorgeous hard wood underneath... haven't decided how to finish them yet, so thanks for the great example!

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  29. I totally LURVE it too. You have given me inspiration to do my stairs. My stairs are honey colored but have had carpet on them and they have nail holes and such. Where 'o where to begin. I just want to sand them down, repaint and stain the steps. Not bad, right?

    Let me know how you did such and awesome job. BTW I love the band of color.

    Zizette

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  30. You did an AMAZING job. i love love love them!

    Well done outta you!

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  31. All of your hard work paid off and the stairs look absolutely fantastic! They add so much more character to your home than the "before" with the carpet. Love them.

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  32. I LOVE them, they are BEAUTIFUL and YOU SHOULD BE PROUD!!

    Thank you for inspiring and sharing!!

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  33. That is absolutely beautiful! Great job!

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  34. I have to admit, I was skeptical. I love me some soffffft carpet. But WOW, that looks so amazing! Hats off to you!

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  35. Just breathtaking!!! I can see why you are so proud. I'd love to do that, but we have the cheap wood under the carpet :( I will try the band of color idea! We have an open 2 story stair case. I think this will help with the visual grounding. Great job! You must just want to stare at it all day!

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  36. You should be proud! They look great. I am such a fan of hardwood steps.

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  37. BRAVO!!!!!!!!!!! They look fantastic!!!

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  38. That looks amazing. Hard, hard work but what a pay-off. I am impressed. They are beautiful.

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  39. Looks GREAT! I especially love the landing! Good job :)

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  40. I like the before and after looks, BUT, carpeting on stairs always harbors so much dirt and things that make a person sneeze.

    I can see you worked hard on this project, so yes... let's all just enjoy for now.

    Congrats on a job well done!
    Di
    The Blue Ridge Gal

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  41. BE STILL MY HEART! You did a fab job. I hope to get to this in our home someday. Can't wait for the tutorial.

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  42. Wowza...GORGEOUS staircase! I just LOVE LOVE LOVE it! We are moving in a couple weeks and one of my biggest beefs with the new house is the carpeted stairs and the wall, I'm going to rip out the wall and put in a railing and take the carpet off and do like you did! Thanks for the inspiration!

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  43. They are so awesome! I LURVE them too!

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  44. I tackled the same project when you started... however I couldn't wait for the directions... when I ripped up the carpeting I was pretty sure they were unstained stairs... I wasnt very careful taking the tack strips off and scratched (I should say really dug into the stairs) with my screwdriver! Once I realized the stairs were already stained it was too late... of course I ruined the bottom 3 stairs- right near my front door - so everyone can see - not the top where I could live with my mistake!!! I then went online to find a better way to remove the tack strips and the rest of the stairs look great... My guess is that I need to sand and start from scratch... wish I was more patient... this would have never happened. Anyway - do you know if I can just sand and stain or is there an additional step since mine were already stained... any advice would be great!!!

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  45. I love it!! Bye bye carpeted stairs of the 70's & 80's 'fashion' lol I'm so glad you like them and aren't totally wiped out to not even think of moulding! Bc that is a fab idea!! Great job!!

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  46. Wow! Your hard work paid off! That looks fabulous! I can't wait to see what you do with the molding! Great job! Hmm....you've inspired me to see what might be under our stair carpeting. So far we've found a lot of shortcuts that were made in the building of our home...Nothing is square, or lined up properly....I'm a little scared to rip up the carpet unless we are fully prepared to deal with what's underneath!

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  47. Sarah,
    They looks so gorgeous. I can only imagine how much sweat equity you just added to your home. They are just beautiful. I am so proud of you! (Do I sound like a mom?) But, I am! We've (I mean my husband) has stained floors in all four of our homes and I know that it is not an easy task. Again, GREAT JOB!
    Blessings,
    Traci

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  48. Way to go, Sarah!! These look wonderful! I'm so glad you did this. . . you're going to love them more and more as you sweep them clean rather than vacuuming them and never getting them quite clean!

    And a coat of poly? Well, they would be shinier, that's true--but they'd also be more slippery. If I were you, I'd see how the finish holds up without the extra coat. (I'm sure you were just dying for my advice on that point, weren't you?)

    Congratulations on a Job Well Done. Can't wait to see the molding project!

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  49. Okay friend, you are a girl after my own heart. You should stop by my house tour and check out my DIY remodels. We too took take on ridiculous, over the top DIY projects ;)....like busting out tile with a jack hammer while 7 months pregnant and tearing out staircases also while pregnant and having to climb a ladder to the second story...not making this stuff up.
    Just love these stairs! You did a great job and I always love visiting here :)!
    Amy

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  50. What a huge difference you made. It looks fantastic. Your hard work paid off. It looks like a catalog space.

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  51. They turned out great!
    We just redid our foyer and steps not long ago and let me tell you-the extra poly = major slippage factor. 3 coats here... I skate on those suckers constantly...but they look great!

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  52. They look so awesome! Really elegant. Just one question - are the kiddos slipping & sliding on them?

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  53. wowza!!!!! girl that is wickedly awesome!!! LOVE it- okay I have a question what did you do about the transition of the first step from the carpeted area? I can not for the life of me figure out how to do this b/c we have carpet upstairs- do you cut it at the edge and add an edge or lip to it?
    Again it looks truly amazing!!! way to go!!

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  54. I usually don't comment, I just enjoy your posts and pictures, but this... I have to tell you how F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S your stairs look. You did a heck of a job on them!! It makes such a difference and it they are absolutely beautiful! You Go Girl!

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  55. SO. FREAKING. AWESOMEEEEE!!! These look amazing - well done sister!!!

    Tell the truth, have you been laying down at the bottom of the steps and just admiring all your hard work? I know I would be - better yet an easy chair w/ a cup o' joe and I'd be pretending these hot stairs were my tv for the day!

    *2 HUGE THUMS UP!*

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  56. Big pat, pat, pat on your back. Job well done girl!

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  57. They look fantastic!!! You are a DIY goddess :) That really temps me to go pull up some carpet but I just know there is crappy wood underneath. I really like the little band of dark color. I have a ridiculously tall ceiling in the living room and may have to give it a try.

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  58. Bravo, Sarah!! I just love that you did this. I'm totally thinking about doing the downstairs set of stairs with something like this. I'd love to rip out ALL the carpet in my downstairs area & stain the concrete AND stain the stairs. I think mine might be plywood underneath too, I took a peek.

    You did a fantastic job, I know you LOVE it!!

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  59. WOW! Stinking amazing! I love the transformation. I am SOOO wanting to do this with my stairs when we get new flooring. I can't wait to see yoru full tutorial! Was it worth it? It sure looks like all the work paid off :)

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  60. incredible before & after. you really classed it up. great look. very expensive look. job well done!

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  61. It looks beautiful!! I am so jealous!

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  62. They're gorgeous - be very PROUD! As far as extra poly, even though it's a pain in the rear, I would do it. I don't know if the sheen makes a difference in the slipperiness (is that a word?), but mine are a semi-gloss and I've never had a problem. It's just enough that it gives it a nice even sheen, but not a blingy shiny surface. It's also more forgiving if the wood isn't as smooth as glass. Bravo!

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  63. Good for you, the stairs look beautiful!!! This is on my (very long) home to-do list. What a great project!
    Blessings,
    Stacey

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  64. Oh my! Your staircase is beautiful. You did a fantastic job. Your hard work paid off. Blessings, SusanD

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  65. Love it! What a dramatically beautiful change!

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  66. STUNNING!!!! BEAUTIFUL!!!! YOU HAVE TO BE SO PROUD.

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  67. Wow! They turned out great! You should be proud of yourself, you did an excellent job, they look sooooo much better than the carpet!

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  68. Your stairs look gorgeous!
    If your readers wanted to copy you but have a more even stain they should do a layer of pre-stain wood conditioner first. That helps to make the stain layers more even especially on pine and other soft woods.
    But you're right, the imperfections can sometimes just add to the character. Great Job!

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  69. Gorgeous. Just gorgeous. I cannot imagine the amount of work, but I just love it. Esp. the stain color.

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  70. IN.CREH.DIH.BAL. Love love love this. Huge kuddos to you my friend ! It's just absolutely gorgeous.

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  71. give yourself a big pat on the back! The stairs look beautiful! I know that was a lot of hard work! Way to go!
    gail

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  72. Oh Sarah -- They turned out beyond beautiful! Wow - makes me want to do mine!!!

    XOXO
    Jen

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  73. I know how much hard work you've put into this project friend, so I'm sending you a HUUUUUGE, long distance pat on the back today!

    XO
    Layla

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  74. oh...my gosh ....so much better than the carpet. I refinished the floors in my living room and dining room myself and I KNOW how much work it is. I swear I'll never do it again. Which is not good since the rest of the house needs it done. Your stairs are beautiful!

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  75. This looks great - I love the colours and I'm sure it looks even better in real life. That's a lot of views of your stairs - I think you win the prize for most pictues of one set of stairs in a post ;)

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  76. Oh girl, talk about kicking up the class factor, I'M IN LOVE!!! You were right, we would have hunted you down if you didn't post pics first, then share the tutorial later. Thanks so much for sharing with us. You did a beautiful job!
    God's blessings,
    Sarah :D

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  77. Nothing you do surprises me, Sarah, so I KNEW they'd turn out gorgeous! I love them!

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  78. I am beyong thrilled you posted this! We have to do something with our stairs as we are redoing the pergo floors soon.. which is what is on the stairs at this time... we are going with stained concrete that looks like leather ..for all the floors, we live on farm this will be very durable! ...so what to do with the stairs... this has my brain going in over drive... you did a GREAT job!!!!

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  79. They are beautiful! You SHOULD be proud! :)

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  80. They are beautiful! But I'm still very thankful we don't have stairs at our house (requirement when we house shopped 3 years ago...my knees can't take them!)

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  81. They turned out beautifully! Great job!

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  82. That before and after shot says it all!!! So worth all the tiny staples. I bet that changes the whole feel of your house.

    I swear to you I am going to show my husband that picture tonight and get him on board with me...

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  83. S.T.U.N.N.I.N.G.


    I want to rip the carpet off my stairs tonight. ;)

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  84. SUCH an amazing improvement!! You are my DIY hero. :) Awesome job!

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  85. They are truly stunning!!! I am in love! Kudos to you for all your hard work.

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  86. SO Pretty!! Now I want to do this to my stairs... but it will have to wait until I get the other 73, 614 projects on my list finished. :)

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  87. F*A*B*U*L*O*U*S !!!
    I had SO wanted for us to do this to our builders stairs... It looks GORGEOUS! You really did a great job!=)

    And I just realized... I remember your posts of this wall on RMS. Nice to meet you Sarah!

    Started following now, so I'll be back.

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  88. Amazing. What a difference that made. I partially redid our stairs by getting rid of the honey oak last year, but your amazing results are making me want to start prying off the carpet right now. The only thing that is stopping me is that I think the only thing that is under them is plywood. Great job!

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  89. GORGEOUS!! I'm totally stoked to do mine!! :)

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  90. Looks fabulous!! I'm so proud of you! Women rock! :)

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  91. I'm with everyone else..they're gorgeous. See that would be it for a while for me if I did this..congrats on your pretty stairs!

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  92. OMG Sarah ... they are GORGEOUS. You deserve to bask in a job well done!

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  93. Love it - I wish I had stairs in my house!

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  94. Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous!! Job well done!

    ~ Sarah

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  95. Bravo, Sarah! It looks really beautiful. I'm so impressed--and jealous! I hate my carpeted stairs...

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  96. Wow - sit back and pat yourself on the back - your stairs look amazing. So classic and fresh.

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  97. They look awesome, so rich looking:) Your hard work really paid off!

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  98. Gorgeous! Your hard work has definitely paid off!

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  99. Wow it's beautiful. You did a great job.

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  100. Sarah,

    I love (lurve) it too!! It looks so wonderful. Thanks for the inspiration!!

    Cindy

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  101. It looks gorgeous! I can't believe you did it yourself.

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  102. It's really stunning. You should be proud. It's gorgeous.

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  103. WOW!!!!!!! Gorgeous!!!!!!!!!!!! Go you!!!!! What a fabulous end result. I am in love with the dark stain.

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  104. they look absolutely beautiful. You've done an amazing job!! can you travel to Canada and do mine?

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  105. Told ya so! (wood steps are not slippery and you will love them)

    They look great!

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  106. Wow, Sarah! What a project, but it looks great! You go girl!

    I am totally obsessed with stairs and always have been for some reason. I finally am working on my new house stairs it is none too soon for me.

    I'm showing an old stair project and talking about my new stair project tomorrow so I'm gonna send people over to see your handiwork. Very inspiring!!

    Stairs can be awesome or dreadful. Yours have crossed over to awesome.

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  107. I am so excited to finally see the finished product :) You did an amazing job...you own it, girl! I love how they turned out. Gorgeous! They add so much warmth and charm to your already beautiful home. Way to go!

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  108. You are my hero. Seriously. I might have to get over my fear of power tools one of these days because the molding is awesome.

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  109. Absolutely beautiful!!! Thank you for sharing your AMAZING creativity with us! As always, I am inspired by being at your blog! Blessings to you! I am rejoicing with you!

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  110. Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow!!!!! Awesome :)

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  111. WOW! What a huge difference. They are stunning. Wonderful job!

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  112. Absolutely awesome. I've been waiting for you to post the pics. Great job & now you can take a breather...but I bet you won't! Good job. I gave a shout out to you from my blog since I put up new railings on my steps & am thinking too about pulling up the carpet! Nati Girl.

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  113. They turned out so wonderful! I think they were definitely worth all the work you put into them. Looking forward to future projects!

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  114. I am new to your website (and so many fabulous others) and LOVE how this turned out! I have a carpet runner on my stairs and am half-tempted to rip it out after seeing these beauties. In the meantime, I am armed with Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint and am spray painting my vents and kitchen chandeliers... :-)

    Keep up the great inspiration!!

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  115. I LOVE it! i think i'm going to rip up a corner of my carpet to check out exactly what i have underneath.

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  116. Simply Stunning! So, any suggestions for those of us with plywood stairs beneath our carpet? Would love to get rid of the carpet. Could we paint the plywood stairs black with white risers? Could we lay wood over the plywood and stain? What to do?

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  117. I am so proud of you! You are definitely after my heart. I HAVE to do the molding in my house and I don't have the guts to do it! I am scared! Help me! You truly are amazing!

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  118. Okay, these are GORgeous!!!!! I bet you love just standing back and looking at them! Well done, Sarah!

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  119. Yay! I've been checking back to see if you had posted the results. Your stairs looks sooo nice! It sounded scary, but the payoff was great. So much better! You're making me want to do mine, not sure if I'm brave enough though. Could you pretty please go into more detail about the wood on the landing, including the edging strip? And also show a picture of the second half of the stairs, where there's carpet at the top (on the second floor)?

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  120. For Really Really Real??? By yourself? (now, why in the world are you pooped??!)

    Great job!!!

    I'm having a Mercury-ish Glass Giveaway, if you're interested!!

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  121. This project turned out so well!! I am inspired!

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  122. They look fantastic... it was worth the wait.

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  123. Gorgeous! You are so brave! This is the kind of thing I'd love to do but I'm stuck in neutral because I'm afraid of "ruining" my house. You are motivating me to take the plunge and enjoy the rewards!

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  124. Let me (slurp) wipe the (smack) drool off my chin because that is ab. so. lute. ly. gorgeous!!!!!! I am so proud of you. Now how can I convince my husband to let me do that?!?

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  125. You must be completely thrilled and utterly exhausted from all that work, You paint edges look so crisp and straigh, Good Job keep up the good work

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  126. Those turned out so good! I love them!

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  127. Awesome. We women are the best thing going, ain't we?

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  128. They are beautiful! So pretty! You have inspired me.

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  129. It looks WONDERFUL!!!!!

    We sealed some old pine floors that had been covered in my grandparents house several years ago. No stain. They absorbed the poly so much, they stained themselves! Looked wonderful.

    Congratulations! I'll bet you smile every time you go up and down them don't you?

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  130. Sarah!!! It looks great. :) You should be so proud of yourself. I hope your hubby gave you two thumbs up!

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  131. I want to be you when I grow up!!!
    You seriously inspire me to want to try soooo many things (just have to get hubby on board--or get rid of him ;-)
    Great job!!!

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  132. That was a lot of work! They look fantastic! (I am SO a DIYer myself!)

    Kim @ http://frostmeblog.blogspot.com
    party inspiration

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  133. Looks JUST FABULOUS! Great job! If I had stairs, I'd be inspired to do mine...

    ;)

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  134. Sarah! Seriously it looks FABULOUS!!! Pat your self on the back for a job WELL DONE!! AWESOME!!

    ~TidyMom

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  135. I want to sell my house and buy a house with stairs! This looks great

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  136. Those are really beautiful!!! You should be so proud :-)

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  137. AMAZING work! Super kudos to your efforts!

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  138. your hard work most def paid off! they are wonderful!!!!

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  139. They turned out awesome!! Lurve them!! I am seriously going to rip my carpet out next week on our back stairs...shhh...don't tell hubby! LOL Actually, he knows I am planning on doing it since we kinda have to after installing new hardwoods in the upstairs hall (carpet had to come up off the top step...looks lovely!) BUT he doesn't know I intend to do it while he is on his company trip next week!! Cross your fingers!!

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  140. You did a FANTASTIC job!!! Wanna come do mine? Kidding...maybe. ;-)

    -FringeGirl

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  141. Oh...you should see my carpeted stairs...they need this...and I think I have this shade of stain (Bombay Minwax???) Waiting for the How-To with bated breath...

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  142. Wow, they really look great, and add so much character to your house.
    You should be proud of yourself, that was a lot of work, but you outdid yourself on this one.
    Have a great day hon,
    Blessings, Nellie

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  143. That is beautiful! I've been wanting to take the lovely, stained white carpet off of our stairs and hallway for a while but have held off because I think it will be so loud. What do you think? Loud?

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  144. Absolutely stunning! I grew up with wooden treads and I've slipped more often on carpeted stairs! (Well, except for letting a just washed dog run down them and me following behind unexpectedly :]) Did you insulate underneath? Have to caulk between riser and tread? Wish my stairs weren't behind the front door!

    Guerrina in CT

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  145. Your stairs look fantastic! Well done!

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  146. I also am curious about your edging for the landing. I actually started this project this weekend, pulled up a corner and discovered that it was the cheap wood underneath, the builder evidently thought the carpet would hide all their mess! So we pulled up the carpet, padding, and replaced the risers with 1x8s and the treads with stair treads from Lowes. But the landings are stumping me so would love to hear how you added a rounded edge to the landing.

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  147. WOW! I am so unbelievably jealous haha. Those look AMAZING! I love your color choice and placement. Off topic, but I am totally going to stain/paint my deck the way you did yours. GORGEOUS!

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  148. Beautiful. Just beautiful. Your stairs, landing, home, have such beautiful lines to work with. This wouldn't work in just any house. You did a fantastic job. Kudos!

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  149. They. Look. Fan. Tastic! We just got carpet installed this week, and while they were pulling up the stair carpet, I was keeping my fingers crossed that we had the type of stairs that we could just stain and paint like this, but no such luck. Maybe someday! I love the look. Your hard work was SO worth it.

    Autumn
    http://www.theficklehobbyist.com

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  150. It looks so elegant! Can you tell us how you did this AND navigated up and down the stairs during the process? Also, PLEASE tell us how you calculated the molding angles sometime. I have plans to trim out our staircase too... This summer? Hopefully!

    Thank u so much for finally posting stair pics!

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  151. The steps look absolutely AMAZING! I've enjoyed the "journey" with you. :) I have tan carpeted steps and would love to attempt this project, too ... my husband is skeptical, but I'll keep trying to convince him. Thanks for the ongoing inspiration!

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  152. gotta say i agree with all the other comments. your stairs are gorge! makes me wish we had stairs in our home to do a makeover. alas, we live in a rambler. but you have inspired me to rip my yucky carpet up from under our dining room table and refinish that floor. even a subfloor painted looks better than stained carpet any day in my book! :)
    now just the know-how.....wanna take a field trip to Kent, WA?

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  153. great job! I am in awe of you DIY-ness. You are amazing(&brave)

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  154. WOW!! Absolutely gorgeous! I have always wanted to have beautiful wood steps instead of carpet. You did an amazing job!

    Stop by and check out my Easter napkin ring promotion and see some of my Easter Tablescape ideas.

    Karin

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  155. Beautiful job! You should be so proud!

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  156. I love them! Now I'm totally inspired to take the carpet off the stairs in my house and put them back to their original glory. Great job!

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  157. They look GORGEOUS!!!! It makes me think we should do the same to our stairs. We put hardwoods in almost two years ago and are finishing the basement this year. So maybe next year??? You did a fabulous job!

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  158. You did a great job and they look great!

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  159. This post, combo'd with just reading Melissa's post on her stairway (same kindof thing) is making me want to RIP out our back stairway carpet. It is starting to get worn, never looks clean and crisp anymore, and I HATE VACUUMING STEPS!!!!!!

    Love your new stairs. the end.

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  160. My stairs are exactly like yours- beige carpet with the pine boards.
    For years I wanted wood, but thought I would have to get new treads put on and that would be too costly. Your stairs came out great. I think the real inspiration for me was seeing your steps right after you ripped the carpet up. You did a great job and I am going to do this come Spring. I will have your photos to show my husband when he gets that un-sure look on his face.

    Great job. I have a dad like yours. I totally understand the jig thing.
    Diane

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  161. Oh my gosh!! I am in awe of your talents! This is so absolutely beautiful. Job well done!

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  162. I want the stairs going to our basement to look just like yours!!! Oh, they are gorgeous!! You did such an amazing job. You are soooooo talented!

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  163. Wow! They just look fabulous. You did a great job.

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  164. You are getting a standing ovation here at WhisperWood Cottage!

    Amy

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  165. You are so talented and inspire me to really take a look at our mess..ahem...house. Really beautiful stairs.
    ~Amber
    The Mom Road

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  166. GORGEOUS!!! Years back, my husband and I did the same thing to our stairs but painted the steps in porch paint. I do LOVE them and they are SO MUCH LESS SLIPPERY THAN CARPET..so many people will not believe you! I do have to warn you 'cause our steps are pine too, they do "wear" because pine is soft but I call it PATINA....it sounds so much better!

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  167. Absolutely stunning!! Love them!! You did a wonderful job...as with everything you very talented lady! :)

    Hugs,
    Victoria

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  168. The stairs look gorgeous. Congratulations on the outcome of all your hard work! We have a century home and we also stripped and stained our stairs. Quite similar to yours except we stained our risers as well. I would recommend using a coat or two (or three) of poly. We have found we really needed that. Even so, some places need to be touched up now. Beautiful job anyway.

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  169. Superb job and the accent of white color is brilliant in it.

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  170. was it just regular builder pine boards underneath that carpet? it is already have that rounded edge? I have wood pine underneath but it doesn't have that rounded edge and I so want to do that to my carpet!!!! Can't wait to see the step by step pictures for more details1!!

    Jennifer
    4kerrhome@att.net

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  171. Your stairway turned out great Sarah!! I'm curious about the color and brand of stain you used. (I've had trouble with staining pine a dark color)I'm currently debating whether I want to refinish my (painted) pine stairway with stain or fresh paint.

    Carrie

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If you have a specific question I will do my best to answer you back here!

You can find our paint colors and links to items at the "Our Home" tab at the top of my site.

THANKS so much for reading!