Right before we were to receive our renter, we had started working on our stairs. More on that later…
The stairs, when we purchased the home, were already carpetless to the upstairs and we also removed the carpet off of the steps to the basement. So we were left with stair treads that had leftover glue on them and were in rough shape from years of wear.
My dad, who is the foreman of this little project (remember, I’m the designer and laborer), made an incredible suggestion. He also might just be a “cut-the-corners-genius” (it comes from years of remaking and redoing on a small income). He knew if we would take up the stair treads and flip them over, they would be good as new. Yes! What an incredible suggestion! Forty-five years of wear on one side of the treads, zero on the other!
Here’s a little before and after-
Up The Stairs
Weathered Stair Tread
I had to sand a little bit on the old side because of the hangover of the tread.
Round One of Sanding
But here’s the original tread, just the side that was nailed down all those years. Looks pretty good!
The “Other” Side of the Stair Tread
The sanding commenced and I went through three different sizes of sandpaper on the old stair treads. The risers also got a good sanding so they could be painted.
It was then that our renter moved in and we had to quickly nail down the stairs temporarily so we could move furniture! I also decided anytime you’re working on stairs, it’s best to only do three at a time. 😉
After our renter was settled, the tops of the treads were stained and sealed.
Here’s an “almost done” after-
Stairs After
And the basement-
Basement Steps
You want to know the best part, there aren’t anymore squeaks! Taking them up and redoing them let us put in new glue and get them attached again so they are like brand new steps!