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I'd appreciate any info on the "typical" cost of replacing a carpet covered staircase with hardwood. The stair is in a 2-story house and connects the 1st and 2nd floors. The ceiling height is 9 ft. I live in western Wake if that makes any difference.
I'd appreciate any info on the "typical" cost of replacing a carpet covered staircase with hardwood. The stair is in a 2-story house and connects the 1st and 2nd floors. The ceiling height is 9 ft. I live in western Wake if that makes any difference.
Thanks.
It will obviously depend on many things - number of steps, type of wood, any bends/custom cuts, etc.
I don't think the ceiling height will affect the price though Number of stairs and width would probably be the better measurement.
I don't think the ceiling height will affect the price though Number of stairs and width would probably be the better measurement.
I was "lazy" and used the ceiling height as an indication of the number of steps that would be required Obviously, that was a bad move on my part. OK, so there are 15 steps, 10 of which have 42" width and 10" depth. The rest are wider/deeper because they are either turns or landings. I am planning on red oak to match the existing floor.
I understand there are many factors that affect the cost. I am just looking for some approximation from your experiences.
For perspective, last Aug we replaced all the flooring in our house with hardwood. We have 13 step staircase that was going to cost $2400. We didn't do it, instead chose a very nice carpet that was a remnant and spent $340 instead.
We had carpet that covered most of the runners. That becomes the dirtiest flooring in the house but, as pointed out, gives the best footing.
We stripped off the carpet in order to stain the treads and paint the risers. This was tedious. There were 9.2 badjillion staples holding the carpet in place. The baseboards had been spray painted, which is common practice, and the overspray had to be sanded off. More tedium. The carpenter had used his biggest hammer to install the existing treads, being sure to make big dents in the treads, which still show.
Then I stained and put down several coats of polyurethane on a week when the beloved and her dog were out of town. I had to decide to be upstairs or downstairs for the half of a day for each coat and prepare rations accordingly.
When she returned we painted the risers and trim. Now everytime I step on the tread, my heel marks the white paint on the riser. Decorative tiles might have worked better.
The only difference having a professional do it would be it would cost more.
42" treads are $29 at the big box store, unfinished. You could stain them first , but you'll still need to polycoat them.
"But it does look great!"
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